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153-707-607-182-101
|
CN
|
[
"DE",
"US",
"CN"
] |
B66B13/14,B66B13/08
| 2018-05-21T00:00:00 |
2018
|
[
"B66"
] |
elevator door control system, elevator system, and elevator door control method
|
an elevator door control system, an elevator system, and an elevator door control method based on to-be-carried object grouping identification. the elevator door control system includes one or more three-dimensional sensors, arranged to capture three-dimensional data of to-be-carried objects in an elevator waiting region, wherein the three-dimensional data includes depth data; a data processing device, communicating with the three-dimensional sensor, and configured to receive and process the three-dimensional data, to provide grouping data of one or more groups obtained according to correlations between the to-be-carried objects and position data of each to-be-carried object in the elevator waiting region; and a control device, connected to an elevator door, communicating with the data processing device, and configured to control operation of the elevator door according to the grouping data and the position data.
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1. an elevator door control system based on to-be-carried object grouping identification, comprising: one or more three-dimensional sensors, arranged to capture three-dimensional data of to-be-carried objects in an elevator waiting region, wherein the three-dimensional data comprises depth data; a data processing device, communicating with the three-dimensional sensor, and configured to receive and process the three-dimensional data, to provide grouping data of one or more groups obtained according to correlations between the to-be-carried objects and position data of each to-be-carried object in the elevator waiting region; and a control device, connected to an elevator door, communicating with the data processing device, and configured to control operation of the elevator door according to the grouping data and the position data. 2. the elevator door control system according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured to control operation of the elevator door to simultaneously load all to-be-carried objects in at least one group or simultaneously load remaining to-be-carried objects in at least one group that have not been carried. 3. the elevator door control system according to claim 1 , wherein the data processing device comprises: a detecting and locating module, configured to acquire an object feature of each to-be-carried object from the three-dimensional data and determine a coordinate position of each to-be-carried object in the elevator waiting region; a grouping module, communicating with the detecting and locating module, and configured to group each to-be-carried object into a group according to the object feature; and a group tracking module, communicating with the grouping module, and configured to track positions of to-be-carried objects in the same group and update coordinate positions of the to-be-carried objects in the elevator waiting region. 4. the elevator door control system according to claim 3 , wherein the data processing device further comprises a category defining module, communicating with the grouping module and the group tracking module, and configured to define, according to at least two object features of the to-be-carried objects in the same group, a category of the group, wherein the at least two object features comprise height and shape, and the category comprises an adult group, an adult and juvenile group, an adult and pet group, and a juvenile and pet group. 5. the elevator door control system according to claim 4 , wherein the control device is configured to execute one of the following operations: if the category of the group is the adult and juvenile group, controlling, when only a juvenile in the group enters an elevator car, the elevator door to be in an open state until an adult in the group enters the elevator car; if the category of the group is the adult and pet group, controlling, when only a pet in the group enters an elevator car, the elevator door to be in an open state until an adult in the group enters the elevator car; if the category of the group is the juvenile and pet group, controlling, when only a pet in the group enters an elevator car, the elevator door to be in an open state until a juvenile in the group enters the elevator car; if the category of the group is the adult group, controlling, when not all the adults in the group have entered an elevator car and a current crowdedness degree of the elevator car does not exceed a preset value, the elevator door to be in an open state until all the adults in the group enter the elevator car. 6. the elevator door control system according to claim 5 , wherein the crowdedness degree is determined according to a ratio of a current load of the elevator car to a preset rated load of the elevator car. 7. the elevator door control system according to claim 3 , wherein the three-dimensional sensor has a parameter that is calibrated, and the detecting and locating module converts a coordinate position of the to-be-carried object in the depth data into a coordinate position of the to-be-carried object in the elevator waiting region based on the parameter. 8. the elevator door control system according to claim 7 , wherein the parameter comprises a position and an angle at which the three-dimensional sensor is arranged. 9. the elevator door control system according to claim 3 , wherein the detecting and locating module processes the three-dimensional data by using background modeling and foreground segmentation methods. 10. the elevator door control system according to claim 3 , wherein the object feature comprises position, speed, acceleration, moving direction, trajectory, body orientation, height, and shape. 11. the elevator door control system according to claim 1 , wherein the three-dimensional sensor is at least arranged at the top of the elevator waiting region. 12. an elevator system, comprising: an elevator car; and the elevator door control system according to claim 1 . 13. an elevator door control method based on to-be-carried object grouping identification, the method comprising: receiving three-dimensional data captured from to-be-carried objects in an elevator waiting region, wherein the three-dimensional data comprises depth data; processing the three-dimensional data, to provide grouping data of one or more groups obtained according to correlations between the to-be-carried objects and position data of each to-be-carried object in the elevator waiting region; and controlling operation of the elevator door according to the grouping data and the position data. 14. the elevator door control method according to claim 13 , wherein the operation of the elevator door is controlled to simultaneously load all to-be-carried objects in at least one group or simultaneously load remaining to-be-carried objects in at least one group that have not been carried. 15. the elevator door control method according to claim 13 , wherein the processing the three-dimensional data comprises: acquiring an object feature of each to-be-carried object from the three-dimensional data and determining a coordinate position of each to-be-carried object in the elevator waiting region; grouping each to-be-carried object into a group according to the object feature; and tracking positions of to-be-carried objects in the same group and updating coordinate positions of the to-be-carried objects in the elevator waiting region. 16. the elevator door control method according to claim 15 , wherein the processing the three-dimensional data further comprises defining, according to at least two object features of the to-be-carried objects in the same group, a category of the group, wherein the at least two object features comprise height and shape, and the category comprises an adult group, an adult and juvenile group, an adult and pet group, and a juvenile and pet group. 17. the elevator door control method according to claim 16 , wherein one of the following operations are executed according to the category of the group: if the category of the group is the adult and juvenile group, controlling, when only a juvenile in the group enters an elevator car, the elevator door to be in an open state until an adult in the group enters the elevator car; if the category of the group is the adult and pet group, controlling, when only a pet in the group enters an elevator car, the elevator door to be in an open state until an adult in the group enters the elevator car; if the category of the group is the juvenile and pet group, controlling, when only a pet in the group enters an elevator car, the elevator door to be in an open state until a juvenile in the group enters the elevator car; and/or if the category of the group is the adult group, controlling, when not all the adults in the group have entered an elevator car and a current crowdedness degree of the elevator car does not exceed a preset value, the elevator door to be in an open state until all the adults in the group enter the elevator car. 18. the elevator door control method according to claim 17 , wherein the crowdedness degree is determined according to a ratio of a current load of the elevator car to a preset rated load of the elevator car. 19. the elevator door control method according to claim 15 , wherein the object feature comprises position, speed, acceleration, moving direction, trajectory, body orientation, height, and shape. 20. the elevator door control method according to claim 13 , wherein the three-dimensional data is captured by using one or more three-dimensional sensors having a parameter that is calibrated, and a coordinate position of the to-be-carried object in the depth data is converted into a coordinate position of the to-be-carried object in the elevator waiting region based on the parameter. 21. the elevator door control method according to claim 20 , wherein the parameter comprises a position and an angle at which the three-dimensional sensor is arranged. 22. the elevator door control method according to claim 20 , wherein the three-dimensional sensor is at least arranged at the top of the elevator waiting region.
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foreign priority this application claims priority to chinese patent application no. 201810487047.3, filed may 21, 2018, and all the benefits accruing therefrom under 35 u.s.c. § 119, the contents of which in its entirety are herein incorporated by reference. technical field the present invention relates to the technical field of elevators, and more particularly to an elevator door control system, an elevator system, and an elevator door control method based on to-be-carried object grouping identification. background art elevators have been widely used in modern society, bringing great convenience to people's work and daily life. although a large variety of elevator apparatuses, devices or systems have been provided in the prior art to meet different application needs of people, these existing elevator apparatuses, devices or systems still have shortcomings and defects in such aspects as security monitoring, intelligence, user-friendliness, reliability, and user experience, and need to be further improved and optimized. summary of the invention in view of this, the present invention provides an elevator door control system, an elevator system, and an elevator door control method based on to-be-carried object grouping identification, to solve at least one or more of the above-mentioned and other problems in the prior art. first, a first aspect of the present invention provides an elevator door control system based on to-be-carried object grouping identification, with the elevator door control system including: the elevator door control system including: one or more three-dimensional sensors, arranged to capture three-dimensional data of to-be-carried objects in an elevator waiting region, where the three-dimensional data includes depth data; a data processing device, communicating with the three-dimensional sensor, and configured to receive and process the three-dimensional data, to provide grouping data of one or more groups obtained according to correlations between the to-be-carried objects and position data of each to-be-carried object in the elevator waiting region; and a control device, connected to an elevator door, communicating with the data processing device, and configured to control operation of the elevator door according to the grouping data and the position data. in the elevator door control system according to the present invention, optionally, the control device is configured to control operation of the elevator door to simultaneously load all to-be-carried objects in at least one group or simultaneously load remaining to-be-carried objects in at least one group that have not been carried. in the elevator door control system according to the present invention, optionally, the data processing device includes: a detecting and locating module, configured to acquire an object feature of each to-be-carried object from the three-dimensional data and determine a coordinate position of each to-be-carried object in the elevator waiting region; a grouping module, communicating with the detecting and locating module, and configured to group each to-be-carried object into a group according to the object feature; and a group tracking module, communicating with the grouping module, and configured to track positions of to-be-carried objects in the same group and update coordinate positions of the to-be-carried objects in the elevator waiting region. in the elevator door control system according to the present invention, optionally, the data processing device further includes a category defining module, communicating with the grouping module and the group tracking module, and configured to define, according to at least two object features of the to-be-carried objects in the same group, a category of the group, wherein the at least two object features include height and shape, and the category includes an adult group, an adult and juvenile group, an adult and pet group, and a juvenile and pet group. in the elevator door control system according to the present invention, optionally, the control device is configured to execute the following operations: if the category of the group is the adult and juvenile group, controlling, when only a juvenile in the group enters an elevator car, the elevator door to be in an open state until an adult in the group enters the elevator car; if the category of the group is the adult and pet group, controlling, when only a pet in the group enters an elevator car, the elevator door to be in an open state until an adult in the group enters the elevator car; if the category of the group is the juvenile and pet group, controlling, when only a pet in the group enters an elevator car, the elevator door to be in an open state until a juvenile in the group enters the elevator car; and/or if the category of the group is the adult group, controlling, when not all the adults in the group have entered an elevator car and a current crowdedness degree of the elevator car does not exceed a preset value, the elevator door to be in an open state until all the adults in the group enter the elevator car. in the elevator door control system according to the present invention, optionally, the crowdedness degree is determined according to a ratio of a current load of the elevator car to a preset rated load of the elevator car. in the elevator door control system according to the present invention, optionally, the three-dimensional sensor has a parameter that is calibrated, and the detecting and locating module converts a coordinate position of the to-be-carried object in the depth data into a coordinate position of the to-be-carried object in the elevator waiting region based on the parameter. in the elevator door control system according to the present invention, optionally, the parameter includes a position and an angle at which the three-dimensional sensor is arranged. in the elevator door control system according to the present invention, optionally, the detecting and locating module processes the three-dimensional data by using background modeling and foreground segmentation methods. in the elevator door control system according to the present invention, optionally, the object feature includes position, speed, acceleration, moving direction, trajectory, body orientation, height, and shape. in the elevator door control system according to the present invention, optionally, the three-dimensional sensor is at least arranged at the top of the elevator waiting region. next, a second aspect of the present invention provides an elevator system, including any one of the above-mentioned elevator door control systems. in addition, a third aspect of the present invention further provides an elevator door control method based on to-be-carried object grouping identification, including steps of: receiving three-dimensional data captured from to-be-carried objects in an elevator waiting region, where the three-dimensional data includes depth data; processing the three-dimensional data, to provide grouping data of one or more groups obtained according to correlations between the to-be-carried objects and position data of each to-be-carried object in the elevator waiting region; and controlling operation of the elevator door according to the grouping data and the position data. in the elevator door control method according to the present invention, optionally, the operation of the elevator door is controlled to simultaneously load all to-be-carried objects in at least one group or simultaneously load remaining to-be-carried objects in at least one group that have not been carried. in the elevator door control method according to the present invention, optionally, the step of processing the three-dimensional data includes: acquiring an object feature of each to-be-carried object from the three-dimensional data and determining a coordinate position of each to-be-carried object in the elevator waiting region; grouping each to-be-carried object into a group according to the object feature; and tracking positions of to-be-carried objects in the same group and updating coordinate positions of the to-be-carried objects in the elevator waiting region. in the elevator door control method according to the present invention, optionally, the step of processing the three-dimensional data further includes defining, according to at least two object features of the to-be-carried objects in the same group, a category of the group, wherein the at least two object features include height and shape, and the category includes an adult group, an adult and juvenile group, an adult and pet group, and a juvenile and pet group. in the elevator door control method according to the present invention, optionally, the following operations are executed according to the category of the group: if the category of the group is the adult and juvenile group, controlling, when only a juvenile in the group enters an elevator car, the elevator door to be in an open state until an adult in the group enters the elevator car; if the category of the group is the adult and pet group, controlling, when only a pet in the group enters an elevator car, the elevator door to be in an open state until an adult in the group enters the elevator car; if the category of the group is the juvenile and pet group, controlling, when only a pet in the group enters an elevator car, the elevator door to be in an open state until a juvenile in the group enters the elevator car; and/or if the category of the group is the adult group, controlling, when not all the adults in the group have entered an elevator car and a current crowdedness degree of the elevator car does not exceed a preset value, the elevator door to be in an open state until all the adults in the group enter the elevator car. in the elevator door control method according to the present invention, optionally, the crowdedness degree is determined according to a ratio of a current load of the elevator car to a preset rated load of the elevator car. in the elevator door control method according to the present invention, optionally, the object feature includes position, speed, acceleration, moving direction, trajectory, body orientation, height, and shape. in the elevator door control method according to the present invention, optionally, the three-dimensional data is captured by using one or more three-dimensional sensors having a parameter that is calibrated, and a coordinate position of the to-be-carried object in the depth data is converted into a coordinate position of the to-be-carried object in the elevator waiting region based on the parameter. in the elevator door control method according to the present invention, optionally, the parameter includes a position and an angle at which the three-dimensional sensor is arranged. in the elevator door control method according to the present invention, optionally, the three-dimensional sensor is at least arranged at the top of the elevator waiting region. the principles, characteristics, features, advantages and the like of the technical solutions of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description made with reference to the accompanying drawings. for example, it will be appreciated that the elevator door control system, the elevator system, and the elevator door control method based on to-be-carried object grouping identification provided by the present invention have obvious technical advantages over the prior art, can intelligently implement quick and accurate identification of correlations between the to-be-carried objects, and accordingly distribute the associated to-be-carried objects to the same elevator car in a more user-friendly way, thus improving the safety in use of the elevator door, and enhancing user experience of passengers. brief description of the drawings the technical solutions of the present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. however, it should be understood that the accompanying drawings are merely designed for the purpose of explanation, are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structural constructions described herein, and are not necessarily drawn to scale. fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a scenario in which a plurality of to-be-carried objects is located in an elevator waiting region, where a three-dimensional sensor arranged in the elevator waiting region is shown. fig. 2 is a schematic structural view of an embodiment of an elevator door control system according to the present invention. fig. 3 is a schematic structural view of an embodiment of another elevator door control system according to the present invention. fig. 4 is a schematic flowchart of an embodiment of an elevator door control method according to the present invention. detailed description first, it should be noted that the compositions, steps, features, and advantages of the elevator door control system, the elevator system and the elevator door control method based on to-be-carried object grouping identification according to the present invention will be described below by way of example, but the descriptions are not intended to limit the present invention. in addition, for any single technical feature described or implied in the embodiments mentioned herein or any single technical feature shown or implied in the accompanying drawings, the present invention still allows these technical features (or equivalents thereof) to be combined or omitted arbitrarily without causing any technical obstacle. therefore, all such embodiments obtained according to the present invention should be considered to fall within the scope disclosed herein. in addition, the same or similar components and features may be labeled at only one or more positions in the same drawing for the sake of simplicity. refer to fig. 1 and fig. 2 , which schematically illustrate the structure of an embodiment of an elevator door control system according to the present invention. in this embodiment, the elevator door control system includes a three-dimensional sensor 3 configured to capture three-dimensional data of to-be-carried objects (for example, passengers and pets) and a data processing device 4 configured to process the captured three-dimensional data. the three-dimensional sensor (or referred to as a depth sensor) is a sensor capable of obtaining depth or three-dimensional information of an object in a scene. such sensors may work based on different principles such as structured light, tof, binocular stereo vision, binocular structured light, and lidar. specifically, one or more three-dimensional sensors 3 (for example, commercially available zed, kinect, camcube, astra, intel realsense, etc.) may be provided according to actual on-site situations, for example, arranged at any suitable position such as the top 11 of the elevator waiting region 10 (or referred to as “elevator lobby”, “lobby”, etc.), so as to capture three-dimensional data of to-be-carried objects 12 in the elevator waiting region 10 through a field of view a formed by the one or more three-dimensional sensors 3 . the three-dimensional data includes depth data, which is helpful for analysis and identification, positioning, and moving trajectory tracking of the to-be-carried objects 12 , and will be detailed later. it will be appreciated that without departing from the spirit of the present invention, the actual number of three-dimensional sensors to be provided, the arrangement position, the coverage range, working parameters and the like can be flexibly selected, changed and adjusted according to specific applications requirements in the present invention. the data processing device 4 may be connected to the three-dimensional sensor 3 through wired communication or wireless communication, so as to acquire and process the three-dimensional data captured by the three-dimensional sensor 3 and then group the to-be-carried objects 12 according to the three-dimensional data, thus grouping the to-be-carried objects 12 into one or more groups and obtaining corresponding grouping data. as an example, correlations between the to-be-carried objects 12 may be determined according to one or more object features such as position, speed, acceleration, moving direction, trajectory, body orientation, height, and shape, and accordingly the to-be-carried objects 12 are grouped into different groups. in addition, position data of the to-be-carried objects 12 in the elevator waiting region 10 may also be obtained by processing the three-dimensional data based on the data processing device 4 . to facilitate a better understanding of the technical solutions of the present invention, fig. 2 and fig. 3 respectively show approximate structures of two embodiments of the elevator door control system by way of example, wherein the data processing device 4 is implemented in two different ways. first, in the example of fig. 2 , the data processing device 4 includes a detecting and locating module 6 , a grouping module 7 , and a group tracking module 8 . the detecting and locating module 6 is configured to acquire an object feature (for example, position, speed, acceleration, moving direction, trajectory, body orientation, height, and shape) of each to-be-carried object 12 from the three-dimensional data captured by the three-dimensional sensor 3 , and determine a coordinate position of each to-be-carried object 12 in the elevator waiting region 10 . in practical applications, the detecting and locating module 6 may process the three-dimensional data by using any one or more suitable image or video (stream) analysis technologies. such technologies include but are not limited to various 3d analysis technologies such as background modeling and foreground segmentation methods (for example, a gmm method and a codebook method). since a large number of such methods for processing image data and depth data have been provided in the prior art, the details will not be described herein. for the positioning of the to-be-carried object, in an optional case, parameters in the three-dimensional sensor 3 may be calibrated. the parameters include but are not limited to a position and an angle at which the three-dimensional sensor 3 is arranged. then, the detecting and locating module 6 may convert a coordinate position of the to-be-carried object 12 in the depth data that is captured into a coordinate position of the to-be-carried object 12 in the elevator waiting region 10 based on the calibrated parameters, thus achieving timely and accurate detection and positioning of the to-be-carried objects 12 . the grouping module 7 is configured to group the to-be-carried objects 12 into one or more groups according to the object features of the to-be-carried objects 12 . for example, as described above, the correlations between the to-be-carried objects 12 may be determined according to information such as position, speed, acceleration, moving direction, trajectory, and body orientation of the to-be-carried objects 12 in a plurality of frames of three-dimensional data, and accordingly the to-be-carried objects 12 are grouped. for example, if multiple to-be-carried objects have relatively stable relative positions and have similar speeds, moving directions and trajectories, it indicates that they may be friends, colleagues, family, partners or have other close or intimate relationships. in this case, they may be grouped into the same group. the information will be provided to a control device 5 for intelligent and user-friendly elevator door control, so as to distribute members of the same group into the same elevator car as much as possible. the group tracking module 8 is configured to track positions of to-be-carried objects 12 in the same group and update coordinate positions of the to-be-carried objects 12 in the elevator waiting region 10 . the information will be provided to the control device 5 for intelligent and user-friendly elevator door control, so as to distribute the to-be-carried objects of the same group into the same elevator car as much as possible. in addition, fig. 3 shows another example, wherein the detecting and locating module 6 , the grouping module 7 , and the group tracking module 8 are the same as the detecting and locating module 6 , the grouping module 7 , and the group tracking module 8 in fig. 2 and therefore will not be repeatedly described herein. in the example of fig. 3 , a category defining module 9 is additionally provided. the category defining module 9 communicates with the grouping module 7 and the group tracking module 8 , and is configured to define, according to two or more object features (for example, height and shape) of the to-be-carried objects in the same group, a category of the group, wherein the category may include an adult group, an adult and juvenile group, an adult and pet group, and a juvenile and pet group. the configuration of the category defining module 9 helps further intelligently distinguish individual attributes of the to-be-carried objects in the elevator waiting region 10 , to enable the control device 5 to achieve more user-friendly elevator door control, thus bringing better user experience for passengers and enhancing the safety of the system, which will be detailed later. the control device 5 is not only connected to the elevator door 2 , but also communicates with the data processing device 4 , so as to acquire the grouping data and the position data from the data processing device 4 and control operation of the elevator door 2 . the control device 5 intelligently controls the operation of the elevator door 2 in a user-friendly way. one purpose of the control is to distribute all the to-be-carried objects 12 in the same group into the same elevator car 1 as much as possible, so as to offer care and convenience for the passengers, ensure that passengers in the same group who are family, friends, colleagues or the like take the same elevator car, and reduce or eliminate great safety risks caused by some passengers rushing and hitting the elevator door when the elevator door is being closed. in this way, not only the user experience and personal safety of passengers are improved, but also the risks of damage to elevator equipments are effectively reduced. in an optional case, the control device 5 may be configured to execute the following one or more operations so as to better implement the above-mentioned intelligent and user-friendly elevator door control: if the category of one group is the adult and juvenile group, that is, the group includes both an adult and a juvenile, controlling, when only the juvenile in the group enters the elevator car 1 , the elevator door 2 to be in an open state until the adult in the group also enters the elevator car 1 , preventing the juvenile from detaching from the adult and taking the elevator alone to face safety risks; if the category of one group is the adult and pet group, that is, the group includes both an adults and a pet, controlling, when only the pet in the group enters the elevator car 1 , the elevator door 2 to be in an open state until the adult in the group also enters the elevator car 1 , to take care of and manage the pet, preventing the pet from detaching from the adult to annoy or cause adverse effects and safety risks to other passengers in the elevator car; if the category of one group is juvenile and pet group, that is, the group includes both a juvenile and a pet, controlling, when only the pet in the group enters the elevator car 1 , the elevator door 2 to be in an open state until the juvenile in the group also enters the elevator car 1 , to take care of and manage the pet, preventing the pet from detaching from the juvenile to annoy or cause adverse effects and safety risks to other passengers in the elevator car; and if the category of one group is the adult group, that is, the group includes two or more adults considered to be family, friends, colleagues or have other close or intimate relationships, controlling, when not all the adults in the group have entered the elevator car 1 and a current crowdedness degree of the elevator car 1 (which may be determined according to a ratio of a current load of the elevator car 1 to a preset rated load of the elevator car 1 ) does not exceed a preset value (which may be determined according to specific applications), the elevator door 2 to be in an open state until all the adults enter the elevator car 1 , bringing great convenience for the adult passengers, and offering them good experience in using the elevator. definitely, the control device 5 may optionally be further configured to control operation of the elevator door to simultaneously load remaining to-be-carried objects in at least one group that have not been carried. for example, the elevator car may be too crowded and cannot hold all the to-be-carried objects in the same group. that is, the elevator car currently only carries some of the to-be-carried objects in the group, and one or more remaining to-be-carried objects in the same group need to wait in the elevator waiting region for next ride. in this case, the control device 5 can be used to control operation of the elevator door of the elevator that subsequently comes, so as to distribute as much as possible the remaining to-be-carried objects to one elevator car at a time or to a plurality of elevator cars in batches, thus providing intelligent and user-friendly elevator control, and minimizing the number of elevator cars required for carrying the to-be-carried objects in the same group. the approximate structures, working principles, and technical advantages of the elevator door control system according to the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the examples of fig. 1 to fig. 2 . in addition, another technical solution according to the present invention further provides an elevator system, including the elevator door control system according to the present invention, so as to exploit the obvious technical advantages of the solutions of the present invention over the prior art. in addition, as an aspect obviously superior to the prior art, the present invention further provides an elevator door control method based on to-be-carried object grouping identification. as an example, as shown in fig. 4 , one example of the elevator door control method may include the following steps: in step s 11 , receiving three-dimensional data captured from to-be-carried objects in an elevator waiting region, wherein the three-dimensional data includes depth data; in step s 12 , processing the three-dimensional data, to provide grouping data of one or more groups obtained according to correlations between the to-be-carried objects and position data of each to-be-carried object in the elevator waiting region; and in step s 13 , controlling operation of the elevator door according to the grouping data and the position data. for example, in some embodiments, the operation of the elevator door may be controlled in step s 13 to simultaneously load all to-be-carried objects in at least one group or simultaneously load remaining to-be-carried objects in at least one group that have not been carried, thus providing intelligent and user-friendly elevator control, and minimizing the number of elevator cars required for carrying the to-be-carried objects in the same group. in an optional case, the received three-dimensional data may be processed in the following manner in some embodiments: first, acquiring an object feature (for example, position, speed, acceleration, moving direction, trajectory, body orientation, height, and significance) of each to-be-carried object from the three-dimensional data and determining a coordinate position of each to-be-carried object in the elevator waiting region; then, grouping each to-be-carried object into a group according to the object feature; and then, tracking positions of to-be-carried objects in the same group and updating coordinate positions of the to-be-carried objects in the elevator waiting region. in addition, in an optional case, the to-be-carried object may be detected and positioned by using methods such as background modeling and foreground segmentation. in addition, in an optional case, the three-dimensional data of the to-be-carried objects in the elevator waiting region may be captured by using one or more three-dimensional sensors having a parameter that is calibrated (for example, a position and an angle at which the three-dimensional sensor is arranged), and a coordinate position of the to-be-carried object in the depth data is converted into a coordinate position of the to-be-carried object in the elevator waiting region based on the above parameter. in some embodiments, according to two or more object features (for example, height and shape) of the to-be-carried objects in the same group, a category of the group may be defined. for example, the category may be set to include an adult group, an adult and juvenile group, an adult and pet group, and a juvenile and pet group. based on the classification and setting of the categories of the groups, the operation of the elevator door can be intelligently controlled in a user-friendly way according to the categories of different groups, to prevent the annoyance, adverse effects, and safety risks caused by the juvenile or pet from detaching from the adult, the pet from detaching from the juvenile, or that passengers in the same group not taking the same elevator car, thus improving better user experience for passengers, it will be appreciated that the technical contents such as the grouping and setting of the to-be-carried objects, the setting of the categories of groups, the detection, positioning and tracking of the to-be-carried objects, the intelligent and user-friendly control operation on the elevator door, and the configuration and use of the three-dimensional sensor have been elaborated thoroughly in the foregoing description of the elevator door control system; therefore, for contents related to the method of the present invention, reference can be made to the specific description of the foregoing corresponding part, and the details will not be repeated herein. the elevator door control system, the elevator system and the elevator door control method based on to-be-carried object grouping identification according to the present invention are described in detail above by way of example only. these examples are only used for describing the principles and implementations of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. those of ordinary skill in the art can also make various modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. therefore, all equivalent technical solutions shall fall within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
|
154-658-756-018-944
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US
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[
"EP",
"US",
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"MX",
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H04B3/36,H04B10/00,H01Q13/26,H04B10/2575,H04B10/40,H01P3/10,H01P5/08,H04B5/02,H04B3/56
| 2015-02-20T00:00:00 |
2015
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[
"H04",
"H01"
] |
guided-wave transmission device with non-fundamental mode propagation and methods for use therewith
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aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a coupler that includes a tapered collar that surrounds a transmission wire. a coaxial coupler, that surrounds at least a portion of the transmission wire, guides an electromagnetic wave to the tapered collar. the tapered collar couples the electromagnetic wave to propagate along an outer surface of the transmission wire. other embodiments are disclosed.
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a transmission device comprising: a communications interface that receives a communication signal that includes data; a transceiver, coupled to the communications interface, that generates an electromagnetic wave based on the communication signal to convey the data in accordance with at least one selected electromagnetic, em, mode; and a coupler, coupled to the transceiver, configured to receive and couple the electromagnetic wave to a transmission medium having a surface, wherein the coupler includes a conductive ring and a tapered collar that surrounds the transmission medium, wherein the conductive ring guides the electromagnetic wave to the tapered collar, and wherein the tapered collar couples the electromagnetic wave to be guided by the transmission medium for propagation along the transmission medium via the at least one selected em mode, characterized in that the at least one selected em mode includes a non-fundamental em mode that is guided by an outer surface of the transmission medium, and wherein the non-fundamental em mode generates an em field pattern having a local minimum at an azimuthal orientation about the transmission medium corresponding to an expected orientation of water droplet formation. the transmission device of claim 1, wherein the coupler forms a gap between the conductive ring and the transmission medium that includes a dielectric. the transmission device of claims 1 or 2, wherein the tapered collar includes a dielectric. the transmission device of any preceding claim, wherein the non-fundamental em mode has a cutoff frequency, and wherein a carrier frequency of the electromagnetic wave is selected based on the cutoff frequency. the transmission device of claim 4, wherein the carrier frequency is within a microwave frequency band. the transmission device of claim 4, wherein the carrier frequency is within a millimeter wave frequency band. the transmission device of any preceding claim, wherein the at least one selected em mode is selected from a plurality of em modes that include: the non-fundamental em mode, a fundamental em mode, and a combination mode that includes the non-fundamental em mode and the fundamental em mode. the transmission device of any preceding claim, wherein the transmission medium includes an insulating jacket and wherein the electromagnetic wave is guided by the transmission medium for propagation along an outer surface of the insulating jacket. a method comprising: receiving, via a communications interface, a communication signal that includes data; generating, via a transceiver, an electromagnetic wave based on the communication signal to convey the data in accordance with at least one selected electromagnetic, em, mode; and coupling, via a coupler, the electromagnetic wave to a transmission medium having a surface, wherein the coupler includes a conductive ring and a tapered collar that surrounds the transmission medium, wherein the conductive ring guides the electromagnetic wave to the tapered collar, and wherein the tapered collar couples the electromagnetic wave to be guided by the transmission medium for propagation along the transmission medium via the at least one selected em model, wherein the at least one selected em mode includes a non-fundamental em mode that is guided by an outer surface of the transmission medium, and characterized in that the non-fundamental em mode generates an em field pattern having a local minimum at an azimuthal orientation about the transmission medium corresponding to an expected orientation of water droplet formation. the method of claim 9, wherein the coupler forms a gap between the conductive ring and the transmission medium that includes a dielectric. the method of claims 9 or 10, wherein the tapered collar includes a dielectric. the method of claims 9 to 11, wherein the non-fundamental em mode has a cutoff frequency, and wherein a carrier frequency of the electromagnetic wave is selected based on the cutoff frequency. the method of claim 12, wherein the carrier frequency is within a microwave frequency band. the method of claims 9 to 13, wherein the at least one selected em mode is selected from a plurality of em modes that include: the non-fundamental em mode, a fundamental em mode, and a combination mode that includes the non-fundamental em mode and the fundamental em mode. the method of claims 9 to 14, wherein the transmission medium includes an insulating jacket and wherein the electromagnetic wave is guided by the transmission medium for propagation along an outer surface of the insulating jacket.
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field of the disclosure the subject disclosure relates to communications via microwave transmission in a communication network. background as smart phones and other portable devices increasingly become ubiquitous, and data usage increases, macrocell base station devices and existing wireless infrastructure in turn require higher bandwidth to address the increased demand. to provide additional mobile bandwidth, small cell deployment is being pursued, with microcells and picocells providing coverage for much smaller areas than traditional macrocells. examples of prior art systems are disclosed in us patent application us2004/168752 and us patent us4730172 . summary of invention aspects of the invention are set out in the accompanying claims. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a guided-wave communications system in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a dielectric waveguide coupler in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a dielectric waveguide coupler in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a dielectric waveguide coupler in accordance with various aspects described herein. figs. 5a and 5b are block diagrams illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of a dielectric waveguide coupler and transceiver in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a dual dielectric waveguide coupler in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a bidirectional dielectric waveguide coupler in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 8 illustrates a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a bidirectional dielectric waveguide coupler in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 9 illustrates a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a bidirectional repeater system in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 10 illustrates a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a method for transmitting a transmission with a dielectric waveguide coupler as described herein. fig. 11 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a computing environment in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 12 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a mobile network platform in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a coupler in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a coupler in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 15 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a guided-wave communication system in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 16 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a transmission device in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of an electromagnetic distribution in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 18 is a diagram illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of various electromagnetic distributions in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 19 is a diagram illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of various electromagnetic distributions in accordance with various aspects described herein. figs. 20a and 20b are a diagram illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of a transmission medium in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 21 is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a transmission device in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 22 illustrates a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a method of selecting a carrier frequency as described herein. detailed description one or more embodiments are now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. in the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various embodiments. it is evident, however, that the various embodiments can be practiced without these details (and without applying to any particular networked environment or standard). to provide network connectivity to additional base station devices, the backhaul network that links the communication cells (e.g., microcells and macrocells) to network devices of the core network correspondingly expands. similarly, to provide network connectivity to a distributed antenna system, an extended communication system that links base station devices and their distributed antennas is desirable. a guided wave communication system can be provided to enable alternative, increased or additional network connectivity and a waveguide coupling system can be provided to transmit and/or receive guided wave (e.g., surface wave) communications on a wire, such as a wire that operates as a single-wire transmission line (e.g., a utility line), that operates as a waveguide and/or that otherwise operates to guide the transmission of an electromagnetic wave. in an embodiment, a waveguide coupler that is utilized in a waveguide coupling system can be made of a dielectric material, or other low-loss insulator (e.g., teflon, polyethylene and etc.), or even be made of a conducting (e.g., metallic, non-metallic, etc.) material, or any combination of the foregoing materials. reference throughout the detailed description to "dielectric waveguide" is for illustration purposes and does not limit embodiments to being constructed solely of dielectric materials. in other embodiments, other dielectric or insulating materials are possible. it will be appreciated that a variety of transmission media can be utilized with guided wave communications without departing from example embodiments. examples of such transmission media can include one or more of the following, either alone or in one or more combinations: wires, whether insulated or not, and whether single-stranded or multi-stranded; conductors of other shapes or configurations including wire bundles, cables, rods, rails, pipes; non-conductors such as dielectric pipes, rods, rails, or other dielectric members; combinations of conductors and dielectric materials; or other guided wave transmission media. one embodiment of the subject disclosure includes a coupler that includes a tapered collar that surrounds a transmission wire. a coaxial launcher that surrounds the transmission wire and guides an electromagnetic wave to the tapered collar. the tapered collar couples the electromagnetic wave to propagate along an outer surface of the transmission wire. one embodiment of the subject disclosure includes a transmission device that includes a communications interface that receives a communication signal that includes data. a transceiver generates an electromagnetic wave based on the first communication signal to convey the data in accordance with at least one selected electromagnetic (em) mode. a coupler is configured to receive and couple the electromagnetic wave to a transmission medium having an outer surface. the coupler includes a conductive ring and a tapered collar that surround the transmission medium. the conductive ring guides the electromagnetic wave to the tapered collar. the tapered collar couples the electromagnetic wave to propagate along the outer surface of the transmission medium via the at least one selected em mode. one embodiment of the subject disclosure is directed to a method that includes generating an electromagnetic wave to convey the data in accordance with a non-fundamental mode having an electromagnetic (em) field pattern with a local minimum at an azimuthal orientation. the method further includes coupling the electromagnetic wave to propagate on an outer surface of a transmission medium at a desired orientation with respect to the transmission medium, such as a desired orientation that aligns with an expected orientation of water droplet formation of the transmission medium. various embodiments described herein relate to a waveguide coupling system for launching and extracting guided wave (e.g., surface wave communications that are electromagnetic waves) transmissions from a wire. at millimeter-wave frequencies (e.g., 30 to 300 ghz) or at lower microwave frequencies (e.g., 3 to 30 ghz), wherein the wavelength can be small compared to the size of the equipment, transmissions can propagate as waves guided by a waveguide, such as a strip or length of dielectric material or other coupler. the electromagnetic field structure of the guided wave can be inside and/or outside of the waveguide. when this waveguide is brought into close proximity to a wire (e.g., a utility line or other transmission line), at least a portion of the guided waves decouples from the waveguide and couples to the wire, and continues to propagate as guided waves, such as surface waves about the surface of the wire. according to an example embodiment, a surface wave is a type of guided wave that is guided by a surface of the wire, which can include an exterior or outer surface of the wire, or another surface of the wire that is adjacent to or exposed to another type of medium having different properties (e.g., dielectric properties). indeed, in an example embodiment, a surface of the wire that guides a surface wave can represent a transitional surface between two different types of media. for example, in the case of a bare or uninsulated wire, the surface of the wire can be the outer or exterior conductive surface of the bare or uninsulated wire that is exposed to air or free space. as another example, in the case of insulated wire, the surface of the wire can be the conductive portion of the wire that meets the insulator portion of the wire, or can otherwise be the insulator surface of the wire that is exposed to air or free space, or can otherwise be any material region between the insulator surface of the wire and the conductive portion of the wire that meets the insulator portion of the wire, depending upon the relative differences in the properties (e.g., dielectric properties) of the insulator, air, and/or the conductor and further dependent on the frequency and propagation mode or modes of the guided wave. according to an example embodiment, guided waves such as surface waves can be contrasted with radio transmissions over free space / air or conventional propagation of electrical power or signals through the conductor of the wire. indeed, with surface wave or guided wave systems described herein, conventional electrical power or signals can still propagate or be transmitted through the conductor of the wire, while guided waves (including surface waves and other electromagnetic waves) can propagate or be transmitted about the surface of the wire, according to an example embodiment. in an embodiment, a surface wave can have a field structure (e.g., an electromagnetic field structure) that lies primarily or substantially outside of the line, wire, or transmission medium that serves to guide the surface wave. according to an example embodiment, the electromagnetic waves traveling along the wire and around the outer surface of the wire are induced by other electromagnetic waves traveling along a waveguide in proximity to the wire. the inducement of the electromagnetic waves can be independent of any electrical potential, charge or current that is injected or otherwise transmitted through the wires as part of an electrical circuit. it is to be appreciated that while a small current in the wire may be formed in response to the propagation of the electromagnetic wave along the wire, this can be due to the propagation of the electromagnetic wave along the wire surface, and is not formed in response to electrical potential, charge or current that is injected into the wire as part of an electrical circuit. the electromagnetic waves traveling on the wire therefore do not require a circuit to propagate along the wire surface. the wire therefore is a single wire transmission line that is not part of a circuit. also, in some embodiments, a wire is not necessary, and the electromagnetic waves can propagate along a single line transmission medium that is not a wire. according to an example embodiment, the term "about" a wire used in conjunction with a guided wave (e.g., surface wave) can include fundamental wave propagation modes and other guided waves having a circular or substantially circular field distribution (e.g., electric field, magnetic field, electromagnetic field, etc.) at least partially around a wire or other transmission medium. in addition, when a guided wave propagates "about" a wire or other transmission medium, it can do so according to a wave propagation mode that includes not only the fundamental wave propagation modes (e.g., zero order modes), but additionally or alternatively other non-fundamental wave propagation modes such as higher-order guided wave modes (e.g., 1 st order modes, 2 nd order modes, etc.), asymmetrical modes and/or other guided (e.g., surface) waves that have non-circular field distributions around a wire or other transmission medium. for example, such non-circular field distributions can be unilateral or multilateral with one or more axial lobes characterized by relatively higher field strength and/or one or more nulls or null regions with local minima characterized by relatively low-field strength, zero-field strength or substantially zero field strength. further, the field distribution can otherwise vary as a function of azimuthal orientation around the wire such that one or more regions of azimuthal orientation around the wire have an electric or magnetic field strength (or combination thereof) that is higher than one or more other regions of azimuthal orientation, according to an example embodiment. it will be appreciated that the relative positions of the wave higher order modes or asymmetrical modes can vary as the guided wave travels along the wire. referring now to fig. 1 , a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a guided-wave communication system 100 is shown. guided-wave communication system 100 depicts an exemplary environment in which a transmission device, coupler or coupling module can be used. guided-wave communication system 100 can be a distributed antenna system that includes one or more base station devices (e.g., base station device 104) that are communicably coupled to a macrocell site 102 or other network connection. base station device 104 can be connected by a wired (e.g., fiber and/or cable), or by a wireless (e.g., microwave wireless) connection to macrocell site 102. macrocells such as macrocell site 102 can have dedicated connections to the mobile network and base station device 104 can share and/or otherwise use macrocell site 102's connection. base station device 104 can be mounted on, or attached to, utility pole 116. in other embodiments, base station device 104 can be near transformers and/or other locations situated nearby a power line. base station device 104 can facilitate connectivity to a mobile network for mobile devices 122 and 124. antennas 112 and 114, mounted on or near utility poles 118 and 120, respectively, can receive signals from base station device 104 and transmit those signals to mobile devices 122 and 124 over a much wider area than if the antennas 112 and 114 were located at or near base station device 104. it is noted that fig. 1 displays three utility poles, with one base station device, for purposes of simplicity. in other embodiments, utility pole 116 can have more base station devices, and one or more utility poles with distributed antennas are possible. a transmission device, such as dielectric waveguide coupling device 106 can transmit the signal from base station device 104 to antennas 112 and 114 via utility or power line(s) that connect the utility poles 116, 118, and 120. to transmit the signal, radio source and/or coupler 106 up converts the signal (e.g., via frequency mixing) from base station device 104 or otherwise converts the signal from the base station device 104 to a microwave or millimeter-wave band signal having at least one carrier frequency in the microwave or millimeter-wave frequency band. the dielectric waveguide coupling device 106 launches a millimeter-wave band wave that propagates as a guided-wave (e.g., surface wave or other electromagnetic wave) traveling along the utility line or other wire. at utility pole 118, another transmission device, such as dielectric waveguide coupling device 108 that receives the guided-wave (and optionally can amplify it as needed or desired or operate as a digital repeater to receive it and regenerate it) and sends it forward as a guided-wave (e.g., surface wave or other electromagnetic wave) on the utility line or other wire. the dielectric waveguide coupling device 108 can also extract a signal from the millimeter-wave band guided-wave and shift it down in frequency or otherwise convert it to its original cellular band frequency (e.g., 1.9 ghz or other defined cellular frequency) or another cellular (or non-cellular) band frequency. an antenna 112 can transmit (e.g., wirelessly transmit) the downshifted signal to mobile device 122. the process can be repeated by another transmission device, such as dielectric waveguide coupling device 110, antenna 114 and mobile device 124, as necessary or desirable. transmissions from mobile devices 122 and 124 can also be received by antennas 112 and 114 respectively. repeaters on dielectric waveguide coupling devices 108 and 110 can upshift or otherwise convert the cellular band signals to microwave or millimeter-wave band and transmit the signals as guided-wave (e.g., surface wave or other electromagnetic wave) transmissions over the power line(s) to base station device 104. in an example embodiment, system 100 can employ diversity paths, where two or more utility lines or other wires are strung between the utility poles 116, 118, and 120 (e.g., for example, two or more wires between poles 116 and 120) and redundant transmissions from base station 104 are transmitted as guided-waves down the surface of the utility lines or other wires. the utility lines or other wires can be either insulated or uninsulated, and depending on the environmental conditions that cause transmission losses, the coupling devices can selectively receive signals from the insulated or uninsulated utility lines or other wires. the selection can be based on measurements of the signal-to-noise ratio of the wires, or based on determined weather/environmental conditions (e.g., moisture detectors, weather forecasts, etc.). the use of diversity paths with system 100 can enable alternate routing capabilities, load balancing, increased load handling, concurrent bi-directional or synchronous communications, spread spectrum communications, etc. (see fig. 8 for more illustrative details). it is noted that the use of the dielectric waveguide coupling devices 106, 108, and 110 in fig. 1 are by way of example only, and that in other embodiments, other uses are possible. for instance, dielectric waveguide coupling devices can be used in a backhaul communication system, providing network connectivity to base station devices. dielectric waveguide coupling devices can be used in many circumstances where it is desirable to transmit guided-wave communications over a wire, whether insulated or not insulated. dielectric waveguide coupling devices are improvements over other coupling devices due to no contact or limited physical and/or electrical contact with the wires that may carry high voltages. with dielectric waveguide coupling devices, the apparatus can be located away from the wire (e.g., spaced apart from the wire) and/or located on the wire so long as it is not electrically in contact with the wire, as the dielectric acts as an insulator, allowing for cheap, easy, and/or less complex installation. however, as previously noted conducting or non-dielectric couplers can be employed, particularly in configurations where the wires correspond to a telephone network, cable television network, broadband data service, fiber optic communications system or other network employing low voltages or having insulated transmission lines. it is further noted, that while base station device 104 and macrocell site 102 are illustrated in an example embodiment, other network configurations are likewise possible. for example, devices such as access points or other wireless gateways can be employed in a similar fashion to extend the reach of other networks such as a wireless local area network, a wireless personal area network or other wireless network that operates in accordance with a communication protocol such as a 802.11 protocol, wimax protocol, ultra wideband protocol, bluetooth protocol, zigbee protocol or other wireless protocol. turning now to fig. 2 , illustrated is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a dielectric waveguide coupling system 200 in accordance with various aspects described herein. system 200 comprises a dielectric waveguide 204 that has a wave 206 propagating as a guided-wave about a waveguide surface of the dielectric waveguide 204. in an example embodiment, the dielectric waveguide 204 is curved, and at least a portion of the dielectric waveguide 204 can be placed near a wire 202 in order to facilitate coupling between the dielectric waveguide 204 and the wire 202, as described herein. the dielectric waveguide 204 can be placed such that a portion of the curved dielectric waveguide 204 is parallel or substantially parallel to the wire 202. the portion of the dielectric waveguide 204 that is parallel to the wire can be an apex of the curve, or any point where a tangent of the curve is parallel to the wire 202. when the dielectric waveguide 204 is positioned or placed thusly, the wave 206 travelling along the dielectric waveguide 204 couples, at least in part, to the wire 202, and propagates as guided-wave 208 around or about the wire surface of the wire 202 and longitudinally along the wire 202. the guided-wave 208 can be characterized as a surface wave or other electromagnetic wave, although other types of guided-waves 208 can supported as well without departing from example embodiments. a portion of the wave 206 that does not couple to the wire 202 propagates as wave 210 along the dielectric waveguide 204. it will be appreciated that the dielectric waveguide 204 can be configured and arranged in a variety of positions in relation to the wire 202 to achieve a desired level of coupling or non-coupling of the wave 206 to the wire 202. for example, the curvature and/or length of the dielectric waveguide 204 that is parallel or substantially parallel, as well as its separation distance (which can include zero separation distance in an example embodiment), to the wire 202 can be varied without departing from example embodiments. likewise, the arrangement of the dielectric waveguide 204 in relation to the wire 202 may be varied based upon considerations of the respective intrinsic characteristics (e.g., thickness, composition, electromagnetic properties, etc.) of the wire 202 and the dielectric waveguide 204, as well as the characteristics (e.g., frequency, energy level, etc.) of the waves 206 and 208. the guided-wave 208 propagates in a direction parallel or substantially parallel to the wire 202, even as the wire 202 bends and flexes. bends in the wire 202 can increase transmission losses, which are also dependent on wire diameters, frequency, and materials. if the dimensions of the dielectric waveguide 204 are chosen for efficient power transfer, most of the power in the wave 206 is transferred to the wire 202, with little power remaining in wave 210. it will be appreciated that the guided-wave 208 can still be multi-modal in nature (discussed herein), including having modes that are non-fundamental or asymmetric, while traveling along a path that is parallel or substantially parallel to the wire 202, with or without a fundamental transmission mode. in an example embodiment, non-fundamental or asymmetric modes can be utilized to minimize transmission losses and/or obtain increased propagation distances. it is noted that the term parallel is generally a geometric construct which often is not exactly achievable in real systems. accordingly, the term parallel as utilized in the subject disclosure represents an approximation rather than an exact configuration when used to describe embodiments disclosed in the subject disclosure. in an example embodiment, substantially parallel can include approximations that are within 30 degrees of true parallel in all dimensions. in an example embodiment, the wave 206 can exhibit one or more wave propagation modes. the dielectric waveguide modes can be dependent on the shape and/or design of the dielectric waveguide 204. the one or more dielectric waveguide modes of wave 206 can generate, influence, or impact one or more wave propagation modes of the guided-wave 208 propagating along wire 202. in an example embodiment, the wave propagation modes on the wire 202 can be similar to the dielectric waveguide modes since both waves 206 and 208 propagate about the outside of the dielectric waveguide 204 and wire 202 respectively. in some embodiments, as the wave 206 couples to the wire 202, the modes can change form due to the coupling between the dielectric waveguide 204 and the wire 202. for example, differences in size, material, and/or impedances of the dielectric waveguide 204 and the wire 202 may create additional modes not present in the dielectric waveguide modes and/or suppress some of the dielectric waveguide modes. the wave propagation modes can comprise the fundamental transverse electromagnetic mode (quasi-tem 00 ), where only small electric and/or magnetic fields extend in the direction of propagation, and the electric and magnetic fields extend radially outwards while the guided-wave propagates along the wire. this guided-wave mode can be donut shaped, where few of the electromagnetic fields exist within the dielectric waveguide 204 or wire 202. waves 206 and 208 can comprise a fundamental tem mode where the fields extend radially outwards, and also comprise other, non-fundamental (e.g., asymmetric, higher-level, etc.) modes. while particular wave propagation modes are discussed above, other wave propagation modes are likewise possible such as transverse electric (te) and transverse magnetic (tm) modes, based on the frequencies employed, the design of the dielectric waveguide 204, the dimensions and composition of the wire 202, as well as its surface characteristics, its optional insulation, the electromagnetic properties of the surrounding environment, etc. it should be noted that, depending on the frequency, the electrical and physical characteristics of the wire 202 and the particular wave propagation modes that are generated, the guided-wave 208 can travel along the conductive surface of an oxidized uninsulated wire, an unoxidized uninsulated wire, an insulated wire and/or along the insulating surface of an insulated wire. in an example embodiment, a diameter of the dielectric waveguide 204 is smaller than the diameter of the wire 202. for the microwave or millimeter-band wavelength being used, the dielectric waveguide 204 supports a single waveguide mode that makes up wave 206. this single waveguide mode can change as it couples to the wire 202 as surface wave 208. if the dielectric waveguide 204 were larger, more than one waveguide mode can be supported, but these additional waveguide modes may not couple to the wire 202 as efficiently, and higher coupling losses can result. however, in some alternative embodiments, the diameter of the dielectric waveguide 204 can be equal to or larger than the diameter of the wire 202, for example, where higher coupling losses are desirable or when used in conjunction with other techniques to otherwise reduce coupling losses (e.g., impedance matching with tapering, etc.). in an example embodiment, the wavelength of the waves 206 and 208 are comparable in size, or smaller than a circumference of the dielectric waveguide 204 and the wire 202. in an example, if the wire 202 has a diameter of 0.5 cm, and a corresponding circumference of around 1.5 cm, the wavelength of the transmission is around 1.5 cm or less, corresponding to a frequency of 20 ghz or greater. in another embodiment, a suitable frequency of the transmission and the carrier-wave signal is in the range of 30 - 100 ghz, perhaps around 30-60 ghz, and around 38 ghz in one example. in an example embodiment, when the circumference of the dielectric waveguide 204 and wire 202 is comparable in size to, or greater, than a wavelength of the transmission, the waves 206 and 208 can exhibit multiple wave propagation modes including fundamental and/or non-fundamental (symmetric and/or asymmetric) modes that propagate over sufficient distances to support various communication systems described herein. the waves 206 and 208 can therefore comprise more than one type of electric and magnetic field configuration. in an example embodiment, as the guided-wave 208 propagates down the wire 202, the electrical and magnetic field configurations will remain the same from end to end of the wire 202. in other embodiments, as the guided-wave 208 encounters interference or loses energy due to transmission losses, the electric and magnetic field configurations can change as the guided-wave 208 propagates down wire 202. in an example embodiment, the dielectric waveguide 204 can be composed of nylon, teflon, polyethylene, a polyamide, or other plastics. in other embodiments, other dielectric materials are possible. the wire surface of wire 202 can be metallic with either a bare metallic surface, or can be insulated using plastic, dielectric, insulator or other sheathing. in an example embodiment, a dielectric or otherwise non-conducting/insulated waveguide can be paired with either a bare/metallic wire or insulated wire. in other embodiments, a metallic and/or conductive waveguide can be paired with a bare/metallic wire or insulated wire. in an example embodiment, an oxidation layer on the bare metallic surface of the wire 202 (e.g., resulting from exposure of the bare metallic surface to oxygen/air) can also provide insulating or dielectric properties similar to those provided by some insulators or sheathings. it is noted that the graphical representations of waves 206, 208 and 210 are presented merely to illustrate the principles that wave 206 induces or otherwise launches a guided-wave 208 on a wire 202 that operates, for example, as a single wire transmission line. wave 210 represents the portion of wave 206 that remains on the dielectric waveguide 204 after the generation of guided-wave 208. the actual electric and magnetic fields generated as a result of such wave propagation may vary depending on the frequencies employed, the particular wave propagation mode or modes, the design of the dielectric waveguide 204, the dimensions and composition of the wire 202, as well as its surface characteristics, its optional insulation, the electromagnetic properties of the surrounding environment, etc. it is noted that dielectric waveguide 204 can include a termination circuit or damper 214 at the end of the dielectric waveguide 204 that can absorb leftover radiation or energy from wave 210. the termination circuit or damper 214 can prevent and/or minimize the leftover radiation from wave 210 reflecting back toward transmitter circuit 212. in an example embodiment, the termination circuit or damper 214 can include termination resistors, and/or other components that perform impedance matching to attenuate reflection. in some embodiments, if the coupling efficiencies are high enough, and/or wave 210 is sufficiently small, it may not be necessary to use a termination circuit or damper 214. for the sake of simplicity, these transmitter and termination circuits or dampers 212 and 214 are not depicted in the other figures, but in those embodiments, transmitter and termination circuits or dampers may possibly be used. further, while a single dielectric waveguide 204 is presented that generates a single guided-wave 208, multiple dielectric waveguides 204 placed at different points along the wire 202 and/or at different axial orientations about the wire can be employed to generate and receive multiple guided-waves 208 at the same or different frequencies, at the same or different phases, and/or at the same or different wave propagation modes. the guided-wave or waves 208 can be modulated to convey data via a modulation technique such as phase shift keying, frequency shift keying, quadrature amplitude modulation, amplitude modulation, multi-carrier modulation and via multiple access techniques such as frequency division multiplexing, time division multiplexing, code division multiplexing, multiplexing via differing wave propagation modes and via other modulation and access strategies. turning now to fig. 3 , illustrated is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a dielectric waveguide coupling system 300 in accordance with various aspects described herein. system 300 implements a coupler that comprises a dielectric waveguide 304 and a wire 302 that has a wave 306 propagating as a guided-wave about a wire surface of the wire 302. in an example embodiment, the wave 306 can be characterized as a surface wave or other electromagnetic wave. in an example embodiment, the dielectric waveguide 304 is curved or otherwise has a curvature, and can be placed near a wire 302 such that a portion of the curved dielectric waveguide 304 is parallel or substantially parallel to the wire 302. the portion of the dielectric waveguide 304 that is parallel to the wire can be an apex of the curve, or any point where a tangent of the curve is parallel to the wire 302. when the dielectric waveguide 304 is near the wire, the guided-wave 306 travelling along the wire 302 can couple to the dielectric waveguide 304 and propagate as guided-wave 308 about the dielectric waveguide 304. a portion of the guided-wave 306 that does not couple to the dielectric waveguide 304 propagates as guided-wave 310 (e.g., surface wave or other electromagnetic wave) along the wire 302. the guided-waves 306 and 308 stay parallel to the wire 302 and dielectric waveguide 304, respectively, even as the wire 302 and dielectric waveguide 304 bend and flex. bends can increase transmission losses, which are also dependent on wire diameters, frequency, and materials. if the dimensions of the dielectric waveguide 304 are chosen for efficient power transfer, most of the energy in the guided-wave 306 is coupled to the dielectric waveguide 304 and little remains in guided-wave 310. in an example embodiment, a receiver circuit can be placed on the end of dielectric waveguide 304 in order to receive wave 308. a termination circuit can be placed on the opposite end of the dielectric waveguide 304 in order to receive guided-waves traveling in the opposite direction to guided-wave 306 that couple to the dielectric waveguide 304. the termination circuit would thus prevent and/or minimize reflections being received by the receiver circuit. if the reflections are small, the termination circuit may not be necessary. it is noted that the dielectric waveguide 304 can be configured such that selected polarizations of the surface wave 306 are coupled to the dielectric waveguide 304 as guided-wave 308. for instance, if guided-wave 306 is made up of guided-waves or wave propagation modes with respective polarizations, dielectric waveguide 304 can be configured to receive one or more guided-waves of selected polarization(s). guided-wave 308 that couples to the dielectric waveguide 304 is thus the set of guided-waves that correspond to one or more of the selected polarization(s), and further guided-wave 310 can comprise the guided-waves that do not match the selected polarization(s). the dielectric waveguide 304 can be configured to receive guided-waves of a particular polarization based on an angle/rotation around the wire 302 that the dielectric waveguide 304 is placed (the axial orientation of the coupler) and the axial pattern of the field structure of the guided-waves. for instance, if the coupler is oriented to feed the guided-waves along the horizontal access and if the guided-wave 306 is polarized horizontally (i.e. the filed structure of the guided-waves are concentrated on the horizontal axis), most of the guided-wave 306 transfers to the dielectric waveguide as wave 308. in another instance, if the dielectric waveguide 304 is rotated 90 degrees around the wire 302, most of the energy from guided-wave 306 would remain coupled to the wire as guided-wave 310, and only a small portion would couple to the wire 302 as wave 308. it is noted that waves 306, 308, and 310 are shown using three circular symbols in fig. 3 and in other figures in the specification. these symbols are used to represent a general guided-wave, but do not imply that the waves 306, 308, and 310 are necessarily circularly polarized or otherwise circularly oriented. in fact, waves 306, 308, and 310 can comprise a fundamental tem mode where the fields extend radially outwards, and also comprise other, non-fundamental (e.g. higher-level, etc.) modes. these modes can be asymmetric (e.g., radial, bilateral, trilateral, quadrilateral, etc,) in nature as well. it is noted also that guided-wave communications over wires can be full duplex, allowing simultaneous communications in both directions. waves traveling one direction can pass through waves traveling in an opposite direction. electromagnetic fields may cancel out at certain points and for short times due to the superposition principle as applied to waves. the waves traveling in opposite directions propagate as if the other waves weren't there, but the composite effect to an observer may be a stationary standing wave pattern. as the guided-waves pass through each other and are no longer in a state of superposition, the interference subsides. as a guided-wave (e.g., surface wave or other electromagnetic wave) couples to a waveguide and moves away from the wire, any interference due to other guided-waves (e.g., surface waves or other electromagnetic waves) decreases. in an example embodiment, as guided-wave 306 (e.g., surface wave or other electromagnetic wave) approaches dielectric waveguide 304, another guided-wave (e.g., surface wave or other electromagnetic wave) (not shown) traveling from left to right on the wire 302 passes by causing local interference. as guided-wave 306 couples to dielectric waveguide 304 as wave 308, and moves away from the wire 302, any interference due to the passing guided-wave subsides. it is noted that the graphical representations of electromagnetic waves 306, 308 and 310 are presented merely to illustrate the principles that guided-wave 306 induces or otherwise launches a wave 308 on a dielectric waveguide 304. guided-wave 310 represents the portion of guided-wave 306 that remains on the wire 302 after the generation of wave 308. the actual electric and magnetic fields generated as a result of such guided-wave propagation may vary depending on one or more of the shape and/or design of the dielectric waveguide, the relative position of the dielectric waveguide to the wire, the frequencies employed, the design of the dielectric waveguide 304, the dimensions and composition of the wire 302, as well as its surface characteristics, its optional insulation, the electromagnetic properties of the surrounding environment, etc. turning now to fig. 4 , illustrated is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a dielectric waveguide coupling system 400 in accordance with various aspects described herein. system 400 implements a coupler that comprises a dielectric waveguide 404 that has a wave 406 propagating as a guided-wave about a waveguide surface of the dielectric waveguide 404. in an example embodiment, the dielectric waveguide 404 is curved, and an end of the dielectric waveguide 404 can be tied, fastened, or otherwise mechanically coupled to a wire 402. when the end of the dielectric waveguide 404 is fastened to the wire 402, the end of the dielectric waveguide 404 is parallel or substantially parallel to the wire 402. alternatively, another portion of the dielectric waveguide beyond an end can be fastened or coupled to wire 402 such that the fastened or coupled portion is parallel or substantially parallel to the wire 402. the coupling device 410 can be a nylon cable tie or other type of non-conducting/dielectric material that is either separate from the dielectric waveguide 404 or constructed as an integrated component of the dielectric waveguide 404. in other embodiments, the dielectric waveguide 404 can be mechanically uncoupled from the wire 402 leaving an air gap between the coupler and the wire 402. the dielectric waveguide 404 can be adjacent to the wire 402 without surrounding the wire 402. when the dielectric waveguide 404 is placed with the end parallel to the wire 402, the guided-wave 406 travelling along the dielectric waveguide 404 couples to the wire 402, and propagates as guided-wave 408 about the wire surface of the wire 402. in an example embodiment, the guided-wave 408 can be characterized as a surface wave or other electromagnetic wave. it is noted that the graphical representations of waves 406 and 408 are presented merely to illustrate the principles that wave 406 induces or otherwise launches a guided-wave 408 on a wire 402 that operates, for example, as a single wire transmission line. the actual electric and magnetic fields generated as a result of such wave propagation may vary depending on one or more of the shape and/or design of the dielectric waveguide, the relative position of the dielectric waveguide to the wire, the frequencies employed, the design of the dielectric waveguide 404, the dimensions and composition of the wire 402, as well as its surface characteristics, its optional insulation, the electromagnetic properties of the surrounding environment, etc. in an example embodiment, an end of dielectric waveguide 404 can taper towards the wire 402 in order to increase coupling efficiencies. indeed, the tapering of the end of the dielectric waveguide 404 can provide impedance matching to the wire 402, according to an example embodiment of the subject disclosure. for example, an end of the dielectric waveguide 404 can be gradually tapered in order to obtain a desired level of coupling between waves 406 and 408 as illustrated in fig. 4 . in an example embodiment, the coupling device 410 can be placed such that there is a short length of the dielectric waveguide 404 between the coupling device 410 and an end of the dielectric waveguide 404. maximum coupling efficiencies are realized when the length of the end of the dielectric waveguide 404 that is beyond the coupling device 410 is at least several wavelengths long for whatever frequency is being transmitted, however shorter lengths are also possible. turning now to fig. 5a , illustrated is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a dielectric waveguide coupler and transceiver system 500 (referred to herein collectively as system 500) in accordance with various aspects described herein. system 500 comprises a transmitter/receiver device 506 that launches and receives waves (e.g., guided wave 504 onto dielectric waveguide 502). the guided waves 504 can be used to transport signals received from and sent to a base station 520, mobile devices 522, or a building 524 by way of a communications interface 501. the communications interface 501 can be an integral part of system 500. alternatively, the communications interface 501 can be tethered to system 500. the communications interface 501 can comprise a wireless interface for interfacing to the base station 520, the mobile devices 522, or building 524 utilizing any of various wireless signaling protocols (e.g., lte, wifi, wimax, ieee 802.xx, etc.). the communications interface 501 can also comprise a wired interface such as a fiber optic line, coaxial cable, twisted pair, or other suitable wired mediums for transmitting signals to the base station 520 or building 524. for embodiments where system 500 functions as a repeater, the communications interface 501 may not be necessary. the output signals (e.g., tx) of the communications interface 501 can be combined with a millimeter-wave carrier wave generated by a local oscillator 512 at frequency mixer 510. frequency mixer 510 can use heterodyning techniques or other frequency shifting techniques to frequency shift the output signals from communications interface 501. for example, signals sent to and from the communications interface 501 can be modulated signals such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (ofdm) signals formatted in accordance with a long-term evolution (lte) wireless protocol or other wireless 3g, 4g, 5g or higher voice and data protocol, a zigbee, wimax, ultrawideband or ieee 802.11 wireless protocol or other wireless protocol. in an example embodiment, this frequency conversion can be done in the analog domain, and as a result, the frequency shifting can be done without regard to the type of communications protocol that the base station 520, mobile devices 522, or in-building devices 524 use. as new communications technologies are developed, the communications interface 501 can be upgraded or replaced and the frequency shifting and transmission apparatus can remain, simplifying upgrades. the carrier wave can then be sent to a power amplifier ("pa") 514 and can be transmitted via the transmitter/receiver device 506 via the diplexer 516. signals received from the transmitter/receiver device 506 that are directed towards the communications interface 501 can be separated from other signals via diplexer 516. the transmission can then be sent to low noise amplifier ("lna") 518 for amplification. a frequency mixer 521, with help from local oscillator 512 can downshift the transmission (which is in the millimeter-wave band or around 38 ghz in some embodiments) to the native frequency. the communications interface 501 can then receive the transmission at an input port (rx). in an embodiment, transmitter/receiver device 506 can include a cylindrical or non-cylindrical metal (which, for example, can be hollow in an embodiment, but not necessarily drawn to scale) or other conducting or non-conducting waveguide and an end of the dielectric waveguide 502 can be placed in or in proximity to the waveguide or the transmitter/receiver device 506 such that when the transmitter/receiver device 506 generates a transmission, the guided wave couples to dielectric waveguide 502 and propagates as a guided wave 504 about the waveguide surface of the dielectric waveguide 502. in some embodiments, the guided wave 504 can propagate in part on the outer surface of the dielectric waveguide 502 and in part inside the dielectric waveguide 502. in other embodiments, the guided wave 504 can propagate substantially or completely on the outer surface of the dielectric waveguide 502. in yet other embodiments, the guided wave 504 can propagate substantially or completely inside the dielectric waveguide 502. in this latter embodiment, the guided wave 504 can radiate at an end of the dielectric waveguide 502 (such as the tapered end shown in fig. 4 ) for coupling to a transmission medium such as a wire 402 of fig. 4 . similarly, if guided wave 504 is incoming (coupled to the dielectric waveguide 502 from a wire), guided wave 504 then enters the transmitter/receiver device 506 and couples to the cylindrical waveguide or conducting waveguide. while transmitter/receiver device 506 is shown to include a separate waveguide -- an antenna, cavity resonator, klystron, magnetron, travelling wave tube, or other radiating element can be employed to induce a guided wave on the waveguide 502, without the separate waveguide. in an embodiment, dielectric waveguide 502 can be wholly constructed of a dielectric material (or another suitable insulating material), without any metallic or otherwise conducting materials therein. dielectric waveguide 502 can be composed of nylon, teflon, polyethylene, a polyamide, other plastics, or other materials that are non-conducting and suitable for facilitating transmission of electromagnetic waves at least in part on an outer surface of such materials. in another embodiment, dielectric waveguide 502 can include a core that is conducting/metallic, and have an exterior dielectric surface. similarly, a transmission medium that couples to the dielectric waveguide 502 for propagating electromagnetic waves induced by the dielectric waveguide 502 or for supplying electromagnetic waves to the dielectric waveguide 502 can be wholly constructed of a dielectric material (or another suitable insulating material), without any metallic or otherwise conducting materials therein. it is noted that although fig. 5a shows that the opening of transmitter receiver device 506 is much wider than the dielectric waveguide 502, this is not to scale, and that in other embodiments the width of the dielectric waveguide 502 is comparable or slightly smaller than the opening of the hollow waveguide. it is also not shown, but in an embodiment, an end of the waveguide 502 that is inserted into the transmitter/receiver device 506 tapers down in order to reduce reflection and increase coupling efficiencies. the transmitter/receiver device 506 can be communicably coupled to a communications interface 501, and alternatively, transmitter/receiver device 506 can also be communicably coupled to the one or more distributed antennas 112 and 114 shown in fig. 1 . in other embodiments, transmitter/receiver device 506 can comprise part of a repeater system for a backhaul network. before coupling to the dielectric waveguide 502, the one or more waveguide modes of the guided wave generated by the transmitter/receiver device 506 can couple to the dielectric waveguide 502 to induce one or more wave propagation modes of the guided wave 504. the wave propagation modes of the guided wave 504 can be different than the hollow metal waveguide modes due to the different characteristics of the hollow metal waveguide and the dielectric waveguide. for instance, wave propagation modes of the guide wave 504 can comprise the fundamental transverse electromagnetic mode (quasi-tem 00 ), where only small electrical and/or magnetic fields extend in the direction of propagation, and the electric and magnetic fields extend radially outwards from the dielectric waveguide 502 while the guided waves propagate along the dielectric waveguide 502. the fundamental transverse electromagnetic mode wave propagation mode may not exist inside a waveguide that is hollow. therefore, the hollow metal waveguide modes that are used by transmitter/receiver device 506 are waveguide modes that can couple effectively and efficiently to wave propagation modes of dielectric waveguide 502. it will be appreciated that other constructs or combinations of the transmitter/receiver device 506 and dielectric waveguide 502 are possible. for example, a dielectric waveguide 502' can be placed tangentially or in parallel (with or without a gap) with respect to an outer surface of the hollow metal waveguide of the transmitter/receiver device 506' (corresponding circuitry not shown) as depicted by reference 500' of fig. 5b . in another embodiment, not shown by reference 500', the dielectric waveguide 502' can be placed inside the hollow metal waveguide of the transmitter/receiver device 506' without an axis of the dielectric waveguide 502' being coaxially aligned with an axis of the hollow metal waveguide of the transmitter/receiver device 506'. in either of these embodiments, the guided wave generated by the transmitter/receiver device 506' can couple to a surface of the dielectric waveguide 502' to induce one or more wave propagation modes of the guided wave 504' on the dielectric waveguide 502' including a fundamental mode (e.g., a symmetric mode) and/or a non-fundamental mode (e.g., asymmetric mode). in one embodiment, the guided wave 504' can propagate in part on the outer surface of the dielectric waveguide 502' and in part inside the dielectric waveguide 502'. in another embodiment, the guided wave 504' can propagate substantially or completely on the outer surface of the dielectric waveguide 502'. in yet other embodiments, the guided wave 504' can propagate substantially or completely inside the dielectric waveguide 502'. in this latter embodiment, the guide wave 504' can radiate at an end of the dielectric waveguide 502' (such as the tapered end shown in fig. 4 ) for coupling to a transmission medium such as a wire 402 of fig. 4 . it will be further appreciated that other constructs the transmitter/receiver device 506 are possible. for example, a hollow metal waveguide of a transmitter/receiver device 506" (corresponding circuitry not shown), depicted in fig. 5b as reference 500", can be placed tangentially or in parallel (with or without a gap) with respect to an outer surface of a transmission medium such as the wire 402 of fig. 4 without the use of the dielectric waveguide 502. in this embodiment, the guided wave generated by the transmitter/receiver device 506" can couple to a surface of the wire 402 to induce one or more wave propagation modes of a guided wave 408 on the wire 402 including a fundamental mode (e.g., a symmetric mode) and/or a non-fundamental mode (e.g., asymmetric mode). in another embodiment, the wire 402 can be positioned inside a hollow metal waveguide of a transmitter/receiver device 506'" (corresponding circuitry not shown) so that an axis of the wire 402 is coaxially (or not coaxially) aligned with an axis of the hollow metal waveguide without the use of the dielectric waveguide 502 see figs. 5b reference 500"'. in this embodiment, the guided wave generated by the transmitter/receiver device 506'" can couple to a surface of the wire 402 to induce one or more wave propagation modes of a guided wave 408 on the wire including a fundamental mode (e.g., a symmetric mode) and/or a non-fundamental mode (e.g., asymmetric mode). in the embodiments of 500" and 500"', the guided wave 408 can propagate in part on the outer surface of the wire 402 and in part inside the wire 402. in another embodiment, the guided wave 408 can propagate substantially or completely on the outer surface of the wire 402. the wire 402 can be a bare conductor or a conductor with an insulated outer surface. turning now to fig. 6 , illustrated is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a dual dielectric waveguide coupling system 600 in accordance with various aspects described herein. in an example embodiment, a coupling module is shown with two or more dielectric waveguides (e.g., 604 and 606) positioned around a wire 602 in order to receive guided-wave 608. in an example embodiment, the guided-wave 608 can be characterized as a surface wave or other electromagnetic wave. in an example embodiment, one dielectric waveguide is enough to receive the guided-wave 608. in that case, guided-wave 608 couples to dielectric waveguide 604 and propagates as guided-wave 610. if the field structure of the guided-wave 608 oscillates or undulates around the wire 602 due to various outside factors, then dielectric waveguide 606 can be placed such that guided-wave 608 couples to dielectric waveguide 606. in some embodiments, four or more dielectric waveguides can be placed around a portion of the wire 602, e.g., at 90 degrees or another spacing with respect to each other, in order to receive guided-waves that may oscillate or rotate around the wire 602, that have been induced at different axial orientations or that have non-fundamental or higher order modes that, for example, have lobes and/or nulls or other asymmetries that are orientation dependent. however, it will be appreciated that there may be less than or more than four dielectric waveguides placed around a portion of the wire 602 without departing from example embodiments. it will also be appreciated that while some example embodiments have presented a plurality of dielectric waveguides around at least a portion of a wire 602, this plurality of dielectric waveguides can also be considered as part of a single dielectric waveguide system having multiple dielectric waveguide subcomponents. for example, two or more dielectric waveguides can be manufactured as single system that can be installed around a wire in a single installation such that the dielectric waveguides are either pre-positioned or adjustable relative to each other (either manually or automatically) in accordance with the single system. receivers coupled to dielectric waveguides 606 and 604 can use diversity combining to combine signals received from both dielectric waveguides 606 and 604 in order to maximize the signal quality. in other embodiments, if one or the other of a dielectric waveguide 604 and 606 receives a transmission that is above a predetermined threshold, receivers can use selection diversity when deciding which signal to use. it is noted that the graphical representations of waves 608 and 610 are presented merely to illustrate the principles that guided-wave 608 induces or otherwise launches a wave 610 on a dielectric waveguide 604. the actual electric and magnetic fields generated as a result of such wave propagation may vary depending on the frequencies employed, the design of the dielectric waveguide 604, the dimensions and composition of the wire 602, as well as its surface characteristics, its optional insulation, the electromagnetic properties of the surrounding environment, etc. turning now to fig. 7 , illustrated is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a bidirectional dielectric waveguide coupling system 700 in accordance with various aspects described herein. such a system 700 implements a transmission device with a coupling module that includes two dielectric waveguides 704 and 714 can be placed near a wire 702 such that guided-waves (e.g., surface waves or other electromagnetic waves) propagating along the wire 702 are coupled to dielectric waveguide 704 as wave 706, and then are boosted or repeated by repeater device 710 and launched as a guided-wave 716 onto dielectric waveguide 714. the guided-wave 716 can then couple to wire 702 and continue to propagate along the wire 702. in an example embodiment, the repeater device 710 can receive at least a portion of the power utilized for boosting or repeating through magnetic coupling with the wire 702, which can be a power line. in some embodiments, repeater device 710 can repeat the transmission associated with wave 706, and in other embodiments, repeater device 710 can be associated with a distributed antenna system and/or base station device located near the repeater device 710. receiver waveguide 708 can receive the wave 706 from the dielectric waveguide 704 and transmitter waveguide 712 can launch guided-wave 716 onto dielectric waveguide 714. between receiver waveguide 708 and transmitter waveguide 712, the signal can be amplified to correct for signal loss and other inefficiencies associated with guided-wave communications or the signal can be received and processed to extract the data contained therein and regenerated for transmission. in an example embodiment, a signal can be extracted from the transmission and processed and otherwise emitted to mobile devices nearby via distributed antennas communicably coupled to the repeater device 710. similarly, signals and/or communications received by the distributed antennas can be inserted into the transmission that is generated and launched onto dielectric waveguide 714 by transmitter waveguide 712. accordingly, the repeater system 700 depicted in fig. 7 can be comparable in function to the dielectric waveguide coupling device 108 and 110 in fig. 1 . it is noted that although fig. 7 shows guided-wave transmissions 706 and 716 entering from the left and exiting to the right respectively, this is merely a simplification and is not intended to be limiting. in other embodiments, receiver waveguide 708 and transmitter waveguide 712 can also function as transmitters and receivers respectively, allowing the repeater device 710 to be bi-directional. in an example embodiment, repeater device 710 can be placed at locations where there are discontinuities or obstacles on the wire 702. these obstacles can include transformers, connections, utility poles, and other such power line devices. the repeater device 710 can help the guided (e.g., surface) waves jump over these obstacles on the line and boost the transmission power at the same time. in other embodiments, a dielectric waveguide can be used to jump over the obstacle without the use of a repeater device. in that embodiment, both ends of the dielectric waveguide can be tied or fastened to the wire, thus providing a path for the guided-wave to travel without being blocked by the obstacle. turning now to fig. 8 , illustrated is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a bidirectional dielectric waveguide coupler 800 in accordance with various aspects described herein. the bidirectional dielectric waveguide coupler 800 implements a transmission device with a coupling module that can employ diversity paths in the case of when two or more wires are strung between utility poles. since guided-wave transmissions have different transmission efficiencies and coupling efficiencies for insulated wires and un-insulated wires based on weather, precipitation and atmospheric conditions, it can be advantageous to selectively transmit on either an insulated wire or un-insulated wire at certain times. in the embodiment shown in fig. 8 , the repeater device uses a receiver waveguide 808 to receive a guided-wave traveling along uninsulated wire 802 and repeats the transmission using transmitter waveguide 810 as a guided-wave along insulated wire 804. in other embodiments, repeater device can switch from the insulated wire 804 to the un-insulated wire 802, or can repeat the transmissions along the same paths. repeater device 806 can include sensors, or be in communication with sensors that indicate conditions that can affect the transmission. based on the feedback received from the sensors, the repeater device 806 can make the determination about whether to keep the transmission along the same wire, or transfer the transmission to the other wire. turning now to fig. 9 , illustrated is a block diagram illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a bidirectional repeater system 900. bidirectional repeater system 900 implements a transmission device with a coupling module that includes waveguide coupling devices 902 and 904 that receive and transmit transmissions from other coupling devices located in a distributed antenna system or backhaul system. in various embodiments, waveguide coupling device 902 can receive a transmission from another waveguide coupling device, wherein the transmission has a plurality of subcarriers. diplexer 906 can separate the transmission from other transmissions, for example by filtration, and direct the transmission to low-noise amplifier ("lna") 908. a frequency mixer 928, with help from a local oscillator 912, can downshift the transmission (which is in the millimeter-wave band or around 38 ghz in some embodiments) to a lower frequency, whether it is a cellular band (-1.9 ghz) for a distributed antenna system, a native frequency, or other frequency for a backhaul system. an extractor 932 can extract the signal on the subcarrier that corresponds to the antenna or other output component 922 and direct the signal to the output component 922. for the signals that are not being extracted at this antenna location, extractor 932 can redirect them to another frequency mixer 936, where the signals are used to modulate a carrier wave generated by local oscillator 914. the carrier wave, with its subcarriers, is directed to a power amplifier ("pa") 916 and is retransmitted by waveguide coupling device 904 to another repeater system, via diplexer 920. at the output device 922, a pa 924 can boost the signal for transmission to the mobile device. an lna 926 can be used to amplify weak signals that are received from the mobile device and then send the signal to a multiplexer 934 which merges the signal with signals that have been received from waveguide coupling device 904. the output device 922 can be coupled to an antenna in a distributed antenna system or other antenna via, for example, a diplexer, duplexer or a transmit receive switch not specifically shown. the signals received from coupling device 904 have been split by diplexer 920, and then passed through lna 918, and downshifted in frequency by frequency mixer 938. when the signals are combined by multiplexer 934, they are upshifted in frequency by frequency mixer 930, and then boosted by pa 910, and transmitted back to the launcher or on to another repeater by waveguide coupling device 902. in an example embodiment, the bidirectional repeater system 900 can be just a repeater without the antenna/output device 922. it will be appreciated that in some embodiments, a bidirectional repeater system 900 could also be implemented using two distinct and separate uni-directional repeaters. in an alternative embodiment, a bidirectional repeater system 900 could also be a booster or otherwise perform retransmissions without downshifting and upshifting. indeed in example embodiment, the retransmissions can be based upon receiving a signal or guided-wave and performing some signal or guided-wave processing or reshaping, filtering, and/or amplification, prior to retransmission of the signal or guided-wave. fig. 10 illustrates a process in connection with the aforementioned systems. the process in fig. 10 can be implemented for example by systems 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, and 900 illustrated in figs. 1-9 respectively. while for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the methods are shown and described as a series of blocks, it is to be understood and appreciated that the claimed subject matter is not limited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what is depicted and described herein. moreover, not all illustrated blocks may be required to implement the methods described hereinafter. fig. 10 illustrates a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting embodiment of a method for transmitting a transmission with a dielectric waveguide coupler as described herein. method 1000 can begin at 1002 where a first electromagnetic wave is emitted by a transmission device that propagates at least in part on a waveguide surface of a waveguide, wherein the waveguide surface of the waveguide does not surround in whole or in substantial part a wire surface of a wire. the transmission that is generated by a transmitter can be based on a signal received from a base station device, access point, network or a mobile device. at 1004, based upon configuring the waveguide in proximity of the wire, the guided-wave then couples at least a part of the first electromagnetic wave to a wire surface, forming a second electromagnetic wave (e.g., a surface wave) that propagates at least partially around the wire surface, wherein the wire is in proximity to the waveguide. this can be done in response to positioning a portion of the dielectric waveguide (e.g., a tangent of a curve of the dielectric waveguide) near and parallel to the wire, wherein a wavelength of the electromagnetic wave is smaller than a circumference of the wire and the dielectric waveguide. the guided-wave, or surface wave, stays parallel to the wire even as the wire bends and flexes. bends can increase transmission losses, which are also dependent on wire diameters, frequency, and materials. the coupling interface between the wire and the waveguide can also be configured to achieve the desired level of coupling, as described herein, which can include tapering an end of the waveguide to improve impedance matching between the waveguide and the wire. the transmission that is emitted by the transmitter can exhibit one or more waveguide modes. the waveguide modes can be dependent on the shape and/or design of the waveguide. the propagation modes on the wire can be different than the waveguide modes due to the different characteristics of the waveguide and the wire. when the circumference of the wire is comparable in size to, or greater, than a wavelength of the transmission, the guided-wave exhibits multiple wave propagation modes. the guided-wave can therefore comprise more than one type of electric and magnetic field configuration. as the guided-wave (e.g., surface wave) propagates down the wire, the electrical and magnetic field configurations may remain substantially the same from end to end of the wire or vary as the transmission traverses the wave by rotation, dispersion, attenuation or other effects. referring now to fig. 11 , there is illustrated a block diagram of a computing environment in accordance with various aspects described herein. in order to provide additional context for various embodiments of the embodiments described herein, fig. 11 and the following discussion are intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable computing environment 1100 in which the various embodiments of the embodiment described herein can be implemented. while the embodiments have been described above in the general context of computer-executable instructions that can be run on one or more computers, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments can be also implemented in combination with other program modules and/or as a combination of hardware and software. generally, program modules comprise routines, programs, components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the inventive methods can be practiced with other computer system configurations, comprising single-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, as well as personal computers, hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, and the like, each of which can be operatively coupled to one or more associated devices. the terms "first," "second," "third," and so forth, unless otherwise clear by context, is for clarity only and doesn't otherwise indicate or imply any order in time. for instance, "a first determination," "a second determination," and "a third determination," does not indicate or imply that the first determination is to be made before the second determination, or vice versa, etc. the illustrated embodiments of the embodiments herein can be also practiced in distributed computing environments where certain tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. in a distributed computing environment, program modules can be located in both local and remote memory storage devices. computing devices typically comprise a variety of media, which can comprise computer-readable storage media and/or communications media, which two terms are used herein differently from one another as follows. computer-readable storage media can be any available storage media that can be accessed by the computer and comprises both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. by way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable storage media can be implemented in connection with any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, program modules, structured data or unstructured data. computer-readable storage media can comprise, but are not limited to, random access memory (ram), read only memory (rom), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (eeprom), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disk read only memory (cd-rom), digital versatile disk (dvd) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices or other tangible and/or non-transitory media which can be used to store desired information. in this regard, the terms "tangible" or "non-transitory" herein as applied to storage, memory or computer-readable media, are to be understood to exclude only propagating transitory signals per se as modifiers and do not relinquish rights to all standard storage, memory or computer-readable media that are not only propagating transitory signals per se. computer-readable storage media can be accessed by one or more local or remote computing devices, e.g., via access requests, queries or other data retrieval protocols, for a variety of operations with respect to the information stored by the medium. communications media typically embody computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other structured or unstructured data in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, e.g., a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and comprise any information delivery or transport media. the term "modulated data signal" or signals refers to a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in one or more signals. by way of example, and not limitation, communication media comprises wired media, such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, rf, infrared and other wireless media. with reference again to fig. 11 , the example environment 1100 for transmitting and receiving signals via base station (e.g., base station devices 104 and 508) and repeater devices (e.g., repeater devices 710, 806, and 900) comprises a computer 1102, the computer 1102 comprising a processing unit 1104, a system memory 1106 and a system bus 1108. the system bus 1108 couples system components including, but not limited to, the system memory 1106 to the processing unit 1104. the processing unit 1104 can be any of various commercially available processors. dual microprocessors and other multi-processor architectures can also be employed as the processing unit 1104. the system bus 1108 can be any of several types of bus structure that can further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of commercially available bus architectures. the system memory 1106 comprises rom 1110 and ram 1112. a basic input/output system (bios) can be stored in a non-volatile memory such as rom, erasable programmable read only memory (eprom), eeprom, in which the bios contains the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer 1102, such as during startup. the ram 1112 can also comprise a high-speed ram such as static ram for caching data. the computer 1102 further comprises an internal hard disk drive (hdd) 1114 (e.g., eide, sata), which internal hard disk drive 1114 can also be configured for external use in a suitable chassis (not shown), a magnetic floppy disk drive (fdd) 1116, (e.g., to read from or write to a removable diskette 1118) and an optical disk drive 1120, (e.g., reading a cd-rom disk 1122 or, to read from or write to other high capacity optical media such as the dvd). the hard disk drive 1114, magnetic disk drive 1116 and optical disk drive 1120 can be connected to the system bus 1108 by a hard disk drive interface 1124, a magnetic disk drive interface 1126 and an optical drive interface 1128, respectively. the interface for external drive implementations comprises at least one or both of universal serial bus (usb) and institute of electrical and electronics engineers (ieee) 1394 interface technologies. other external drive connection technologies are within contemplation of the embodiments described herein. the drives and their associated computer-readable storage media provide nonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, and so forth. for the computer 1102, the drives and storage media accommodate the storage of any data in a suitable digital format. although the description of computer-readable storage media above refers to a hard disk drive (hdd), a removable magnetic diskette, and a removable optical media such as a cd or dvd, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of storage media which are readable by a computer, such as zip drives, magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, cartridges, and the like, can also be used in the example operating environment, and further, that any such storage media can contain computer-executable instructions for performing the methods described herein. a number of program modules can be stored in the drives and ram 1112, comprising an operating system 1130, one or more application programs 1132, other program modules 1134 and program data 1136. all or portions of the operating system, applications, modules, and/or data can also be cached in the ram 1112. the systems and methods described herein can be implemented utilizing various commercially available operating systems or combinations of operating systems. examples of application programs 1132 that can be implemented and otherwise executed by processing unit 1104 include the diversity selection determining performed by repeater device 806. base station device 508 shown in fig. 5 , also has stored in memory many applications and programs that can be executed by processing unit 1104 in this exemplary computing environment 1100. a user can enter commands and information into the computer 1102 through one or more wired/wireless input devices, e.g., a keyboard 1138 and a pointing device, such as a mouse 1140. other input devices (not shown) can comprise a microphone, an infrared (ir) remote control, a joystick, a game pad, a stylus pen, touch screen or the like. these and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 1104 through an input device interface 1142 that can be coupled to the system bus 1108, but can be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, an ieee 1394 serial port, a game port, a universal serial bus (usb) port, an ir interface, etc. a monitor 1144 or other type of display device can be also connected to the system bus 1108 via an interface, such as a video adapter 1146. it will also be appreciated that in alternative embodiments, a monitor 1144 can also be any display device (e.g., another computer having a display, a smart phone, a tablet computer, etc.) for receiving display information associated with computer 1102 via any communication means, including via the internet and cloud-based networks. in addition to the monitor 1144, a computer typically comprises other peripheral output devices (not shown), such as speakers, printers, etc. the computer 1102 can operate in a networked environment using logical connections via wired and/or wireless communications to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer(s) 1148. the remote computer(s) 1148 can be a workstation, a server computer, a router, a personal computer, portable computer, microprocessor-based entertainment appliance, a peer device or other common network node, and typically comprises many or all of the elements described relative to the computer 1102, although, for purposes of brevity, only a memory/storage device 1150 is illustrated. the logical connections depicted comprise wired/wireless connectivity to a local area network (lan) 1152 and/or larger networks, e.g., a wide area network (wan) 1154. such lan and wan networking environments are commonplace in offices and companies, and facilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such as intranets, all of which can connect to a global communications network, e.g., the internet. when used in a lan networking environment, the computer 1102 can be connected to the local network 1152 through a wired and/or wireless communication network interface or adapter 1156. the adapter 1156 can facilitate wired or wireless communication to the lan 1152, which can also comprise a wireless ap disposed thereon for communicating with the wireless adapter 1156. when used in a wan networking environment, the computer 1102 can comprise a modem 1158 or can be connected to a communications server on the wan 1154 or has other means for establishing communications over the wan 1154, such as by way of the internet. the modem 1158, which can be internal or external and a wired or wireless device, can be connected to the system bus 1108 via the input device interface 1142. in a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 1102 or portions thereof, can be stored in the remote memory/storage device 1150. it will be appreciated that the network connections shown are example and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers can be used. the computer 1102 can be operable to communicate with any wireless devices or entities operatively disposed in wireless communication, e.g., a printer, scanner, desktop and/or portable computer, portable data assistant, communications satellite, any piece of equipment or location associated with a wirelessly detectable tag (e.g., a kiosk, news stand, restroom), and telephone. this can comprise wireless fidelity (wi-fi) and bluetooth® wireless technologies. thus, the communication can be a predefined structure as with a conventional network or simply an ad hoc communication between at least two devices. wi-fi can allow connection to the internet from a couch at home, a bed in a hotel room or a conference room at work, without wires. wi-fi is a wireless technology similar to that used in a cell phone that enables such devices, e.g., computers, to send and receive data indoors and out; anywhere within the range of a base station. wi-fi networks use radio technologies called ieee 802.11 (a, b, g, n, ac, etc.) to provide secure, reliable, fast wireless connectivity. a wi-fi network can be used to connect computers to each other, to the internet, and to wired networks (which can use ieee 802.3 or ethernet). wi-fi networks operate in the unlicensed 2.4 and 5 ghz radio bands for example or with products that contain both bands (dual band), so the networks can provide real-world performance similar to the basic 10baset wired ethernet networks used in many offices. fig. 12 presents an example embodiment 1200 of a mobile network platform 1210 that can implement and exploit one or more aspects of the disclosed subject matter described herein. in one or more embodiments, the mobile network platform 1210 can generate and receive signals transmitted and received by base stations (e.g., base station devices 104 and 508) and repeater devices (e.g., repeater devices 710, 806, and 900) associated with the disclosed subject matter. generally, wireless network platform 1210 can comprise components, e.g., nodes, gateways, interfaces, servers, or disparate platforms, that facilitate both packet-switched (ps) (e.g., internet protocol (ip), frame relay, asynchronous transfer mode (atm)) and circuit-switched (cs) traffic (e.g., voice and data), as well as control generation for networked wireless telecommunication. as a non-limiting example, wireless network platform 1210 can be included in telecommunications carrier networks, and can be considered carrier-side components as discussed elsewhere herein. mobile network platform 1210 comprises cs gateway node(s) 1212 which can interface cs traffic received from legacy networks like telephony network(s) 1240 (e.g., public switched telephone network (pstn), or public land mobile network (plmn)) or a signaling system #7 (ss7) network 1260. circuit switched gateway node(s) 1212 can authorize and authenticate traffic (e.g., voice) arising from such networks. additionally, cs gateway node(s) 1212 can access mobility, or roaming, data generated through ss7 network 1260; for instance, mobility data stored in a visited location register (vlr), which can reside in memory 1230. moreover, cs gateway node(s) 1212 interfaces cs-based traffic and signaling and ps gateway node(s) 1218. as an example, in a 3gpp umts network, cs gateway node(s) 1212 can be realized at least in part in gateway gprs support node(s) (ggsn). it should be appreciated that functionality and specific operation of cs gateway node(s) 1212, ps gateway node(s) 1218, and serving node(s) 1216, is provided and dictated by radio technology(ies) utilized by mobile network platform 1210 for telecommunication. in addition to receiving and processing cs-switched traffic and signaling, ps gateway node(s) 1218 can authorize and authenticate ps-based data sessions with served mobile devices. data sessions can comprise traffic, or content(s), exchanged with networks external to the wireless network platform 1210, like wide area network(s) (wans) 1250, enterprise network(s) 1270, and service network(s) 1280, which can be embodied in local area network(s) (lans), can also be interfaced with mobile network platform 1210 through ps gateway node(s) 1218. it is to be noted that wans 1250 and enterprise network(s) 1270 can embody, at least in part, a service network(s) like ip multimedia subsystem (ims). based on radio technology layer(s) available in technology resource(s), packet-switched gateway node(s) 1218 can generate packet data protocol contexts when a data session is established; other data structures that facilitate routing of packetized data also can be generated. to that end, in an aspect, ps gateway node(s) 1218 can comprise a tunnel interface (e.g., tunnel termination gateway (ttg) in 3gpp umts network(s) (not shown)) which can facilitate packetized communication with disparate wireless network(s), such as wi-fi networks. in embodiment 1200, wireless network platform 1210 also comprises serving node(s) 1216 that, based upon available radio technology layer(s) within technology resource(s), convey the various packetized flows of data streams received through ps gateway node(s) 1218. it is to be noted that for technology resource(s) that rely primarily on cs communication, server node(s) can deliver traffic without reliance on ps gateway node(s) 1218; for example, server node(s) can embody at least in part a mobile switching center. as an example, in a 3gpp umts network, serving node(s) 1216 can be embodied in serving gprs support node(s) (sgsn). for radio technologies that exploit packetized communication, server(s) 1214 in wireless network platform 1210 can execute numerous applications that can generate multiple disparate packetized data streams or flows, and manage (e.g., schedule, queue, format...) such flows. such application(s) can comprise add-on features to standard services (for example, provisioning, billing, customer support...) provided by wireless network platform 1210. data streams (e.g., content(s) that are part of a voice call or data session) can be conveyed to ps gateway node(s) 1218 for authorization/authentication and initiation of a data session, and to serving node(s) 1216 for communication thereafter. in addition to application server, server(s) 1214 can comprise utility server(s), a utility server can comprise a provisioning server, an operations and maintenance server, a security server that can implement at least in part a certificate authority and firewalls as well as other security mechanisms, and the like. in an aspect, security server(s) secure communication served through wireless network platform 1210 to ensure network's operation and data integrity in addition to authorization and authentication procedures that cs gateway node(s) 1212 and ps gateway node(s) 1218 can enact. moreover, provisioning server(s) can provision services from external network(s) like networks operated by a disparate service provider; for instance, wan 1250 or global positioning system (gps) network(s) (not shown). provisioning server(s) can also provision coverage through networks associated to wireless network platform 1210 (e.g., deployed and operated by the same service provider), such as the distributed antennas networks shown in fig. 1(s) that enhance wireless service coverage by providing more network coverage. repeater devices such as those shown in figs 7 , 8 , and 9 also improve network coverage in order to enhance subscriber service experience by way of ue 1275. it is to be noted that server(s) 1214 can comprise one or more processors configured to confer at least in part the functionality of macro network platform 1210. to that end, the one or more processor can execute code instructions stored in memory 1230, for example. it is should be appreciated that server(s) 1214 can comprise a content manager, which operates in substantially the same manner as described hereinbefore. in example embodiment 1200, memory 1230 can store information related to operation of wireless network platform 1210. other operational information can comprise provisioning information of mobile devices served through wireless platform network 1210, subscriber databases; application intelligence, pricing schemes, e.g., promotional rates, flat-rate programs, couponing campaigns; technical specification(s) consistent with telecommunication protocols for operation of disparate radio, or wireless, technology layers; and so forth. memory 1230 can also store information from at least one of telephony network(s) 1240, wan 1250, enterprise network(s) 1270, or ss7 network 1260. in an aspect, memory 1230 can be, for example, accessed as part of a data store component or as a remotely connected memory store. in order to provide a context for the various aspects of the disclosed subject matter, fig. 12 , and the following discussion, are intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable environment in which the various aspects of the disclosed subject matter can be implemented. while the subject matter has been described above in the general context of computer-executable instructions of a computer program that runs on a computer and/or computers, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosed subject matter also can be implemented in combination with other program modules. generally, program modules comprise routines, programs, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks and/or implement particular abstract data types. turning now to fig. 13 a diagram is presented illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a coupler in accordance with various aspects described herein. in particular, a diagram 1300 is presented of a coupler 1310 that is implemented as part of a transmission device for launching electromagnetic waves on an outer surface of a transmission medium, such as the insulated medium voltage wire 1302 that is shown. the coupler 1310 includes a tapered collar 1304 that surrounds the insulated medium voltage wire 1302 (it being appreciated however, that other conductive wires can be utilized as well). the tapered collar 1304 can be constructed of a dielectric or other nonconductive material. a conductive ring 1306 also surrounds the insulated medium voltage wire 1302 in whole, substantially or in part, creating a gap 1308 such as an air gap or other gap (whether filled with a portion of the tapered collar 1304, other dielectric material or not) between the conductive ring 1306 and the insulated medium voltage wire 1302 to form a coaxial launcher 1312. for example, the conductive ring 1306 can be filled or substantially filled with a dielectric material that merges with the larger diameter end of the tapered collar 1304 that is constructed of the same dielectric material. in this fashion, the dielectric material inside the conductive ring 1306 and the dielectric material forming the tapered collar 1304 can be constructed of a single dielectric element. the conductive ring 1306 can be constructed of a metallic ring, a metal coated ring or other conductive material. in operation, the coupler 1310 receives, at an open end of the conductive ring 1306 or other structure of the coaxial launcher 1312 that couples to a transmitter or transceiver to launch an electromagnetic wave from a transmitter or transceiver as part of a transmission device and guide the electromagnetic wave to the tapered collar 1304. the tapered collar 1304 couples the electromagnetic wave to propagate along an outer surface of the insulated medium voltage wire 1302. while the conductive ring 1306 is shown as being non-tapered and having a particular shape, in other examples the conductive ring can be tapered. further while the conductive ring 1306 and tapered collar 1304 are shown as having a circular outer perimeter, shapes such as ellipsoid shapes, polygonal shapes or other shapes could likewise be employed. the coupler 1310 can be installed on the mv wire 1302 via a splicing device that is configured with the tapered ends described above. alternatively, the coupler 1310 can be constructed in a clamshell configuration with two or more pieces that are joined together to surround the mv wire 1302, can be constructed of a flexible material and have a slotted bottom that can be opened and wrapped around the mv wire 1302 for ease of installation or can be configured for installation in other ways. turning now to fig. 14 a diagram is presented illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a coupler in accordance with various aspects described herein. in particular, in diagram 1400, the coupler 1310 from fig. 13 is shown again in greater detail. as shown, the coupler 1310 is coaxially aligned with the insulated medium voltage wire 1302. the conductive ring 1306 (with optional dielectric material in the gap between the metallic ring and the mv wire 1302) serves as a coaxial launcher 1312 to receive and/or guide an electromagnetic wave with a selected em mode structure (such as a tem mode, te mode or tm mode). this selected em mode structure can be fundamental mode only, can include only one or more non-fundamental modes, or a combination of the fundamental mode and one or more non-fundamental modes. the tapered collar 1304 preserves the mode structure between the coaxial launcher 1312 and the insulated medium voltage wire 1302, so as to launch the electromagnetic wave on the outer surface of the insulated medium voltage wire 1302 with the selected mode structure. by selectively launching a desired em wave mode, the coupler 1310 can be used to launch em waves in a modal "sweet spot" that enhances electromagnetic wave propagation along an insulated transmission medium and reduces end-to-end transmission loss. in this particular mode, em waves are partially embedded in the insulator and partially travelling on the outer surface of the insulator. in this fashion, em waves are "lightly" coupled to the insulator so as to enable em wave propagation at long distances with low propagation loss. further details regarding this propagation mode, including several optional functions and features, will be discussed in conjunction with figs. 17-19 . in a further example, by selectively launching a desired em wave mode, the coupler 1310 can be used to launch em waves that mitigate or circumvent the effects of water droplets. in particular an em wave mode can be selected to have a local minimum (or null) at the orientation of expected rain droplet formation while the majority of the electromagnetic energy is oriented in the dry (or dryer) spots on the insulated line. further details regarding this example, including several optional functions and features, will be discussed in conjunction with figs. 20a and 20b . while the coupler 1310 is shown for use with the insulated medium voltage wire 1302, such a coupler could also be used in conjunction with other transmission mediums including other transmission wires, other single wire transmission systems and other transmission mediums without wires. in particular, while figs. 13 and 14 show an insulated medium voltage wire 1302 having a circular shape and coupler 1310 having a corresponding circular shape, this is not meant to be limiting. in other embodiments, wires and couplers can have a variety of shapes, sizes, and configurations. the shapes can include, but not be limited to: ovals or other ellipsoid shapes, octagons, quadrilaterals or other polygons with either sharp or rounded edges, or other shapes. additionally, in some embodiments, the transmission medium can include stranded wires comprising smaller gauge wires, such as a helical strand, braid, bundle or other coupling of individual strands into a single wire or wire bundle. turning now to fig. 15 , a block diagram is shown illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a guided-wave communication system 1550. in operation, a transmission device 1500 receives one or more communication signals 1510 from a communication network or other communications device that includes data and generates guided waves 1520 to convey the data via the transmission medium 1525 to the transmission device 1502. the transmission device 1502 receives the guided waves 1520 and converts them to communication signals 1512 that include the data for transmission to a communications network or other communications device. the communication network or networks can include a wireless communication network such as a mobile data network, a cellular voice and data network, a wireless local area network (e.g., wifi or an 802.xx network), a satellite communications network, a personal area network or other wireless network. the communication network or networks can include a wired communication network such as a telephone network, an ethernet network, a local area network, a wide area network such as the internet, a broadband access network, a cable network, a fiber optic network, or other wired network. the communication devices can include a network edge device, bridge device or home gateway, a set-top box, broadband modem, telephone adapter, access point, base station, or other fixed communication device, a mobile communication device such as an automotive gateway, laptop computer, tablet, smartphone, cellular telephone, or other communication device. in an example embodiment, the guided-wave communication system 1550 can operate in a bi-directional fashion where transmission device 1502 receives one or more communication signals 1512 from a communication network or device that includes other data and generates guided-waves 1522 to convey the other data via the transmission medium 1525 to the transmission device 1500. in this mode of operation, the transmission device 1500 receives the guided-waves 1522 and converts them to communication signals 1510 that include the other data for transmission to a communications network or device. the transmission medium 1525 can include a wire or other conductor or inner portion having at least one inner portion surrounded by a dielectric material such as an insulator or other dielectric cover, coating or other dielectric material, the dielectric material having an outer surface and a corresponding circumference. in an example embodiment, the transmission medium 1525 operates as a single-wire transmission line to guide the transmission of an electromagnetic wave. when the transmission medium 1525 is implemented as a single wire transmission system, it can include a wire. the wire can be insulated or uninsulated, and single-stranded or multi-stranded (e.g., braided). in other embodiments, the transmission medium 1525 can contain conductors of other shapes or configurations including wire bundles, cables, rods, rails, pipes. in addition, the transmission medium 1525 can include non-conductors such as dielectric pipes, rods, rails, or other dielectric members; combinations of conductors and dielectric materials, conductors without dielectric materials or other guided-wave transmission media. it should be noted that the transmission medium 1525 can otherwise include any of the transmission media previously discussed in conjunction with figs. 1-14 . according to an example embodiment, the guided waves 1520 and 1522 can be contrasted with radio transmissions over free space / air or conventional propagation of electrical power or signals through the conductor of a wire. in particular, guided waves 1520 and 1522 are surface waves and other electromagnetic waves that surround all or part of the surface of the transmission medium and propagate with low loss along the transmission medium from transmission device 1500 to transmission device 1502, and vice versa. the guided waves 1520 and 1522 can have a field structure (e.g., an electromagnetic field structure) that lies primarily or substantially outside of the transmission medium 1525. in addition to the propagation of guided waves 1520 and 1522, the transmission medium 1525 may optionally contain one or more wires that propagate electrical power or other communication signals in a conventional manner as a part of one or more electrical circuits. turning now to fig. 16 , a block diagram is shown illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a transmission device 1500 or 1502. the transmission device 1500 or 1502 includes a communications interface (i/f) 1600, a transceiver 1610 and a coupler 1620. in an example of operation, the communications interface 1600 receives a communication signal 1510 or 1512 that includes data. in various embodiments, the communications interface 1600 can include a wireless interface for receiving a wireless communication signal in accordance with a wireless standard protocol such as lte or other cellular voice and data protocol, wifi or an 802.11 protocol, wimax protocol, ultra wideband protocol, bluetooth protocol, zigbee protocol, a direct broadcast satellite (dbs) or other satellite communication protocol or other wireless protocol. in addition or in the alternative, the communications interface 1600 includes a wired interface that operates in accordance with an ethernet protocol, universal serial bus (usb) protocol, a data over cable service interface specification (docsis) protocol, a digital subscriber line (dsl) protocol, a firewire (ieee 1394) protocol, or other wired protocol. in additional to standards-based protocols, the communications interface 1600 can operate in conjunction with other wired or wireless protocol. in addition, the communications interface 1600 can optionally operate in conjunction with a protocol stack that includes multiple protocol layers. in an example of operation, the transceiver 1610 generates an electromagnetic wave based on the communication signal 1510 or 1512 to convey the data. the electromagnetic wave has at least one carrier frequency and at least one corresponding wavelength. the carrier frequency can be within a millimeter-wave frequency band of 30ghz - 300ghz or a lower frequency band of 3 ghz - 30ghz in the microwave frequency band, but it will be appreciated that other carrier frequencies are possible in other embodiments. in one mode of operation, the transceiver 1610 merely upconverts the communications signal or signals 1510 or 1512 for transmission of the electromagnetic signal in the microwave or millimeter-wave band. in another mode of operation, the communications interface 1600 either converts the communication signal 1510 or 1512 to a baseband or near baseband signal or extracts the data from the communication signal 1510 or 1512 and the transceiver 1610 modulates a high-frequency carrier with the data, the baseband or near baseband signal for transmission. in an example of operation, the coupler 1620 couples the electromagnetic wave to the transmission medium 1525. the coupler 1620 can be implemented via a dielectric waveguide coupler, coupler 1310 or any of the other couplers and coupling devices described in conjunction with figs. 1-14 . in an example embodiment, the transmission medium 1525 includes a wire or other inner element surrounded by a dielectric material having an outer surface. the dielectric material can include an insulating jacket, a dielectric coating or other dielectric on the outer surface of the transmission medium 1525. the inner portion can include a dielectric or other insulator, a conductor, air or other gas or void, or one or more conductors. while the prior description has focused on the operation of the transceiver 1610 as a transmitter, the transceiver 1610 can also operate to receive electromagnetic waves that convey other data from the single wire transmission medium via the coupler 1620 and to generate communications signals 1510 or 1512, via communications interface 1600 that includes the other data. consider embodiments where an additional electromagnetic wave conveys other data that also propagates along the outer surface of the dielectric material of the transmission medium 1525. the coupler 1620 can also couple this additional electromagnetic wave from the transmission medium 1525 to the transceiver 1610 for reception. turning now to fig. 17 , a diagram is shown illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of an electromagnetic field distribution. in this embodiment, a transmission medium 1525 in air includes an inner conductor 1700 and an insulating jacket 1702 of dielectric material, is shown in cross section. the diagram includes different gray-scales that represent differing electromagnetic field strengths generated by the propagation of the guided-wave having an asymmetric mode. in particular, the electromagnetic field distribution corresponds to a modal "sweet spot" that enhances electromagnetic wave propagation along an insulated transmission medium and reduces end-to-end transmission loss. in this particular mode, em waves are guided by the transmission medium 1525 to propagate along an outer surface of the transmission medium - in this case, the outer surface of the insulating jacket 1702. em waves are partially embedded in the insulator and partially radiating on the outer surface of the insulator. in this fashion, em waves are "lightly" coupled to the insulator so as to enable em wave propagation at long distances with low propagation loss. as shown, the guided-wave has a field structure that lies primarily or substantially outside of the transmission medium 1525 that serves to guide the wave. the regions inside the conductor 1700 have little or no field. likewise regions inside the insulating jacket 1702 have low field strength. the majority of the electromagnetic field strength is distributed in the lobes 1704 at the outer surface of the insulating jacket 1702 and in close proximity thereof. the presence of an asymmetric guided-wave mode is shown by the high electromagnetic field strengths at the top and bottom of the outer surface of the insulating jacket 1702 - as opposed to very small field strengths on the other sides of the insulating jacket 1702. the example shown corresponds to a 38 ghz wave guided by a wire with a diameter of 1.1 cm and a dielectric insulation of thickness of 0.36 cm. because the electromagnetic wave is guided by the transmission medium 1525 and the majority of the field strength is concentrated in the air outside of the insulating jacket 1702 within a limited distance of the outer surface, the guided-wave can propagate longitudinally down the transmission medium 1525 with very low loss. in the example shown, this "limited distance" corresponds to a distance from the outer surface that is less than half the largest cross sectional dimension of the transmission medium 1525. in this case, the largest cross sectional dimension of the wire corresponds to the overall diameter of 1.82 cm, however, this value can vary with the size and shape of the transmission medium 1525. for example, should the transmission medium be of rectangular shape with a height of .3cm and a width of .4cm, the largest cross sectional dimension would be the diagonal of .5cm and the corresponding limited distance would be .25cm. in an example embodiment, this particular asymmetric mode of propagation is induced on the transmission medium 1525 by an electromagnetic wave having a frequency that falls within a limited range (such as fc to fc+25%) of the lower cut-off frequency fc of the asymmetric mode, i.e. the lowest frequency that a particular asymmetric or fundamental mode can be supported. for embodiments as shown that include an inner conductor 1700 surrounded by an insulating jacket 1702, this cutoff frequency can vary based on the dimensions and properties of the insulating jacket 1702 and potentially the dimensions and properties of the inner conductor 1700 and can be determined experimentally to have a desired mode pattern. it should be noted however, that similar effects can be found for a hollow dielectric or insulator without an inner conductor. in this case, the cutoff frequency can vary based on the dimensions and properties of the hollow dielectric or insulator. at frequencies lower than the lower cut-off frequency, the asymmetric mode is difficult to induce in the transmission medium 1525 and fails to propagate for all but trivial distances. as the frequency increases above the limited range of frequencies about the cut-off frequency, the asymmetric mode shifts more and more inward of the insulating jacket 1702. at frequencies much larger than the cut-off frequency, the field strength is no longer concentrated outside of the insulating jacket, but primarily inside of the insulating jacket 1702. while the transmission medium 1525 provides strong guidance to the electromagnetic wave and propagation is still possible, ranges are more limited by increased losses due to propagation within the insulating jacket 1702 -- as opposed to the surrounding air. turning now to fig. 18 , a diagram is shown illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of various electromagnetic field distributions. in particular, a cross section diagram 1800, similar to fig. 17 is shown with common reference numerals used to refer to similar elements. the example shown in cross section 1800 corresponds to a 60 ghz wave guided by a wire with a diameter of 1.1 cm and a dielectric insulation of thickness of 0.36 cm. because the frequency of the wave is above the limited range of the cut-off frequency, the asymmetric mode has shifted inward of the insulating jacket 1702. in particular, the field strength is concentrated primarily inside of the insulating jacket 1702. while the transmission medium 1525 provides strong guidance to the electromagnetic wave and propagation is still possible, ranges are more limited when compared with the embodiment of fig. 17 , by increased losses due to propagation within the insulating jacket 1702. the diagrams 1802, 1804, 1806 and 1808 also present embodiments of a transmission medium 1525 in air that includes an inner conductor and an insulating jacket of dielectric material, similar to diagram 1800, but shown in longitudinal cross section and in smaller scale. these diagrams include different gray-scales that represent differing electromagnetic field strengths generated by the propagation of the guided-wave having an asymmetric mode at different frequencies. at frequencies lower than the lower cut-off frequency, represented by diagram 1808, the electric field is not tightly coupled to the surface of the transmission medium 1525. the asymmetric mode is difficult to induce in the transmission medium 1525 and fails to propagate for all but trivial distances along the transmission medium. at frequencies within the limited range of the cutoff frequency, represented by diagram 1806, while some of the electric field strength is within the insulating jacket, the guided-wave has a field structure that lies primarily or substantially outside of the insulating jacket and outside of the transmission medium 1525 that serves to guide the wave. as discussed in conjunction with fig. 17 , the regions inside the conductor 1700 have little or no field and propagation is supported over reasonable distance and with lower propagation losses, when compared with other frequency ranges. as the frequency increases above the limited range of frequencies about the cut-off frequency, represented by diagram 1804, the asymmetric mode shifts more and more inward of the insulating jacket of transmission medium 1525 increasing propagation losses and reducing effective travel distances. at frequencies much larger than the cut-off frequency, represented by diagram 1802, the field strength is no longer concentrated outside of the insulating jacket, but primarily inside of the insulating jacket 1702. while the transmission medium 1525 provides strong guidance to the electromagnetic wave and propagation is still possible, ranges are more limited by increased losses due to propagation within the insulating jacket 1702 -- as opposed to the surrounding air. fig. 19 is a diagram illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of various electromagnetic distributions in accordance with various aspects described herein. in particular, diagram 1900 presents a graph of end-to-end loss (in db) as a function of frequency, overlaid with electromagnetic field distributions 1910, 1920 and 1930 at three points for a 200cm insulated medium voltage wire. the boundary between the insulator and the surrounding air is represented by reference numeral 1925 in each electromagnetic field distribution. in particular, the electromagnetic field distribution 1920 at 6 ghz falls within the modal "sweet spot" previously discussed that enhances electromagnetic wave propagation along an insulated transmission medium and reduces end-to-end transmission loss. in this particular mode, em waves are partially embedded in the insulator and partially radiating on the outer surface of the insulator. in this fashion, em waves are "lightly" coupled to the insulator so as to enable em wave propagation at long distances with low propagation loss. at lower frequencies represented by the electromagnetic field distribution 1910 at 3 ghz, the asymmetric mode radiates more heavily generating higher propagation losses. at higher frequencies represented by the electromagnetic field distribution 1930 at 9 ghz, the asymmetric mode shifts more and more inward of the insulating jacket providing too much absorption, again generating higher propagation losses. figs. 20a and 20b are diagrams illustrating example, non-limiting embodiments of a transmission medium in accordance with various aspects described herein. fig. 20a presents a diagram 2000 that shows an accumulation of water droplets 2002 on a transmission medium 1525. the water droplets 2002 can accumulate from weather conditions such as dew, moisting, humidity or rain or man-made conditions such as irrigation system overspray. as shown, the water droplets 2002 can be expected to accumulate, due to gravity, at an orientation corresponding to the bottom side of the transmission line 1525. the presence of such water droplets 2002 can interfere with the propagation of guided electromagnetic waves on a surface of the power line 1525. as previously discussed, a transmission device can include a coupler, such as coupler 1310, that selectively launches em waves that mitigate or circumvent the effects of water droplets. in particular an em wave mode can be selected to have a local minimum (or null) at the orientation of expected rain droplet formation while the majority of the electromagnetic energy is oriented in the dry (or dryer) spots on the insulated line. fig. 20b presents an electromagnetic distribution 2010 for such an em wave that operates within the modal sweet spot previously discussed that enhances electromagnetic wave propagation along an insulated transmission medium and reduces end-to-end transmission loss. as shown, the electromagnetic field distribution 2010 includes a local minimum that is aligned with the expected orientation of water droplet formation 2012 - at the bottom of the transmission medium 1525 such as a bare or insulated wire. in this fashion, the presence of water droplets 2002 has little effect on em wave propagation, since the majority of the em field energy is in other orientations around the transmission medium. it should also be noted that the electromagnetic field distribution 2010 is bilaterally symmetrical and also includes a local minimum at the top of the transmission medium 1525. the presence of this second local minimum can mitigate the effects of any accumulations of water, ice or other matter at the top of the transmission medium 1525. turning now to fig. 21 , a block diagram is shown illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a transmission device. in particular, a diagram similar to fig. 16 is presented with common reference numerals used to refer to similar elements. the transmission device 1500 or 1502 includes a communications interface 1600 that receives a communication signal 1510 or 1512 that includes data. the transceiver 1610 generates a first electromagnetic wave based on the communication signal 1510 or 1512 to convey the first data, the first electromagnetic wave having at least one carrier frequency. a coupler 1620 couples the first electromagnetic wave to the transmission medium 1525 having at least one inner portion surrounded by a dielectric material, the dielectric material having an outer surface and a corresponding circumference. the first electromagnetic wave is coupled to the transmission medium to form a second electromagnetic wave that is guided to propagate along the outer surface of the dielectric material via at least one guided-wave mode. the transmission device 1500 or 1502 includes an optional training controller 2100. in an example embodiment, the training controller 2100 is implemented by a standalone processor or a processor that is shared with one or more other components of the transmission device 1500 or 1502. the training controller 2100 selects the at least one carrier frequency based on feedback data received by the transceiver 1610 from at least one remote transmission device coupled to receive the second electromagnetic wave. in an example embodiment, a third electromagnetic wave transmitted by a remote transmission device 1500 or 1502 conveys second data that also propagates along the outer surface of the dielectric material of a transmission medium 1525. the second data can be generated to include the feedback data. in operation, the coupler 1620 also couples the third electromagnetic wave from the transmission medium 1525 to form a fourth electromagnetic wave and the transceiver receives the fourth electromagnetic wave and processes the fourth electromagnetic wave to extract the second data. in an example embodiment, the training controller 2100 operates based on the feedback data to evaluate a plurality of candidate frequencies and/or transmission modes to select the carrier frequency and/or transmission mode to enhance performance, such as throughput, signal strength, reduce propagation loss, etc. consider the following example: a transmission device 1500 begins operation under control of the training controller 2100 by sending a plurality of guided-waves as test signals such as ones or pilot waves at a corresponding plurality of candidate frequencies and/or candidate modes directed to a remote transmission device 1502 coupled to the transmission medium 1525. the guided-waves can include, in addition or in the alternative, test data. the test data can indicate the particular candidate frequency and/or em mode of the signal. in an embodiment, the training controller 2100 at the remote transmission device 1502 receives the test signals and/or test data from any of the guided-waves that were properly received and determines the best candidate frequency and/or em mode, a set of acceptable candidate frequencies and/or em modes, or a rank ordering of candidate frequencies and/or em modes. this selection of candidate frequenc(ies) or/and em mode(s) are generated by the training controller 2100 based on one or more optimizing criteria such as received signal strength, bit error rate, packet error rate, signal to noise ratio, propagation loss, etc. the training controller 2100 generates feedback data that indicates the selection of candidate frequenc(ies) or/and em mode(s) and sends the feedback data to the transceiver 1610 for transmission to the transmission device 1500. the transmission device 1500 and 1502 can then communicate data with one another based on the selection of candidate frequenc(ies) or/and em mode(s). in other embodiments, the electromagnetic waves that contain the test signals and/or test data are reflected back, repeated back or otherwise looped back by the remote transmission device 1502 to the transmission device 1502 for reception and analysis by the training controller 2100 of the transmission device 1502 that initiated these waves. for example, the transmission device 1502 can send a signal to the remote transmission device 1502 to initiate a test mode where a physical reflector is switched on the line, a termination impedance is changed to cause reflections, a loop back circuits is switched on to couple electromagnetic waves back to the source transmission device 1502, and/or a repeater mode is enabled to amplify and retransmit the electromagnetic waves back to the source transmission device 1502. the training controller 2100 at the source transmission device 1502 receives the test signals and/or test data from any of the guided-waves that were properly received and determines selection of candidate frequenc(ies) or/and em mode(s). while the procedure above has been described in a start-up or initialization mode of operation, each transmission device 1500 or 1502 can send test signals, evaluate candidate frequencies or em modes via non-test such as normal transmissions or otherwise evaluate candidate frequencies or em modes at other times or continuously as well. in an example embodiment, the communication protocol between the transmission devices 1500 and 1502 can include a periodic test mode where either full testing or more limited testing of a subset of candidate frequencies and em modes are tested and evaluated. in other modes of operation, the re-entry into such a test mode can be triggered by a degradation of performance due to a disturbance, weather conditions, etc. in an example embodiment, the receiver bandwidth of the transceiver 1610 is either sufficiently wide to include all candidate frequencies or can be selectively adjusted by the training controller 2100 to a training mode where the receiver bandwidth of the transceiver 1610 is sufficiently wide to include all candidate frequencies. turning now to fig. 22 , a flow diagram 2200 is shown illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a method. the method can be used in conjunction with one or more functions and features described in conjunction with figs. 1-21 . step 2202 includes generating an electromagnetic wave to convey the data in accordance with a non-fundamental mode having an em field pattern with a local minimum at an azimuthal orientation. step 2204 includes coupling the electromagnetic wave to propagate on an outer surface of a transmission medium without altering the azimuthal orientation of the local minimum, or otherwise to align local minimum at a desired orientation with respect to the transmission medium. for example, the local minimum can be generated and/or aligned such that the azimuthal orientation aligns with an expected orientation of water droplet formation of the transmission medium. in an embodiment, the non-fundamental mode has a cutoff frequency, and wherein a carrier frequency of the electromagnetic wave is selected based on the cutoff frequency. the carrier frequency can be within a microwave frequency band. the electromagnetic wave can be coupled to propagate on an outer surface of the transmission medium without altering the non-fundamental mode of the electromagnetic wave and without introducing additional propagating electromagnetic modes (either fundamental or non-fundamental) of the electromagnetic wave. as referred to above, a propagating mode is a mode that propagates more than a trivial distance in the longitudinal direction along the transmission medium. the transmission medium can include an insulating jacket and the outer surface of the transmission medium can correspond to the outer surface of the insulating jacket. the transmission medium can be a single wire transmission medium. electromagnetic waves as described by the subject disclosure can be affected by the presence of a physical object (e.g., a bare wire or other conductor, a dielectric, an insulated wire, a conduit or other hollow element, a bundle of insulated wires that is coated, covered or surrounded by a dielectric or insulator or other wire bundle, or another form of solid, liquid or otherwise non-gaseous transmission medium) so as to be at least partially bound to or guided by the physical object and so as to propagate along a transmission path of the physical object. such a physical object can operate as a transmission medium that guides, by way of an interface of the transmission medium (e.g., an outer surface, inner surface, an interior portion between the outer and the inner surfaces or other boundary between elements of the transmission medium), the propagation of electromagnetic waves ("guided electromagnetic waves"), which in turn can carry energy and/or data along the transmission path from a sending device to a receiving device. unlike free space propagation of wireless signals such as unguided (or unbounded) electromagnetic waves that decrease in intensity inversely by the square of the distance traveled by the unguided electromagnetic waves, guided electromagnetic waves can propagate along a transmission medium with less loss in magnitude per unit distance than experienced by unguided electromagnetic waves. unlike electrical signals, guided electromagnetic waves can propagate from a sending device to a receiving device without requiring a separate electrical return path between the sending device and the receiving device. as a consequence, guided electromagnetic waves can propagate from a sending device to a receiving device along a transmission medium having no conductive components (e.g., a dielectric strip), or via a transmission medium having no more than a single conductor (e.g., a single bare wire or insulated wire). even if a transmission medium includes one or more conductive components and the guided electromagnetic waves propagating along the transmission medium generate currents that flow in the one or more conductive components in a direction of the guided electromagnetic waves, such guided electromagnetic waves can propagate along the transmission medium from a sending device to a receiving device without requiring a flow of opposing currents on an electrical return path between the sending device and the receiving device. in a non-limiting illustration, consider electrical systems that transmit and receive electrical signals between sending and receiving devices by way of conductive media. such systems generally rely on electrically separate forward and return paths. for instance, consider a coaxial cable having a center conductor and a ground shield that are separated by an insulator. typically, in an electrical system a first terminal of a sending (or receiving) device can be connected to the center conductor, and a second terminal of the sending (or receiving) device can be connected to the ground shield. if the sending device injects an electrical signal in the center conductor via the first terminal, the electrical signal will propagate along the center conductor causing forward currents in the center conductor, and return currents in the ground shield. the same conditions apply for a two terminal receiving device. in contrast, consider a waveguide system such as described in the subject disclosure, which can utilize different embodiments of a transmission medium (including among others a coaxial cable) for transmitting guided electromagnetic waves without an electrical return path. in one embodiment, for example, the waveguide system of the subject disclosure can be configured to induce guided electromagnetic waves that propagate along an outer surface of a coaxial cable. although the guided electromagnetic waves will cause forward currents on the ground shield, the guided electromagnetic waves do not require return currents to enable the guided electromagnetic waves to propagate along the outer surface of the coaxial cable. the same can be said of other transmission media used by a waveguide system for the transmission of guided electromagnetic waves. for example, guided electromagnetic waves induced by the waveguide system on an outer surface of a bare wire, or an insulated wire can propagate along the bare wire or the insulated bare wire without an electrical return path. consequently, electrical systems that require two or more conductors for carrying forward and reverse currents on separate conductors to enable the propagation of electrical signals injected by a sending device are distinct from waveguide systems that induce guided electromagnetic waves on an interface of a transmission medium without the need of an electrical return path to enable the propagation of the guided electromagnetic waves along the interface of the transmission medium. it is further noted that guided electromagnetic waves as described in the subject disclosure can have an electromagnetic field structure that lies primarily or substantially outside of a transmission medium so as to be bound to or guided by the transmission medium and so as to propagate non-trivial distances on or along an outer surface of the transmission medium. in other embodiments, guided electromagnetic waves can have an electromagnetic field structure that lies primarily or substantially inside a transmission medium so as to be bound to or guided by the transmission medium and so as to propagate non-trivial distances within the transmission medium. in other embodiments, guided electromagnetic waves can have an electromagnetic field structure that lies partially inside and partially outside a transmission medium so as to be bound to or guided by the transmission medium and so as to propagate non-trivial distances along the transmission medium. in the subject specification, terms such as "store," "storage," "data store," data storage," "database," and substantially any other information storage component relevant to operation and functionality of a component, refer to "memory components," or entities embodied in a "memory" or components comprising the memory. it will be appreciated that the memory components described herein can be either volatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or can comprise both volatile and nonvolatile memory, by way of illustration, and not limitation, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, disk storage, and memory storage. further, nonvolatile memory can be included in read only memory (rom), programmable rom (prom), electrically programmable rom (eprom), electrically erasable rom (eeprom), or flash memory. volatile memory can comprise random access memory (ram), which acts as external cache memory. by way of illustration and not limitation, ram is available in many forms such as synchronous ram (sram), dynamic ram (dram), synchronous dram (sdram), double data rate sdram (ddr sdram), enhanced sdram (esdram), synchlink dram (sldram), and direct rambus ram (drram). additionally, the disclosed memory components of systems or methods herein are intended to comprise, without being limited to comprising, these and any other suitable types of memory. moreover, it will be noted that the disclosed subject matter can be practiced with other computer system configurations, comprising single-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, mini-computing devices, mainframe computers, as well as personal computers, hand-held computing devices (e.g., pda, phone, watch, tablet computers, netbook computers, etc.), microprocessor-based or programmable consumer or industrial electronics, and the like. the illustrated aspects can also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network; however, some if not all aspects of the subject disclosure can be practiced on stand-alone computers. in a distributed computing environment, program modules can be located in both local and remote memory storage devices. some of the embodiments described herein can also employ artificial intelligence (ai) to facilitate automating one or more features described herein. for example, artificial intelligence can be used to determine positions around a wire that dielectric waveguides 604 and 606 should be placed in order to maximize transfer efficiency. the embodiments (e.g., in connection with automatically identifying acquired cell sites that provide a maximum value/benefit after addition to an existing communication network) can employ various ai-based schemes for carrying out various embodiments thereof. moreover, the classifier can be employed to determine a ranking or priority of the each cell site of the acquired network. a classifier is a function that maps an input attribute vector, x = (x1, x2, x3, x4, ..., xn), to a confidence that the input belongs to a class, that is, f(x) = confidence(class). such classification can employ a probabilistic and/or statistical-based analysis (e.g., factoring into the analysis utilities and costs) to prognose or infer an action that a user desires to be automatically performed. a support vector machine (svm) is an example of a classifier that can be employed. the svm operates by finding a hypersurface in the space of possible inputs, which the hypersurface attempts to split the triggering criteria from the non-triggering events. intuitively, this makes the classification correct for testing data that is near, but not identical to training data. other directed and undirected model classification approaches comprise, e.g., naive bayes, bayesian networks, decision trees, neural networks, fuzzy logic models, and probabilistic classification models providing different patterns of independence that can be employed. classification as used herein also is inclusive of statistical regression that is utilized to develop models of priority. as will be readily appreciated, one or more of the embodiments can employ classifiers that are explicitly trained (e.g., via a generic training data) as well as implicitly trained (e.g., via observing ue behavior, operator preferences, historical information, receiving extrinsic information). for example, svms can be configured via a learning or training phase within a classifier constructor and feature selection module. thus, the classifier(s) can be used to automatically learn and perform a number of functions, including but not limited to determining according to a predetermined criteria which of the acquired cell sites will benefit a maximum number of subscribers and/or which of the acquired cell sites will add minimum value to the existing communication network coverage, etc. as used in some contexts in this application, in some embodiments, the terms "component", "system" and the like are intended to refer to, or comprise, a computer-related entity or an entity related to an operational apparatus with one or more specific functionalities, wherein the entity can be either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. as an example, a component may be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, computer-executable instructions, a program, and/or a computer. by way of illustration and not limitation, both an application running on a server and the server can be a component. one or more components may reside within a process and/or thread of execution and a component may be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers. in addition, these components can execute from various computer readable media having various data structures stored thereon. the components may communicate via local and/or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal having one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacting with another component in a local system, distributed system, and/or across a network such as the internet with other systems via the signal). as another example, a component can be an apparatus with specific functionality provided by mechanical parts operated by electric or electronic circuitry, which is operated by a software or firmware application executed by a processor, wherein the processor can be internal or external to the apparatus and executes at least a part of the software or firmware application. as yet another example, a component can be an apparatus that provides specific functionality through electronic components without mechanical parts, the electronic components can comprise a processor therein to execute software or firmware that confers at least in part the functionality of the electronic components. while various components have been illustrated as separate components, it will be appreciated that multiple components can be implemented as a single component, or a single component can be implemented as multiple components, without departing from example embodiments. further, the various embodiments can be implemented as a method, apparatus or article of manufacture using standard programming and/or engineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware or any combination thereof to control a computer to implement the disclosed subject matter. the term "article of manufacture" as used herein is intended to encompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device or computer-readable storage/communications media. for example, computer readable storage media can include, but are not limited to, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strips), optical disks (e.g., compact disk (cd), digital versatile disk (dvd)), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., card, stick, key drive). of course, those skilled in the art will recognize many modifications can be made to this configuration without departing from the scope of the various embodiments. in addition, the words "example" and "exemplary" are used herein to mean serving as an instance or illustration. any embodiment or design described herein as "example" or "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. rather, use of the word example or exemplary is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion. as used in this application, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". that is, unless specified otherwise or clear from context, "x employs a or b" is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. that is, if x employs a; x employs b; or x employs both a and b, then "x employs a or b" is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances. in addition, the articles "a" and "an" as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean "one or more" unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form. moreover, terms such as "user equipment," "mobile station," "mobile," subscriber station," "access terminal," "terminal," "handset," "mobile device" (and/or terms representing similar terminology) can refer to a wireless device utilized by a subscriber or user of a wireless communication service to receive or convey data, control, voice, video, sound, gaming or substantially any data-stream or signaling-stream. the foregoing terms are utilized interchangeably herein and with reference to the related drawings. furthermore, the terms "user," "subscriber," "customer," "consumer" and the like are employed interchangeably throughout, unless context warrants particular distinctions among the terms. it should be appreciated that such terms can refer to human entities or automated components supported through artificial intelligence (e.g., a capacity to make inference based, at least, on complex mathematical formalisms), which can provide simulated vision, sound recognition and so forth. as employed herein, the term "processor" can refer to substantially any computing processing unit or device comprising, but not limited to comprising, single-core processors; single-processors with software multithread execution capability; multi-core processors; multi-core processors with software multithread execution capability; multi-core processors with hardware multithread technology; parallel platforms; and parallel platforms with distributed shared memory. additionally, a processor can refer to an integrated circuit, an application specific integrated circuit (asic), a digital signal processor (dsp), a field programmable gate array (fpga), a programmable logic controller (plc), a complex programmable logic device (cpld), a discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. processors can exploit nano-scale architectures such as, but not limited to, molecular and quantum-dot based transistors, switches and gates, in order to optimize space usage or enhance performance of user equipment. a processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing processing units. as used herein, the term "millimeter-wave" can refer to electromagnetic waves that fall within the "millimeter-wave frequency band" of 30 ghz to 300 ghz. the term "microwave" can refer to electromagnetic waves that fall within the "microwave frequency band" of 300 mhz to 300 ghz. it is appreciated that wireless signals, electrical signals, and guided electromagnetic waves as described in the subject disclosure can be configured to operate at any desirable frequency range, such as, for example, at frequencies within, above or below millimeter-wave and/or microwave frequency bands. as used herein, the term "antenna" can refer to a device that is part of a transmitting or receiving system to radiate or receive wireless signals. in addition, a flow diagram may include a "start" and/or "continue" indication. the "start" and "continue" indications reflect that the steps presented can optionally be incorporated in or otherwise used in conjunction with other routines. in this context, "start" indicates the beginning of the first step presented and may be preceded by other activities not specifically shown. further, the "continue" indication reflects that the steps presented may be performed multiple times and/or may be succeeded by other activities not specifically shown. further, while a flow diagram indicates a particular ordering of steps, other orderings are likewise possible provided that the principles of causality are maintained. as may also be used herein, the term(s) "operably coupled to", "coupled to", and/or "coupling" includes direct coupling between items and/or indirect coupling between items via one or more intervening items. such items and intervening items include, but are not limited to, junctions, communication paths, components, circuit elements, circuits, functional blocks, and/or devices. as an example of indirect coupling, a signal conveyed from a first item to a second item may be modified by one or more intervening items by modifying the form, nature or format of information in a signal, while one or more elements of the information in the signal are nevertheless conveyed in a manner than can be recognized by the second item. in a further example of indirect coupling, an action in a first item can cause a reaction on the second item, as a result of actions and/or reactions in one or more intervening items. what has been described above includes mere examples of various embodiments. it is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing these examples, but one of ordinary skill in the art can recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the present embodiments are possible. accordingly, the embodiments disclosed and/or claimed herein are intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims. furthermore, to the extent that the term "includes" is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprising" as "comprising" is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
|
154-990-799-106-463
|
CN
|
[
"CN",
"US"
] |
G06F9/451,G06F3/0482,G06F3/14,G06T3/40
| 2020-09-01T00:00:00 |
2020
|
[
"G06"
] |
task picture display method and device and server
|
the invention relates to a task picture display method and device and a server, and the method comprises the steps: obtaining a task list page display instruction of a user; according to the task listpage display instruction, acquiring the name of at least one to-be-displayed task and at least one thumbnail corresponding to the task from a server, wherein the at least one thumbnail correspondingto the task is generated by the server according to at least one picture associated with the task; and displaying the name of the task and at least one thumbnail corresponding to the task in the display position corresponding to the task in the task list page. therefore, according to the task picture display method, the thumbnail of the task can be displayed in the task list page, and compared with the prior art that only the picture corresponding to the task is displayed in the task detail page, the user can obtain the thumbnail of the task in the task list page without entering the task detail page, and the interaction frequency and the interaction duration of user picture acquisition are reduced.
|
1 . a method for displaying task pictures, comprising: obtaining an instruction of displaying a task list page; obtaining a name for each task of at least one task to be displayed and at least one thumbnail corresponding to each task from a server based on the instruction of displaying the task list page, wherein the at least one thumbnail is generated by the server based on at least one picture associated with each task; and displaying the name and the at least one thumbnail for each task at a display position corresponding to each task on the task list page. 2 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising: generating a viewing instruction in response to viewing operations on the at least one thumbnail; obtaining a preview picture corresponding to the at least one thumbnail from the server based on the viewing instruction, wherein the preview picture is generated by the server based on a picture corresponding to the at least one thumbnail; and displaying the preview picture. 3 . a method for displaying task pictures, comprising: obtaining at least one picture associated with each task in a task list page; generating a thumbnail corresponding to each picture in the at least one picture; receiving an instruction of displaying a task list page sent by a client terminal; obtaining a name for each task of at least one task to be displayed and at least one thumbnail corresponding to each task from a server based on the instruction of displaying the task list page; and sending the name and the at least one thumbnail for each task of at least one task to the client terminal, so that the client terminal displays the name and the at least one thumbnail for each task at a display position corresponding to each task in the task list page. 4 . the method of claim 3 , wherein generating the thumbnail corresponding to each picture comprises: obtaining a size of each picture; determining a display mode of the thumbnail corresponding to each picture based on the size of each picture; and generating the thumbnail corresponding to each picture by processing each picture based on the display mode of the thumbnail. 5 . the method of claim 4 , wherein the display mode of the thumbnail corresponding to a picture comprises any one or more of: a first display mode based on the size of the picture; a second display mode based on truncation processing of the picture; and a third display mode based on compression processing of the picture in a first fixed aspect ratio. 6 . the method of claim 5 , wherein the first display mode comprises: displaying the thumbnail in a first preset picture box in a horizontally and vertically centered manner. 7 . the method of claim 5 , wherein determining the display mode of the thumbnail corresponding to a picture as the first display mode in response to the size of the picture being equal to or less than a size of a first preset picture box. 8 . the method of claim 5 , wherein determining the display mode of the thumbnail corresponding to a picture as the second display mode in response to the size of the picture being greater than a size of a first preset picture box in either a length direction or a width direction. 9 . the method of claim 5 , wherein determining the display mode of the thumbnail corresponding to a picture as the third display mode in response to the size of the picture being greater than a size of a first preset picture box in both a length direction and a width direction. 10 . the method of claim 3 , wherein a preview picture corresponding to each picture in the at least one picture is pre-stored, and the method further comprises: receiving a viewing instruction of the thumbnail sent by the client terminal; obtaining the preview picture corresponding to the thumbnail based on the view instruction of the thumbnail; and sending the preview picture corresponding to the thumbnail to the client terminal, so that the client terminal displays the preview picture corresponding to the thumbnail. 11 . the method of claim 10 , wherein generating the preview picture corresponding to each picture comprises: obtaining a size of each picture; determining a display mode of the preview picture corresponding to each picture based on the size of each picture; and generating the preview picture corresponding to each picture by processing each picture based on the display mode of the preview picture. 12 . the method of claim 11 , wherein the display mode of the preview picture corresponding to a picture comprises any one or more of: a first display mode based on the size of the picture; a second display mode based on truncation processing of the picture; and a third display mode based on compression processing of the picture in a second fixed aspect ratio. 13 . the method of claim 12 , wherein the first display mode comprises: displaying the preview picture in a second preset picture box or in a preview window in a horizontally and vertically centered manner, wherein a size of the preview window is greater than a size of the second preset picture box. 14 . the method of claim 12 , wherein determining the display mode of the preview picture corresponding to a picture as the first display mode in response to the size of the picture being equal to or less than a size of a preview window. 15 . the method of claim 12 , wherein determining the display mode of the preview picture corresponding to a picture as the second display mode in response to the size of the picture being greater than a size of a preview window in either a length direction or a width direction. 16 . the method of claim 12 , wherein determining the display mode of the preview picture corresponding to a picture as the third display mode in response to the size of the picture being greater than a size of a preview window in both a length direction and a width direction. 17 . an apparatus for displaying task pictures, comprising: a processor; and a memory for storing instructions executable by the processor; wherein the processor is configured to: obtain at least one picture associated with each task in a task list page; generate a thumbnail corresponding to each picture in the at least one picture; receive an instruction of displaying a task list page sent by a client terminal; obtain a name for each task of at least one task to be displayed and at least one thumbnail corresponding to each task from a server based on the instruction of displaying the task list page; and send the name and the at least one thumbnail for each task of at least one task to the client terminal, so that the client terminal displays the name and the at least one thumbnail for each task at a display position corresponding to each task in the task list page. 18 . the apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the processor is further configured to: obtain a size of each picture; determine a display mode of the thumbnail corresponding to each picture based on the size of each picture; and generate the thumbnail corresponding to each picture by processing each picture based on the display mode of the thumbnail. 19 . the apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the display mode of the thumbnail corresponding to a picture comprises any one or more of: a first display mode based on the size of the picture; a second display mode based on truncation processing of the picture; and a third display mode based on compression processing of the picture in a first fixed aspect ratio. 20 . the apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the first display mode comprises: displaying the thumbnail in a first preset picture box in a horizontally and vertically centered manner.
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cross reference to related applications this disclosure is based on and claim priority under 35 u.s.c. 119 to chinese patent application no. 202010906870.0, filed on sep. 1, 2020 in the china national intellectual property administration, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entireties. technical field the disclosure relates to the field of computer application technology, and more particularly to a method and an apparatus for displaying task pictures. background at present, compared with conventional methods for paper-based task management, task management software has been widely used due to its ease of use, good reliability, and high work efficiency. the user may perform management affairs such as creating, querying and counting the tasks by the task management software. sometimes, the user may need to upload task-related pictures to the software when creating the tasks. summary according to a first aspect of the embodiments of the disclosure, a method for displaying task pictures includes: obtaining an instruction of displaying a task list page; obtaining a name for each task of at least one task to be displayed and at least one thumbnail corresponding to each task from a server based on the instruction of displaying the task list page, in which the at least one thumbnail is generated by the server based on at least one picture associated with each task; and displaying the name and the at least one thumbnail for each task at a display position corresponding to each task on the task list page. according to a second aspect of the embodiments of the disclosure, a method for displaying task pictures includes: obtaining at least one picture associated with each task in a task list page; generating a thumbnail corresponding to each picture in the at least one picture; receiving an instruction of displaying a task list page sent by a client terminal; obtaining a name for each task of at least one task to be displayed and at least one thumbnail corresponding to each task from a server based on the instruction of displaying the task list page; and sending the name and the at least one thumbnail for each task of at least one task to the client terminal, so that the client terminal displays the name and the at least one thumbnail for each task at a display position corresponding to each task in the task list page. according to a third aspect of the embodiments of the disclosure, an apparatus for displaying task pictures includes: a processor and a memory for storing instructions executable by the processor. the processor is configured to: obtain at least one picture associated with each task in a task list page; generate a thumbnail corresponding to each picture in the at least one picture; receive an instruction of displaying a task list page sent by a client terminal; obtain a name for each task of at least one task to be displayed and at least one thumbnail corresponding to each task from a server based on the instruction of displaying the task list page; and send the name and the at least one thumbnail for each task of at least one task to the client terminal, so that the client terminal displays the name and the at least one thumbnail for each task at a display position corresponding to each task in the task list page. it should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, without any limitations to the disclosure. brief description of the drawings the drawings herein are incorporated into the specification and constitute a part of the specification, show embodiments in accordance with the disclosure, and are used to explain the principle of the disclosure together with the specification, which do not constitute an improper limitation to the disclosure. fig. 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method for displaying task pictures according to an embodiment of the disclosure. fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an interface display style of a task list page in a method for displaying task pictures according to an embodiment of the disclosure. fig. 3 is a flow chart illustrating displaying a preview picture in a method for displaying task pictures according to an embodiment of the disclosure. fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating another method for displaying task pictures according to an embodiment of the disclosure. fig. 5 is a flow chart illustrating generating a thumbnail corresponding to a picture in a method for displaying task pictures according to an embodiment of the disclosure. fig. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating performing symmetrical truncation on two ends of a picture in a width direction based on a first width threshold in a method for displaying task pictures according to an embodiment of the disclosure. fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating sending a thumbnail to a client terminal in a method for displaying task pictures according to an embodiment of the disclosure. fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating generating a preview picture corresponding to a picture in a method for displaying a task picture according to an embodiment of the disclosure. fig. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for displaying task pictures according to an embodiment of the disclosure. fig. 10 is a block diagram illustrating another apparatus for displaying task pictures according to an embodiment of the disclosure. fig. 11 is a block diagram illustrating another apparatus for displaying task pictures according to an embodiment of the disclosure. fig. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device according to an embodiment of the disclosure. detailed description in order to make those skilled in the art better understand the technical solutions of the disclosure, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the disclosure will be clearly and thoroughly described with reference to the accompanying drawings. it should be noted that the terms such as “first” and “second” in the specification, claims and the above-mentioned drawings of the disclosure are used to distinguish similar objects, and not necessarily used to describe a specific sequence or precedence order. it should be understood that the data used in this way may be interchanged under appropriate circumstances so that the embodiments of the disclosure described herein may be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein. the implementations described in the example embodiments below do not represent all implementations consistent with the disclosure. rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of the disclosure as detailed in the appended claims. in the related art, most of the task-related pictures are only displayed on detail pages of the tasks. the user needs to enter the detail pages of the tasks to view the pictures associated with the tasks, which lead to low efficiency of obtaining the pictures. fig. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for displaying task pictures according to an example embodiment. as illustrated in fig. 1 , the method for displaying task pictures is used in an electronic device and includes the following steps. in s 101 , an instruction of displaying a task list page is obtained. it should be noted that the execution subject of the method for displaying task pictures in the present disclosure is an electronic device. in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method for displaying task pictures may be executed by an apparatus for displaying task pictures in the embodiment of the present disclosure. the apparatus for displaying task pictures may be configured in any electronic device to perform the method for displaying task pictures in the embodiment of the present disclosure. in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the user may perform management affairs such as creating, querying and counting the tasks in the electronic device. the electronic device includes but is not limited to a personal computer, a mobile terminal, etc., which is not too limited here. in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device may display a task list page that is used to display basic information of tasks created by the user. the basic information of the task includes but is not limited to, a task name, a name of the user who created the task, the time when the task was created, a task start time, a file corresponding to the task, etc., which are not too limited here. it may be understood that, the electronic device may monitor an instruction of displaying a task list page. when the user wants to open the task list page, the instruction of displaying the task list page may be sent via the electronic device. in s 102 , a name for each task of at least one task to be displayed and at least one thumbnail corresponding to each task are obtained from a server based on the instruction of displaying the task list page. the at least one thumbnail is generated by the server based on at least one picture associated with each task. in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the server stores the pictures associated with the task, and the server may generate the thumbnails based on the pictures associated with the task. it may be understood that, different tasks may be associated with different pictures, one task may be associated with one or more pictures, and different tasks may correspond to different thumbnails. in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the task names correspond to the task thumbnails one by one. at least one thumbnail corresponding to each task may be determined based on the task name. optionally, a correspondence between the task name and the thumbnails corresponding to each task may be preset in a storage space of the server for the electronic device to obtain. further, after obtaining the instruction of displaying the task list page, the electronic device sends an obtaining instruction to the server, so that the name for each task of the at least one task to be displayed and the at least one thumbnail corresponding to each task may be obtained from the server. in s 103 , the name and at least one thumbnail for each task are displayed at a display position corresponding to each task on the task list page. in specific implementation, the task list page may include a task list composed of multiple tasks for users to view, modify, and query. the name and at least one thumbnail for each task may be displayed in the task list. for example, as illustrated in fig. 2 , the task list includes three parts: a task name, a creator, and an attachment, in which at least one thumbnail for each task may be displayed in the attachment. the method for displaying task pictures according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may display task thumbnails on the task list page. compared to only displaying the picture corresponding to the task on the task detail page in the related art, the user may obtain the task thumbnails on the task list page without entering into the task detail page again, which reduces a number of times of interactions and interaction duration for the user to obtain the pictures. furthermore, the efficiency of obtaining the pictures is high based on the advantages of small space occupation and fast speed loading of the thumbnails, and the user's experience is improved. based on any of the foregoing embodiments, as illustrated in fig. 3 , displaying the name and the at least one thumbnail for each task at the display position corresponding to each task on the task list page in s 103 , the method may include the following steps. in s 201 , in response to viewing operations on the at least one thumbnail, a viewing instruction is generated. in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the user may perform viewing operations on the at least one thumbnail in the task list page on the electronic device. the electronic device may generate the viewing instruction in response to the viewing operations on the at least one thumbnail. in specific implementation, the viewing operations on the at least one thumbnail include, but are not limited to, moving a mouse to the at least one thumbnail, clicking or double-clicking the at least one thumbnail, etc., which are not too limited here. in s 202 , a preview picture corresponding to the at least one thumbnail is obtained from the server based on the viewing instruction. the preview picture is generated by the server based on a picture corresponding to the at least one thumbnail. in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the server may generate the preview picture corresponding to the at least one thumbnail based on the picture corresponding to the at least one thumbnail, and the generated preview picture may be preset in the storage space of the server for the electronic device to obtain. further, after the electronic device sends the generated viewing instruction, it may obtain the preview picture corresponding to the at least one thumbnail from the server. in s 203 , the preview picture is displayed. it may be understood that, if the user has viewing operations on the at least one thumbnail, which indicates that the user has a willingness to view the preview picture corresponding to the at least one thumbnail, the electronic device may display the preview picture to the user after obtaining the preview picture corresponding to the at least one thumbnail. therefore, the method may display the preview picture to the user based on the viewing operations of the user on the at least one thumbnail. fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating another method for displaying task pictures according to an example embodiment. as illustrated in fig. 4 , the method for displaying task pictures is used in a server and includes the following steps. in s 301 , at least one picture associated with each task in a task list page is obtained. it should be noted that the execution subject of the method for displaying task pictures in the present disclosure is s server. the method for displaying task pictures in the embodiment of the present disclosure may be executed by an apparatus for displaying task pictures in the embodiment of the present disclosure. the apparatus for displaying task pictures may be configured in any server to perform the method for displaying task pictures in the embodiment of the present disclosure. in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the user may upload the picture associated with the task to the server. it may be understood that, different tasks may be associated with different pictures, and one task may be associated with one or more pictures. furthermore, the server may obtain at least one picture associated with each task in the task list page. in s 302 , a thumbnail corresponding to each picture in at least one picture is generated. in specific implementation, there are many ways to generate the thumbnails corresponding to the pictures, which are not too limited here. in s 303 , an instruction of displaying a task list page sent by the client is received. in an embodiment, the client terminal may be the aforementioned electronic device, or may be the apparatus for displaying task pictures mentioned in the embodiment illustrated in fig. 1 , in which the apparatus is loaded in the electronic device. in s 304 , a name for each task of at least one task to be displayed and at least one thumbnail corresponding to each task are obtained from a server based on the instruction of displaying the task list page. in the embodiment of the present disclosure, information on each task to be displayed is carried in the instruction of displaying the task list page. the server may obtain the name for each task of at least one task to be displayed and at least one thumbnail corresponding to each task based on the instruction of displaying the task list page. in the embodiment of the present disclosure, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the name of the task and the at least one thumbnail corresponding to the task. the at least one thumbnail corresponding to the task may be determined based on the name of the task. optionally, the correspondence between the name of the task and the at least one thumbnail corresponding to the task may be preset in the storage space of the server. in s 305 , the name and at least one thumbnail for each task of at least one task are sent to the client terminal, so that the client terminal displays the name and the at least one thumbnail for each task at a display position corresponding to each task in the task list page. regarding the specific implementation and principles of s 301 -s 305 , reference may be made to the detailed description in the foregoing embodiment, which will not be repeated here. according to the method for displaying task pictures in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the server may generate thumbnails corresponding to the pictures, receive the instruction of displaying the task list page sent by the client terminal, and send the name and the at least one thumbnail for each task of at least one task to the client terminal, so that the client terminal displays the thumbnails of the task on the task list page. compared to only displaying the thumbnails corresponding to the task on a task detail page in the related art, the user may obtain the thumbnails of the task on the task list page without entering the task detail page again, which reduces the number of interactions and the interaction duration of obtaining pictures. further, based on the advantages of small space occupation and fast loading speed of thumbnails, the efficiency of obtaining pictures is high and the user experience is improved. based on any of the foregoing embodiments, as illustrated in fig. 5 , generating a thumbnail corresponding to the picture in s 302 may include the following steps. in s 401 , a size of each picture is obtained. it may be understood that, the size of each picture is a basic parameter, which may be obtained by reading attribute parameters of the picture. the size includes but is not limited to information such as a height and a width of the picture. in s 402 , a display mode of the thumbnail corresponding to each picture is determined based on the size of each picture. in the embodiments of the present disclosure, considering the influence of the picture size on the display mode, different picture sizes may correspond to different display modes. in specific implementation, a mapping relationship or a mapping table between picture sizes and display modes of the thumbnail may be established in advance. after the picture size is obtained, the required display mode of the thumbnail may be obtained by querying the mapping relationship or the mapping table. it should be noted that the above-mentioned mapping relationship or mapping table may be calibrated according to actual conditions and set in the storage space of the server in advance. in s 403 , each picture is processed based on the display mode of the thumbnail to generate the thumbnail. therefore, considering the influence of the picture size on generating the thumbnail, the display mode of the thumbnail in the method may be determined based on the picture size, and each picture is processed based on the display mode to generate the thumbnail corresponding to the picture. further, determining the display mode of the thumbnail corresponding to each picture based on the size of each picture in s 402 may include any one or combination of the following two possible implementation manners: manner 1, when the width of each picture is equal to or less than a preset first width threshold or the height of each picture is equal to or less than a preset first height threshold, a display mode in a first preset picture box is determined as the display mode of the thumbnail. the first width threshold, the first height threshold, and a width and a height of the first preset picture box may be set according to actual conditions, and preset in the storage space of the server. for example, the first width threshold, the first height threshold, and the width and height of the first preset picture box can all be set to 30 px (pixel). it should be noted that the px is a relative length unit. in the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the width of each picture is equal to or less than the preset first width threshold or the height of each picture is equal to or less than the preset first height threshold, it indicates that the width and/or height of each picture is small, the display mode in the first preset picture box may be determined as the display mode of the thumbnail according to a display rule for the minimum size. the display mode in the first preset picture box refers to a display mode where the thumbnail is displayed in the first preset picture box and a display area of the thumbnail does not exceed the first preset picture box. the specific display mode is not limited here. it may be understood that, for the thumbnail obtained by the display mode in the first preset picture box, its width is less than or equal to the width of the first preset picture box and its height is less than or equal to the height of the first preset picture box. further, when the display mode of the thumbnail is the display mode in the first preset picture box, processing each picture based on the display mode of the thumbnail to generate the thumbnail in s 403 may include three possible implementation manners below. as a first possible implementation manner, when the width of each picture is equal to or less than the first width threshold and the height of each picture is equal to or less than the first height threshold, each picture is displayed in the first preset picture box in a horizontally and vertically centered manner, to generate the thumbnail. it should be noted that the width of the first preset picture box is the first width threshold, and the height of the first preset picture box is the first height threshold. in the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the width of each picture is equal to or less than the first width threshold and the height of each picture is equal to or less than the first height threshold, it indicates that the width of each picture is equal to or less than the width of the first preset picture box and the height of each picture is also equal to or less than the height of the first preset picture box, the width and height of each picture may be kept unchanged at this time, and each picture is displayed in the first preset picture box in a horizontally and vertically centered manner to generate the thumbnail corresponding to the picture. as a second possible implementation manner, when the width of each picture is greater than the first width threshold and the height of each picture is equal to or less than the first height threshold, two ends of each picture is symmetrically truncated in a width direction based on the first width threshold, and the truncated picture is displayed in the first preset picture box in a horizontally and vertically centered manner to generate the thumbnail. in the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the width of each picture is greater than the first width threshold and the height of each picture is equal to or less than the first height threshold, it indicates that the width of each picture is greater than the width of the first preset picture box and the height of each picture is equal to or less than the height of the first preset picture box, two ends of each picture at this time may be truncated symmetrically in the width direction based on the first width threshold, so that the width of the truncated picture is less than or equal to the first width threshold while maintaining the height of each picture unchanged, and the truncated picture is displayed in the first preset picture box in a horizontally and vertically centered manner to generate the thumbnail corresponding to the picture. symmetrically truncating two ends of each picture in the width direction based on the first width threshold may be illustrated by the following examples. in specific implementation, as illustrated in fig. 6 , the width and height directions of the picture are shown. assuming that the width of the picture is greater than the first width threshold and the height of the picture is less than the first height threshold, the picture may be truncated along cutoff lines 1 , 2 in the width direction at this time. the direction of cutoff lines 1 , 2 is consistent with the height direction and a distance n between the cutoff lines 1 , 2 in the width direction is equal to or less than the first width threshold, in which the distance n is also equal to the width of the truncated picture. the cutoff line 1 has a distance m away from the relatively close side of the picture in the width direction, which is the same as the distance of the cutoff line 2 away from the opposite side of the picture. in this way, it may be achieved that two ends of each picture is symmetrically truncated in the width direction. m may be calculated by the following formula: it may be understood that, the distance of the cutoff line 1 or 2 to the relatively close side the picture in the width direction may be calculated based on the width of each picture and the width of the truncated picture, to obtain the positions of the cutoff lines 1 and 2 . as a third possible implementation manner, when the width of each picture is equal to or less than the first width threshold and the height of each picture is greater than the first height threshold, two ends of each picture is symmetrically truncated in a height direction based on the first height threshold, and the truncated picture is displayed in the first preset picture box in a horizontally and vertically centered manner to generate the thumbnail. in the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the width of each picture is equal to or less than the first width threshold and the height of each picture is greater than the first height threshold, it indicates that the width of each picture is equal to or less than the width of the first preset picture box and the height of each picture is greater than the height of the first preset picture box, two ends of each picture at this time may be truncated symmetrically in the height direction based on the first height threshold, so that the height of the truncated picture is less than or equal to the first height threshold while maintaining the width of each picture unchanged, and the truncated picture is displayed in the first preset picture box in a horizontally and vertically centered manner to generate the thumbnail corresponding to the picture. it should be noted that, the specific implementation and principle of symmetrically truncating two ends of each picture in the height direction based on the first height threshold may be referred to the detailed description of symmetrically truncating two ends of each picture in the width direction based on the first width threshold, which will not be repeated here. manner 2: when the width of each picture is greater than the first width threshold and the height of each picture is greater than the first height threshold, a display mode in a first fixed aspect ratio is determined as the display mode of the thumbnail. in the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the width of each picture is greater than the first width threshold and the height of each picture is greater than the first height threshold, it indicates that the width and height of the picture are both large, the display mode in the first fixed aspect ratio may be determined as the display mode of the thumbnail. the display mode in the first fixed aspect ratio refers to a display mode where the aspect ratio of the thumbnail is consistent with the aspect ratio of the picture. further, when the method for generating the thumbnail is the display method in the first fixed aspect ratio, processing each picture based on the display mode of the thumbnail to generate the thumbnail in s 403 may include compressing the height and width of each picture in the same compression ratio to obtain the thumbnail, the height of which is the first height threshold. at this time, the calculation method of the compression ratio p is as follows: therefore, the height of the thumbnail obtained by this method is the first height threshold, and the aspect ratio of the thumbnail is consistent with the aspect ratio of the picture. based on any of the foregoing embodiments, the server may also pre-store a preview picture corresponding to each picture in the at least one picture. further, as illustrated in fig. 7 , after the name and the at least one thumbnail for each task of at least one task is sent to the client terminal in s 305 , the method may include the following steps. in s 501 , a viewing instruction of the thumbnail sent by the client terminal is received. in s 502 , the preview picture corresponding to the thumbnail is obtained based on the view instruction of the thumbnail. in the embodiment of the present disclosure, thumbnail information is carried in the view instruction of the thumbnail, and the server may obtain the preview picture corresponding to the thumbnail based on the view instruction of the thumbnail. in the embodiment of the present disclosure, there is a one-to-one correspondence between thumbnails and preview pictures, and a corresponding relationship between thumbnails and preview pictures may be preset in the storage space of the server. in s 503 , the preview picture corresponding to the thumbnail is sent to the client terminal, so that the client terminal displays the preview picture corresponding to the thumbnail. thus, the server may generate the preview picture corresponding to the thumbnail, receive the viewing instruction of the thumbnail sent by the client terminal and send the preview picture corresponding to the thumbnail to the client terminal, so that the client terminal displays the preview picture corresponding to the thumbnail. based on any of the foregoing embodiments, as illustrated in fig. 8 , the preview picture corresponding to the picture is generated by the following method. in s 601 , a size of each picture is obtained. in s 602 , a display mode of the preview picture corresponding to each picture is determined based on the size of each picture. in the embodiment of the present disclosure, considering the influence of the picture size on the display mode of the preview picture, different image sizes may correspond to different display modes of the preview picture. in specific implementation, a mapping relationship or mapping table between picture sizes and display modes of the preview picture may be established in advance. after the size of each picture is obtained, the required display method of the preview picture may be obtained by querying the mapping relationship or the mapping table. it should be noted that the above-mentioned mapping relationship or mapping table may be calibrated according to actual conditions and set in the storage space of the server in advance. in s 603 , each picture is processed based on the display mode of the preview picture to generate the preview picture. therefore, considering the influence of the picture size on generating the preview picture, the display mode of the preview picture in the method may be determined based on the picture size, and each picture is processed based on the display mode to generate the preview picture corresponding to the picture. further, determining the display mode of the preview picture corresponding to each picture based on the size of each picture in s 602 may include some possible implementation manners. in some embodiments, a display mode in a second preset picture box is determined as the display mode of the preview picture when the size of each picture meets any one of the following three conditions. (1) the width of each picture is equal to or less than a preset second width threshold and the height of each picture is equal to or less than a preset second height threshold. (2) the width of each picture is equal to or less than the second width threshold and the height of each picture is greater than a maximum height of a preview window. (3) the width of each picture is greater than a maximum width of the preview window and the height of each picture is equal to or less than the second height threshold. in the embodiment of the present disclosure, a size of the preview window may be greater than the size of the second preset picture box, for example, the preview window may be a display screen of a terminal device. the terminal device may be a mobile terminal, a computer, etc. the second width threshold, the second height threshold, the maximum width of the preview window, the maximum height of the preview window, and the width and height of the second preset picture box may be set according to the actual situation, and are preset in the storage space of the server in advance. for example, the second width threshold, the second height threshold, and the width and height of the second preset picture box can all be set to 100 px. in the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the size of each picture meets any one of the above three conditions, it indicates that the width and/or height of each picture is small, the display mode in the second preset picture box may be determined as the display mode of the preview picture a display rule for the minimum size. the display mode in the second preset picture box refers to a display mode where the preview picture is displayed in the second preset picture box and a display area of the preview picture does not exceed the second preset picture box. the specific display mode is not limited here. it may be understood that, for the preview picture obtained by the display mode in the second preset picture box, its width is less than or equal to the width of the width of the second preset picture box and its height is less than or equal to the height of the second preset picture box. further, when the display mode of the preview picture is the display mode in the second preset picture box, processing each picture based on the display mode of the preview picture to generate the preview picture in s 603 may include three possible implementation manners below. as a first possible implementation manner, when the width of each picture is equal to or less than the second width threshold and the height of each picture is equal to or less than the second height threshold, each picture is displayed in the second preset picture box in a horizontally and vertically centered manner to generate the preview picture. it should be noted that the width of the second preset picture box is the second width threshold and the height of the second preset picture box is the second height threshold. in the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the width of each picture is equal to or less than the second width threshold and the height of each picture is equal to or less than the second height threshold, it indicates that the width of each picture is equal to or less than the width of the second preset picture box and the height of each picture is also equal to or less than the height of the second preset picture box, the width and height of each picture may be kept unchanged at this time, and each picture is displayed in the second preset picture box in a horizontal and vertical centering manner to generate the preview picture corresponding to the picture. as a second possible implementation manner, when the width of each picture is equal to or less than the second width threshold and the height of each picture is greater than the maximum height of the preview window, two ends of each picture is symmetrically truncated in a height direction based on the second height threshold, and the truncated picture is displayed in the second preset picture box in a horizontally and vertically centered manner to generate the preview picture. in the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the width of each picture is equal to or less than the second width threshold and the height of each picture is greater than the maximum height of the preview window, it indicates that the width of each picture is equal to or less than the width of the second preset picture box and the height of each picture is large, two ends of each picture at this time may be truncated symmetrically in the height direction based on the second height threshold at this time, so that the height of the truncated picture is less than or equal to the second height threshold while maintaining the width of each picture unchanged, and the truncated picture is displayed in the second preset picture box in a horizontally and vertically centered manner to generate the preview picture corresponding to the picture. it should be noted that, the specific implementation and principle of symmetrically truncating two ends of each picture in the height direction based on the second height threshold, reference may be made to the detailed description in the foregoing embodiment, which will not be repeated here. as a third possible implementation manner, when the width of each picture is greater than the maximum width of the preview window and the height of each picture is equal to or less than the second height threshold, two ends of each picture in the width direction is truncated symmetrically based on the second width threshold, and the truncated picture in the second preset picture box in a horizontally and vertically centered manner to generate the preview picture. in the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the width of each picture is greater than the maximum width of the preview window and the height of each picture is equal to or less than the second height threshold, it indicates that the width of each picture is large and the height of each picture is equal to or less than the second preset picture box, two ends of each picture at this time in the width direction may be truncated symmetrically based on the second width threshold, so that the width of the truncated picture is less than or equal to the second width threshold while maintaining the height of the picture unchanged, and the truncated picture is displayed in the second preset picture box in a horizontally and vertically centered manner to generate the to generate the preview picture corresponding to the picture. it should be noted that, the specific implementation and principle of symmetrically truncating two ends of each picture in the width direction based on the second width threshold, reference may be made to the detailed description in the foregoing embodiment, which will not be repeated here. in some embodiments a display mode in the preview window based on an original size is determined as the display mode of the preview picture when the size of each picture meets any one of the following two conditions. (1) the width of each picture is equal to or less than the second width threshold and the height of each picture is greater than the second height threshold and less than the maximum height of the preview window. (2) the width of each picture is greater than the second width threshold and equal to or less than the maximum width of the preview window and the height of each picture is equal to or less than the maximum height of the preview window. the display mode in the original size refers to a display mode where the picture is directly displayed with its original size. further, when the display mode of the preview picture is the display mode in the original size, processing each picture based on the display mode of the preview picture to generate the preview picture in s 603 may include determining the picture as the preview picture. in some embodiments a display mode in the preview window based on truncation processing is determined as the display mode of the preview picture when the size of a picture meets any one of the following two conditions. (1) the width of the picture is greater than the maximum width of the preview window and the height of each picture is greater than the second height threshold and less than the maximum height of the preview window. (2) the width of the picture is greater than the second width threshold and equal to or less than the maximum width of the preview window and the height of each picture is greater than the maximum height of the preview window. further, when the display mode of the preview picture is the display mode in the preview window based on truncation processing, processing each picture based on the display mode of the preview picture to generate the preview picture in s 603 may include three possible implementation manners below. as a first possible implementation manner, when the width of the picture is greater than the maximum width of the preview window and the height of each picture is greater than the second height threshold and equal to or less than the maximum height of the preview window, two ends of the picture are symmetrically truncated in a width direction based on the maximum width, and the truncated picture is displayed in the preview window in a horizontally and vertically centered manner to generate the preview picture. in the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the width of the picture is greater than the maximum width of the preview window and the height of each picture is greater than the second height threshold and equal to or less than the maximum height of the preview window, it indicates that the width is large, two ends of the picture may be truncated symmetrically in the width direction based on the maximum width, so that the width of the truncated picture is less than or equal to the maximum width while maintaining the height of the picture unchanged, and the truncated picture is displayed in the preview window in a horizontally and vertically centered manner to generate the preview picture corresponding to the picture. it should be noted that, the specific implementation and principle of symmetrically truncating two ends of each picture in the width direction based on the s maximum width, reference may be made to the detailed description in the foregoing embodiment, which will not be repeated here. as a second possible implementation manner, when the width of each picture is greater than the second width threshold and equal to or less than the maximum width of the preview window and the height of each picture is greater than the maximum height of the preview window, two ends of each picture in the height direction are truncated symmetrically based on the maximum height, and the truncated picture is displayed in the preview window in a horizontally and vertically centered manner to generate the preview picture. in the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the width of each picture is greater than the second width threshold and equal to or less than the maximum width of the preview window and the height of each picture is greater than the maximum height of the preview window, it indicates that the height of the picture is large, two ends of the picture at this time in the height direction may be truncated symmetrically based on the maximum height, so that the height of the truncated picture is less than or equal to the maximum height while maintaining the width of the picture unchanged, and the truncated picture is displayed in the preview window in a horizontally and vertically centered manner to generate the to generate the preview picture corresponding to the picture. it should be noted that, the specific implementation and principle of symmetrically truncating two ends of the picture in the height direction based on the maximum height, reference may be made to the detailed description in the foregoing embodiment, which will not be repeated here. in some embodiments: a display mode in a second fixed aspect ratio is determined as the display mode of the preview picture when the width of each picture is greater than the maximum width of the preview window and the height of each picture is greater than the maximum height of the preview window. in the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the width of each picture is greater than the maximum width of the preview window and the height of each picture is greater than the maximum height of the preview window, it indicates that the width and height of each picture are both large, the display mode in the second fixed aspect ratio may be determined as the display mode of the preview picture. the display mode in the second fixed aspect ratio refers to a display mode where the aspect ratio of the preview picture is consistent with the aspect ratio of the picture. further, when the method for generating the preview picture is the display mode in the second fixed aspect ratio, processing each picture based on the display mode of the preview picture to generate the preview picture in s 603 may include compressing the height and width of each picture in the same compression ratio to generate the preview picture, in which the width of the preview picture is the maximum width of the preview window. at this time, the calculation method of the compression ratio p is as follows: therefore, the width of the preview picture obtained by this method is the maximum width of the preview window, and the aspect ratio of the preview picture is consistent with the aspect ratio of the picture. based on any of the foregoing embodiments, the first or second preset picture box includes an outer border with a preset thickness and a preset border color, and a background color in the first or second preset picture box is a default background color. the thickness and the border color of the outer border as well as the default background color may all be calibrated according to actual conditions and set in the storage space of the server in advance. for example, the thickness of the outer border may be calibrated to 1 px, the border color may be calibrated to gray (#bcbcbc), and the default background color may be calibrated to white (#f5f5f5). fig. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for displaying task pictures according to an example embodiment. referring to fig. 9 , the apparatus 700 for displaying task pictures includes: a first obtaining module 71 , a second obtaining module 72 , and a display module 73 . the first obtaining module 71 is configured to execute obtaining an instruction of displaying a task list page. the second obtaining module 72 is configured to execute obtaining a name for each task of at least one task to be displayed and at least one thumbnail corresponding to each task from a server based on the instruction of displaying the task list page. the at least one thumbnail is generated by the server based on at least one picture associated with each task. the display module 73 is configured to execute displaying the name and the at least one thumbnail for each task at a display position corresponding to each task on the task list page. in an embodiment of the present disclosure, referring to fig. 10 , the apparatus 700 for displaying task pictures further includes: a response unit 74 , an obtaining unit 75 and a displaying unit 76 . the response unit 74 is configured to execute generating a viewing instruction in response to viewing operations on the at least one thumbnail. the obtaining unit 75 is configured to execute obtaining a preview picture corresponding to the at least one thumbnail from the server based on the viewing instruction. the preview picture is generated by the server based on a picture corresponding to the at least one thumbnail. the display unit 76 is configured to execute displaying the preview picture. the apparatus for displaying task pictures according to the present disclosure may display task thumbnails on the task list page. compared to only displaying the picture corresponding to the task on the task detail page in the related art, the user may obtain the task thumbnails on the task list page without entering into the task detail page again, which reduces a number of times of interactions and interaction duration for the user to obtain the pictures. furthermore, the efficiency of obtaining the pictures is high based on the advantages of small space occupation and fast speed loading of the thumbnails, and the user's experience is improved. fig. 11 is a block diagram illustrating another apparatus for displaying task pictures according to an example embodiment. referring to fig. 11 , the apparatus 800 for displaying task pictures includes: a first obtaining module 81 , a generating module 82 , a receiving module 83 , a second obtaining module 84 , and a sending module 85 . the first obtaining module 81 is configured to execute obtaining at least one picture associated with each task in a task list page. the generating module 82 is configured to execute generating a thumbnail corresponding to each picture in the at least one picture. the receiving module 83 is configured to execute receiving an instruction of displaying a task list page sent by a client terminal. the second obtaining module 84 is configured to execute obtaining a name for each task of at least one task to be displayed and at least one thumbnail corresponding to each task from a server based on the instruction of displaying the task list page. the sending module 85 is configured to execute sending the name and the at least one thumbnail for each task of at least one task to the client terminal, so that the client terminal displays the name and the at least one thumbnail for each task at a display position corresponding to each task in the task list page. in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the generating module 82 is further configured to execute: obtaining a size of each picture; determining a display mode of the thumbnail corresponding to each picture based on the size of each picture; and processing each picture based on the display mode of the thumbnail, to generate the thumbnail. in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the size of each picture includes a width and a height of each picture, and the generating module 82 is further configured to execute: when the width of each picture is equal to or less than a preset first width threshold or the height of each picture is equal to or less than a preset first height threshold, determining a display mode in a first preset picture box as the display mode of the thumbnail, in which a width of the first preset picture box is the first width threshold and a height of the first preset picture box is the first height threshold; and when the width of each picture is greater than the first width threshold and the height of each picture is equal to or less than the first height threshold, determining a display mode in a first fixed aspect ratio as the display mode of the thumbnail. in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the generating module 82 is further configured to execute: when the width of each picture is equal to or less than the first width threshold or the height of each picture is equal to or less than the first height threshold, displaying each picture in the first preset picture box in a horizontally and vertically centered manner to generate the thumbnail; when the width of each picture is greater than the first width threshold and the height of each picture is equal to or less than the first height threshold, symmetrically truncating two ends of each picture in a width direction based on the first width threshold and displaying the truncated picture in the first preset picture box in a horizontally and vertically centered manner to generate the thumbnail; and when the width of each picture is equal to or less than the first width threshold and the height of each picture is greater than the first height threshold, symmetrically truncating two ends of each picture in a height direction based on the first height threshold and displaying the truncated picture in the first preset picture box in a horizontally and vertically centered manner to generate the thumbnail. in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the generating module 82 is further configured to execute: compressing the height and width of each picture in the same compression ratio to generate the thumbnail, in which the height of the thumbnail is equal to the first height threshold. in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the apparatus further includes: the first obtaining module 81 , the receiving module 83 , the second obtaining module 84 and the sending module 85 . the first obtaining module 81 is further configured to execute pre-storing a preview picture corresponding to each picture in the at least one picture. the receiving module 83 is further configured to execute receiving a viewing instruction of the thumbnail sent by the client terminal. the second obtaining module 84 is further configured to execute obtaining the preview picture corresponding to the thumbnail based on the view instruction of the thumbnail. the sending module 85 is further configured to execute sending the preview picture corresponding to the thumbnail to the client terminal, so that the client terminal displays the preview picture corresponding to the thumbnail. in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the generating module 82 is further configured to execute: obtaining a size of each picture; determining a display mode of the preview picture corresponding to each picture based on the size of each picture; and processing each picture based on the display mode of the preview picture to generate the preview picture. in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the generating module 82 is further configured to execute: determining a display mode in a second preset picture box as the display mode of the preview picture when the size of each picture meets any one of the following three conditions: the width of each picture is equal to or less than a preset second width threshold and the height of each picture is equal to or less than a preset second height threshold, the width of each picture is equal to or less than the second width threshold and the height of each picture is greater than a maximum height of a preview window, the width of each picture is greater than a maximum width of the preview window and the height of each picture is equal to or less than the second height threshold, in which a width of the second preset picture box is the second width threshold and a height of the second preset picture box is the second height threshold; determining a display mode in an original size as the display mode of the preview picture when the size of each picture meets any one of the following two conditions: the width of each picture is equal to or less than the second width threshold and the height of each picture is greater than the second height threshold and less than the maximum height of the preview window, the width of each picture is greater than the second width threshold and equal to or less than the maximum width of the preview window and the height of each picture is equal to or less than the maximum height of the preview window; and determining a display mode in a second fixed aspect ratio as the display mode of the preview picture when the width of each picture is greater than the maximum width of the preview window and the height of each picture is greater than the second height threshold. in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the generating module 82 is further configured to execute: when the width of each picture is equal to or less than the second width threshold and the height of each picture is equal to or less than the second height threshold, displaying each picture in the second preset picture box in a horizontally and vertically centered manner to generate the preview picture; when the width of each picture is equal to or less than the second width threshold and the height of each picture is greater than the maximum height of the preview window, symmetrically truncating two ends of each picture in a height direction based on the second height threshold and displaying the truncated picture in the second preset picture box in a horizontally and vertically centered manner to generate the preview picture; and when the width of each picture is greater than the maximum width of the preview window and the height of each picture is equal to or less than the second height threshold, symmetrically truncating two ends of each picture in a width direction based on the second width threshold and displaying the truncated picture in the second preset picture box in a horizontally and vertically centered manner to generate the preview picture. in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the generating module 82 is further configured to execute: determining each picture as the preview picture. in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the generating module 82 is further configured to execute: compressing the height and width of each picture in the same compression ratio to generate the preview picture, in which the width of the preview picture is the maximum width of the preview window. in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first preset picture box or the second preset picture box includes an outer border with a preset thickness and a preset border color, and a background color in the first preset picture box or the second preset picture box is a default background color. the apparatus for displaying task pictures according to the present disclosure may generate the thumbnails corresponding to the pictures, receive the instruction of displaying the task list page sent by the client terminal and send the name and the at least one thumbnail for each task of at least one task to the client terminal, so that the client terminal displays the thumbnails of the task on the task list page. compared with only displaying the thumbnails corresponding to the task on a task detail page in the related art, the user may obtain the thumbnails of the task on the task list page without entering the task detail page again, which reduces the number of interactions and the interaction duration of obtaining pictures. further, based on the advantages of small space occupation and fast loading speed of thumbnails, the efficiency of obtaining pictures is high and the user experience is improved. fig. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device according to an example embodiment. the electronic device 900 may also be a server. as illustrated in fig. 12 , the foregoing electronic device 900 includes: a memory 910 , a processor 920 , a bus 930 for connecting different components (including the memory 910 and the processor 920 ). the memory 910 has computer programs stored thereon. when the processor 920 executes the programs, the method for displaying task pictures described in the embodiment of the present disclosure is implemented. the bus 930 represents one or more of several types of bus structures, including a memory bus or a memory controller, a peripheral bus, a graphics acceleration port, a processor, or a local bus using any bus structure from multiple bus structures. for example, the architectures include, but are not limited to, an industry standard architecture (isa) bus, a microchannel architecture (mac) bus, an enhanced isa bus, a video electronics standards association (vesa) local bus, and a peripheral component interconnection (pci) bus. the electronic device 900 typically includes a variety of electronic device-readable media that may be any available media that may be accessed by the server 800 , including volatile and non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media. the memory 910 may also include a computer system readable medium in the form of a volatile memory, such as a random access memory (ram) 940 and/or a cache memory 950 . the electronic device 900 may further include other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer system storage media. for example only, the storage system 960 may be used to read and write non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media (not illustrated in fig. 12 , and is generally referred to as a “hard drive”). although not illustrated in fig. 12 , a disk drive for reading and writing a removable non-volatile disk (such as a “floppy disk”) and an optical disc drive for reading and writing a removable non-volatile disk (such as cd-rom, dvd-rom or other optical media)) may be provided. in these cases, each drive may be connected to the bus 930 through one or more data medium interfaces. the memory 910 may include at least one program product having a set of (for example, at least one) program modules. the program modules are configured to perform the functions of the embodiments of the present disclosure. a program/utility tool 980 having a set of (at least one) program modules 970 may be stored in, for example, the memory 910 . such program module 970 includes, but is not limited to, an operating system, one or more application programs, and other programs modules and program data, each of these examples or some combination may include the implementation of a network environment. the program module 970 generally executes the functions and/or methods in the embodiments described in the present disclosure. the electronic device 900 may also communicate with one or more external devices 990 (such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display 991 , etc.), and may also communicate with one or more devices that enable a user to interact with the electronic device 900 , and/or any device (such as a network card, modulator-demodulator, etc.) that enables the electronic device 900 to communicate with one or more other computing devices. such communication may be performed through an input/output (i/o) interface 992 . in addition, the electronic device 900 may also communicate with one or more networks (for example, a local area network (lan), a wide area network (wan), and/or a public network, such as the internet) through a network adapter 993 . as illustrated in fig. 12 , the network adapter 993 communicates with other modules of the electronic device 900 through the bus 930 . it should be understood that although not illustrated in fig. 12 , other hardware and/or software modules may be used in conjunction with the electronic device 900 , including but not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, raid systems, tape drives and data backup storage systems, etc. the processor 920 executes various function applications and data processing by running programs stored in the memory 910 . it should be noted that, the implementation and technical principle of the server in the embodiments refers to the foregoing explanation of the method for displaying task pictures in the embodiments of the present disclosure, which are not repeated here. the electronic device according to the present disclosure may display task thumbnails on the task list page. compared to only displaying the thumbnails corresponding to the task on a task detail page in the related art, the user may obtain the thumbnails of the task on the task list page without entering the task detail page again, which reduces the number of interactions and the interaction duration of obtaining pictures. further, based on the advantages of small space occupation and fast loading speed of thumbnails, the efficiency of obtaining pictures is high and the user experience is improved. in order to implement the above-mentioned embodiments, the present disclosure also provides a storage medium. when instructions in the storage medium are executed by a processor of an electronic device or a server, the electronic device is caused to execute the method for displaying task pictures as described above, or the server is caused to execute the method for displaying task pictures as described above. in order to implement the above-mentioned embodiments, the present disclosure also provides a computer program product. when the computer program is executed by a processor of an electronic device or a server, the electronic device is caused to execute the method for displaying task pictures as described above, or the server is caused to execute the method for displaying task pictures as described above.
|
156-760-384-554-167
|
US
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E21B41/10,E21B17/00,F16L9/147,F16L13/02,F16L57/06,F16L59/16,F16L11/00,F16L9/00,F16L13/00,F16L57/00,F16L59/00
| 2008-07-23T00:00:00 |
2008
|
[
"E21",
"F16"
] |
tear cord for jacketed tube
|
the disclosure pertains to installing a tear cord between a metal tube and a protective jacket. the jacketed tubes may be used in a hydrocarbon production downhole well bore. the tubes may be used to furnish hydraulic fluid or chemicals into the well bore. the contents may be pressurized or under vacuum. the jacketed tubes are hermetically sealed. the tubes, which may be 1 inch in diameter, are joined using compression fittings. tear cords are used to facilitate removal of the protective jacket without damage to the tube surface thereby facilitating the placement of compression fittings and maintaining the integrity of the tube wall.
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claims 1. a jacketed metal tube comprising a first protective jacket surrounding a smooth solid wall metal tube having an outer sealing surface and a tear cord between the inside diameter of said jacket and the outer surface of said tube whereby the tear cord can be pulled back to create a slit in the protective jacket and to allow the protective jacket to be separated from the metal tube without damage to the metal tube surface. 2. a jacketed metal tube comprising a first protective jacket surrounding a smooth solid wall metal tube, wherein the tube conveys hydraulic fluid, and a tear cord located between the inside diameter of the jacket and an outer sealing surface of the tube whereby the tear cord can be pulled back to create a slit in the protective jacket and to allow the protective jacket to be separated from the metal tube without damage to the metal tube surface. 3. a jacketed metal tube comprising a first protective jacket surrounding a smooth solid wall metal tube, wherein the tube conveys chemicals, and a tear cord located between the inside diameter of the jacket and an outer sealing surface of the tube whereby the tear cord can be pulled back to create a slit in the protective jacket and to allow the protective jacket to be separated from the metal tube without damage to the metal tube surface. 4. the tube of claim 1 wherein the jacket comprises polyamide, polyethylene, ethylene chlorotrifluoroerthlyene or a thermoplastic elastomer cross linking ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber and polypropylene. 5. the tube of claim 1 wherein the jacket comprises engineered thermoplastic vulcanates, perfluoroalkoxy, polyvinylidene fluoride or fluorinated ethylene propylene. 6. the tube of claim 1 further comprising a tear cord made of poly-aramid fiber. 7. the tube of claim 1 wherein the solid wall metal tube comprises incoloy, stainless steel, carbon steel, or galvanized carbon steel. 8. the tube of claim 1 further comprising a second inner jacket surrounding the tube wherein the second jacket is located between the outer surface of the tube and the inner diameter of the first jacket. 9. the tube of claim 1 further comprising a tear cord made of metal. 10. a jacketed metal tube wherein a first protective jacket surrounding a smooth solid wall metal tube, and a tear cord is helically wound around the tube and the tear cord located between the inside diameter of the jacket and an outer sealing surface of the tube whereby the tear cord can be pulled back to create a slit in the protective jacket and to allow the protective jacket to be separated from the metal tube without damage to the metal tube surface. 11. the tube of claim 1 further comprising a tear cord placed at a selected location on a length of the tube. 12. a jacketed metal tube comprising one or more steel ropes within one or more protective jackets surrounding a smooth solid wall tube and a tear cord is positioned next to each steel rope and tube wherein the rope has the same axis of orientation as the tube and is positioned adjacent to the tube within the jacket whereby each tear cord can be pulled back to create a slit in the protective jacket and to allow the protective jacket to be separated from the steel rope and metal tube without damage to the metal tube surface. 13. the tube of claim 1 further comprising a jacket of one or more materials of a group consisting of polyethylene, ethylene chlorotrifluoroerthlyene, a thermoplastic elastomer cross linking ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber and polypropylene, perfluoroalkoxy, polyvinylidene fluoride and fluorinated ethylene propylene wherein the material is extruded onto the tube without radiation curing. 14. an encapsulated cable comprising a first protective jacket surrounding a plurality of solid wall metal tubes, and a plurality of tear cords with one tear cord located between the outside surface of each said tube and the inside diameter of said jacket whereby each tear cord is oriented longitudinally along the length of a tube, each tube further comprising smooth walls with sealing surfaces for attachment of compression fittings for performance in a negative or positive internal pressure environment and whereby the tear cord can be pulled back to create a slit in the protective jacket to allow the protective jacket to be separated from one or more metal tubes without damage to a metal tube sealing surface. 15. the cable of claim 14 further comprising at least one tube containing a fiber optic cable, electrical wire or data communication cable. 16. the cable of claim 14 further comprising at least one tube suitable for installation of compression fittings to convey hydraulic fluid. 17. the cable of claim 14 further comprising at least one tube suitable for installation of compression fittings to convey chemicals. 18. a method of conveying liquids into a well bore comprising: i. placing a tear cord adjacent to an outer sealing surface of a first spoolable, smooth, solid wall metal tube; ii. placing a protective jacket around the metal tube and the tear cord; and iii. pulling the tear cord back to create a slit in the protective jacket to allow the protective jacket to be separated from the metal tube without damage to a metal tube surface. 19. the method of claim 18 further comprising placing a second tear cord adjacent to the outer diameter of the protective jacket and covering the first jacket with a second jacket. 20. the method of claim 18 further comprising placing the tear cord on the outer surface of the tube at a selected location. 21. a cable comprising a first encapsulating protective jacket surrounding at least one solid wall metal tube, and at least one tear cord between the said tube and the jacket whereby the tear cord can be pulled back to create a slit in the protective jacket to allow the protective jacket to be separated from one or more metal tubes without damage to a metal tube surface and the cable further comprising at least one compression fitting. 22. the tube of claim 8 further comprising a second inner jacket surrounding the tube and said second jacket positioned between the first protective jacket and said metal tube, and a first tear cord positioned between the inner diameter of the first jacket and the outer diameter of the second jacket and a second tear cord positioned between the inner diameter of the second jacket and the outer surface of the metal tube. 23. the method of claim 18 further comprising jacketing the metal tube and tear cord with polyethylene, ethylene chlorotrifluoroerthlyene, a thermoplastic elastomer cross linking ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber and polypropylene, perfluoroalkoxy, polyvinylidene fluoride or fluorinated ethylene propylene. 24. the jacketed metal tube of claim 1 further comprising a fiber optic cable, electrical wire or data communication cable.
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title tear cord for jacketed tube related application this application claims priority to and incorporates by reference herein us application no. 12/178,246 entitled tear cord for jacketed tube filed 7.3 july, 2008. background to the disclosure 1. field of use the disclosure pertains to tubes used in hydrocarbon production down hole environments. 2. related art tear cords incorporated with electrical wires and fiber optic cables are known. see for example us patent 5,469,523. summary of disclosure the disclosure pertains to installing a tear cord between a solid wall metal tube (hereinafter "tube") and a protective jacket. the jacketed tubes may be used in a hydrocarbon production downhole well bore or in gas or water injector downhole well bores. summary of drawings the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention. these drawings, together with the general description of the invention given above and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention. figure 1 illustrates a single tube with a protective jacket and tear cord. figure 2 illustrates two tubes within a protective jacket. figure 3 illustrates 3 tubes of two separate diameters. the two smaller diameter tubes have two separate jackets over an inner wire or fiber. figure 4 illustrates a tear cord helically wound on a tube. figure 5 illustrates a cable comprising twisted steel bumpers or stand protecting a jacketed tube with tear cords. detailed description of disclosure the disclosure pertains to a tear cord used to conveniently and safely remove a protective jacket surrounding a solid wall metal tube. the combined jacket and tube may be used in downhole applications related to the production of hydrocarbons. this includes gas or water injector downhole well bores. referencing figure 1 , the tubes 1 are jacketed in one or more layers 2 of hard thermoplastic rubber or similar toughened and inert material to protect the tube and contents from the heat and corrosive environment of a well bore. the jacket also provides protection during installation and other events that may occur during operation of the well. the tubing may be placed inside the well casing and outside the production pipe. the jacketed tubes may be spoolable. the protective jackets are difficult and dangerous to cut or slit with a knife blade. this can also result in the outer tube sealing surface being nicked or gouged. other methods use specialized tools such as an encapsulation stripping tool manufactured by tube tec of stonehaven, uk. the tool comprises rotating knife blades enclosed within a housing. the blades are mechanically controlled to not contact the metal tube. the tool may be manually operated or powered with air. another tool for removing encapsulating protective jackets is manufactured by antech of exeter, uk. both tube tec and antech supply tools with stands and hand cranks and are promoted as reducing injury to the operator stripping the encapsulation jacket. the tube may comprise steel alloys such as but not limited to stainless steel, incoloy (an alloy comprising nickel-iron-chromium), duplex alloy, carbon steel, or galvanized carbon steel. the tubing may vary in diameter from 1/8 inch to in excess of 1 inch. the tube wall thickness may be between 0.016 inch (or smaller) to 0.083 inch. the tubing walls are smooth and solid. the tubing has an annular or duct-like structure 30 as illustrated in figure 1. the tubing may be used to convey chemicals and hydraulic fluids. examples of chemicals conveyed through the tubing include water based glycol mixture during the initial drilling phase. during the well production phase, hydrates and asphaltines are pumped to reduce paraffin build up. other chemicals include low dosage hydrate inhibitors, methanol ethylene glycol, ethanol and propanol. the contents of the tubing may be under pressure or vacuum. the tubing may also contain an electrical power, electronic data transmission or fiber optic lines. the sealing surface of the tubing is of prime importance, i.e., the wall of the tubing is to be free from nicks and gouges. this type of damage can result from use of a knife or other sharp edge instrument to cut away the protective jacket. in addition, this work is frequently performed on the floor of a drill rig. there are stringent safety standards imposed in this work environment making use of a knife or other open blade tools problematic. the outer surface of the tube is required to be free from nicks and gouges since the tube connections can be made using compression fittings. if a nick or gouge extends into the surface deeper than the compression achieved by the ferrule of the compression fitting, a leak pathway is created. such a defect may result in the fitting being over tightened, resulting in further deformation of the tubing. for example, the tubing may pass through an equipment housing. the connection of the tubing with the housing will utilize a compression fitting. deformation of the tubing surface may compromise the seal of the compression fitting intended to block fluids or contaminants from entering the housing even if the tubing wall is not breached. gouges and nicks may also penetrate the tube wall. for example, if the tube is conveying hydraulic fluid, there will be a pressure loss. if the tubing is conveying chemicals, there will be likely contamination of the product or well completion fluid. in some applications, the encapsulating protective jacket needs to be cut away from the tubing metal surface to allow a connection to be made in the tubing. the tubing will be required to be hermetically sealed and requires the insertion of ferrules or sleeves as part of the mechanical connection hardware in direct contact with the metal tube surface. therefore the integrity of the tubing diameter and good uniform sealing surface is important in making a hermetically sealed connection. the proper handling and use of correct tools to remove the encapsulating jacket are important. typically 6 to 12 inches of the jacket may be removed. however, on occasion, significantly greater lengths are removed, e.g., lengths in excess of 100 feet. the encapsulating protective jacket may comprise polyamide (nylon) polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene chlorotrifluoroerthlyene (halar), engineering thermoplastic vulcanates (etpv) or a thermoplastic elastomer cross linking ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber and polypropylene (santoprene). it may also comprise perfluoroalkoxy (teflon pfa), polyvinylidene fluoride (pvdf) or fluorinated ethylene propylene (teflon fep) polyetheretherketone (peek), or similar material. for these and other reasons, this disclosure teaches use of a tear cord placed between the tube and the protective jacket. this allows the worker to pull back the tear cord and thereby create a slit in the jacket. with the jacket split to the desired length, i.e. for placement of a compression fitting, the worker can manually pull away the jacket. the jacket material that has been pulled off can be cut off using scissors, side cutter pliers, or other tools not containing an open blade. some tubing may be protected in an individual jacket and a group of such tubes then encased into a single outer jacket. this group may comprise 2 to 5 individual tubes. the group of tubes may be protected by multiple jackets. the tubes may be of differing diameter. this outer jacket may be flat, i.e., the tubes are stacked one on top of the other, thereby minimizing the width that will be taken up in a well bore. (see for example figure 3.) special tooling may be installed with the well casing or on the outer surface of the production tubing to create channels or pathways holding the tubing cable. referencing figure 1 , the disclosure teaches placing a tear cord 3 adjacent to the tube 1 under the protective jacket 2. referencing figure 3, in one embodiment at least one tear cord 13, 14, 15 is placed between the outer flat jacket 12 and each individual tube 9, 10, 11. the tear cord (sometimes referred to as a rip cord), can be oriented along longitudinal axis of the tube or wound in a helical pattern around the tube. this helical winding pattern is illustrated in figure 4 and may be particularly useful for cable consisting of a single tube with a protective jacket. figure 4 illustrates the encapsulating protective jacket 42 surrounding the tube 43 and the tear cord 44 between the tube and the jacket. the helical pattern facilitates removal of the jacket. the angled slit created in the jacket provides an edge that can easily be pulled from the end around and away from the tubing. the tear cord can be a metal wire or other strong material such as kevlar, a poly-aramid synthetic fiber. a kevlar fiber is advantageous since the multiple fiber strands compress flat against the tubing or inner jacket, thereby not distorting the circumference of the outer jacket. an advantage of a metal wire used as a tear cord is that the wire can be heated, thereby softening the jacket material to facilitate tearing the wire through the softened jacket. it will be appreciated that the jacket material needs to plasticize so that it can be sheared with the wire at a temperature below the melting point of the metal wire. this method may advantageously use an inner jacket to shield the tubing from heat. in another embodiment, the tear cord is installed between the tube(s) and the protective jacket in selected locations in contrast to continuously along the length of the cable. this saves the cost and weight of materials that are not needed. for example, a tear cord may be installed in the first 100 feet and last 100 feet of a length of cable installed in between the well casing and the production tubing. the manufacturing process could mark the outside of the protective jacket to indicate the presence of a tear cord. this could be as simple as a painted line. the use of hermetically sealing compression fittings allows the interior of the tube to maintain a positive atmosphere and thereby retard the infiltration of contaminants or fluid. such contaminants or fluid may interfere with the signal or conductivity of a fiber optic or electrical wire. figure 1 illustrates a single tube 1 with a protective jacket. the jacket 2 is illustrated. also illustrated is the tear cord 3 which is installed between the jacket and the tube. figure 2 illustrates a pair of tubes 4, 5 encased by a single jacket 6. there are two tear cords 7, 8. each tear cord is associated with a single tube. figure 3 illustrates a 3 tube flat pack. the tubes 9, 10, 11 , are encased in a rectangular jacket 12. there are individual tear cords 13, 14, 15 installed between each tube 9, 10, 11 and the surrounding jacket 12. one tube 11 is protected by two separate jackets 12, 23. in this embodiment, separate tear cords 15, 22 are installed for each jacket layer. continuing with figure 3, the inner coverings within the smaller diameter tubes 9, 10 can provide mechanical support 16 and the innermost layer providing electrical insulation 18 for the wire or fiber optic cable 20, 21. these additional layers may be, for example, foam, or polyethylene or polypropylene. as indicated, the inner fiber may be a fiber optic cable or it may be a wire carrying electrical power or a data transmission line. figure 4 illustrates a single tube 43 with a tear cord 44 wound helically beneath a protective jacket 42. it will be appreciated that the helically wound embodiment would work with other tube and jacketing configurations, including the double tube configuration illustrated in figure 2 and the triple tube configuration of figure 3. figure 5 illustrates 2 jacketed tubes 33, 34 combined with two strands of steel rope or strand 31 , 32. the steel rope may be dimensioned to provide protection to the tube against crushing forces as well as weight support of the tube in a vertical downhole environment. also illustrated are tear cords 38, 39, 40, 41 installed adjacent to the tube and to each steel rope. also illustrated one tube 34 containing a wire or fiber optic cable surrounded by insulation 36 and structural support 35. it will be appreciated that both layers, installed inside the tube, may act as insulators. in addition, this specification is to be construed as illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the manner of carrying out the invention. it is to be understood that the forms of the invention herein shown and described are to be taken as the presently preferred embodiments. as already stated, various changes may be made in the shape, size and arrangement of components or adjustments made in the steps of the method without departing from the scope of this invention. for example, equivalent elements may be substituted for those illustrated and described herein and certain features of the invention maybe utilized independently of the use of other features, all as would be apparent to one skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description of the invention. while specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the scope of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanying claims.
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160-097-620-838-484
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KR
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[
"US",
"EP",
"TW",
"KR",
"CN",
"JP"
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C09K11/06,C07D209/82,C07D251/24,C07D403/10,H01L51/00,H01L51/50,C07C13/567,C07D307/91,C07D333/76,H01L51/54,C07D403/14,C07D405/14,C07D409/14,H05B33/22,C07D209/56,C07D251/12,H10K50/00,H10K99/00,C09B57/00,C09B57/10
| 2015-02-12T00:00:00 |
2015
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[
"C09",
"C07",
"H01",
"H05",
"H10"
] |
organic electroluminescent compounds and organic electroluminescent device comprising the same
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the present invention relates to an organic electroluminescent compound and an organic electroluminescent device comprising the same. the organic electroluminescent compound according to the present invention can be comprised in a light-emitting layer or an electron buffer layer, and is effective to produce an organic electroluminescent device having low driving voltage, excellent current and power efficiencies, and significantly improved operational lifespan.
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1 . an organic electroluminescent compound represented by the following formula 1: wherein l represents a substituted or unsubstituted (c6-c30)arylene; r 1 to r 4 each independently represent hydrogen, deuterium, a halogen, a cyano, a substituted or unsubstituted (c1-c30)alkyl, a substituted or unsubstituted (c6-c30)aryl, a substituted or unsubstituted 3- to 30-membered heteroaryl, a substituted or unsubstituted (c3-c30)cycloalkyl, a substituted or unsubstituted (c1-c30)alkoxy, a substituted or unsubstituted tri(c1-c30)alkylsilyl, a substituted or unsubstituted di(c1-c30)alkyl(c6-c30)arylsilyl, a substituted or unsubstituted (c1-c30)alkyldi(c6-c30)arylsilyl, a substituted or unsubstituted tri(c6-c30)arylsilyl, a substituted or unsubstituted mono- or di-(c1-c30)alkylamino, a substituted or unsubstituted mono- or di-(c6-c30)arylamino, or a substituted or unsubstituted (c1-c30)alkyl(c6-c30)arylamino; or are linked to an adjacent substituent(s) to form a substituted or unsubstituted, mono- or polycyclic, (c3-c30) alicyclic or aromatic ring, whose carbon atom(s) may be replaced with at least one hetero atom selected from nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur; the heteroaryl contains at least one hetero atom selected from b, n, o, s, si, and p; and n and m represent an integer of 0 to 3. 2 . the organic electroluminescent compound according to claim 1 , wherein the substituents of the substituted (c1-c30)alkyl, the substituted (c6-c30)aryl, the substituted 3- to 30-membered heteroaryl, the substituted (c3-c30)cycloalkyl, the substituted (c1-c30)alkoxy, the substituted tri(c1-c30)alkylsilyl, the substituted di(c1-c30)alkyl(c6-c30)arylsilyl, the substituted (c1-c30)alkyldi(c6-c30)arylsilyl, the substituted tri(c6-c30)arylsilyl, the substituted mono- or di-(c1-c30)alkylamino, the substituted mono- or di-(c6-c30)arylamino, the substituted (c1-c30)alkyl(c6-c30)arylamino, and the substituted mono- or polycyclic, (c3-c30) alicyclic or aromatic ring in r 1 to r 4 each independently are at least one selected from the group consisting of deuterium, a halogen, a cyano, a carboxyl, a nitro, a hydroxyl, a (c1-c30)alkyl, a halo(c1-c30)alkyl, a (c2-c30) alkenyl, a (c2-c30) alkynyl, a (c1-c30)alkoxy, a (c1-c30)alkylthio, a (c3-c30)cycloalkyl, a (c3-c30)cycloalkenyl, a 3- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl, a (c6-c30)aryloxy, a (c6-c30)arylthio, a 5- to 30-membered heteroaryl unsubstituted or substituted with a (c6-c30)aryl, a (c6-c30)aryl unsubstituted or substituted with a 5- to 30-membered heteroaryl, a tri(c1-c30)alkylsilyl, a tri(c6-c30)arylsilyl, a di(c1-c30)alkyl(c6-c30)arylsilyl, a (c1-c30)alkyldi(c6-c30)arylsilyl, an amino, a mono- or di-(c1-c30)alkylamino, a mono- or di-(c6-c30)arylamino, a (c1-c30)alkyl(c6-c30)arylamino, a (c1-c30)alkylcarbonyl, a (c1-c30)alkoxycarbonyl, a (c6-c30)arylcarbonyl, a di(c6-c30)arylboronyl, a di(c1-c30)alkylboronyl, a (c1-c30)alkyl(c6-c30)arylboronyl, a (c6-c30)aryl(c1-c30)alkyl, and a (c1-c30)alkyl(c6-c30)aryl. 3 . the organic electroluminescent compound according to claim 1 , wherein l represents a substituted or unsubstituted (c6-c20)arylene, and r 1 to r 4 each independently represent hydrogen, or a substituted or unsubstituted (c6-c20)aryl, or are linked to an adjacent substituent(s) to form a substituted or unsubstituted, mono- or polycyclic, (c6-c20) alicyclic or aromatic ring, whose carbon atom(s) may be replaced with at least one hetero atom selected from nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur. 4 . the organic electroluminescent compound according to claim 1 , wherein l represents a (c6-c12)arylene unsubstituted or substituted with a (c1-c6)alkyl or a (c6-c12)aryl, and r 1 to r 4 each independently represent hydrogen or an unsubstituted (c6-c12)aryl, or are linked to an adjacent substituent(s) to form a mono- or polycyclic, (c6-c15) alicyclic or aromatic ring unsubstituted or substituted with a (c1-c6)alkyl or a (c6-c12)aryl, whose carbon atom(s) may be replaced with at least one hetero atom selected from nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur. 5 . the organic electroluminescent compound according to claim 1 , wherein the compound represented by formula 1 is selected from the group consisting of: 6 . an organic electroluminescent device comprising the organic electroluminescent compound according to claim 1 . 7 . the organic electroluminescent device according to claim 6 , wherein the organic electroluminescent compound is comprised in an electron buffer layer.
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technical field the present invention relates to organic electroluminescent compounds and organic electroluminescent device comprising the same. background art an electroluminescent device (el device) is a self-light-emitting device which has advantages in that it provides a wider viewing angle, a greater contrast ratio, and a faster response time. the first organic el device was developed by eastman kodak, by using small aromatic diamine molecules, and aluminum complexes as materials for forming a light-emitting layer [appl. phys. lett. 51, 913, 1987]. an organic electroluminescent device is a device changing electrical energy to light by applying electricity to an organic electroluminescent material, and generally has a structure comprising an anode, a cathode, and an organic layer between the anode and the cathode. the organic layer of an organic el device may be comprised of a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an electron blocking layer, a light-emitting layer (which comprises host and dopant materials), an electron buffer layer, a hole blocking layer, an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer, etc., and the materials used for the organic layer are categorized by their functions in hole injection material, hole transport material, electron blocking material, light-emitting material, electron buffer material, hole blocking material, electron transport material, electron injection material, etc. in the organic el device, due to an application of a voltage, holes are injected from the anode to the light-emitting layer, electrons are injected from the cathode to the light-emitting layer, and excitons of high energies are formed by a recombination of the holes and the electrons. by this energy, organic luminescent compounds reach an excited state, and light emission occurs by emitting light from energy due to the excited state of the organic luminescent compounds returning to a ground state. the most important factor determining luminous efficiency in an organic el device is light-emitting materials. a light-emitting material must have high quantum efficiency, high electron and hole mobility, and the formed light-emitting material layer must be uniform and stable. light-emitting materials are categorized into blue, green, and red light-emitting materials dependent on the color of the light emission, and additionally yellow or orange light-emitting materials. in addition, light-emitting materials can also be categorized into host and dopant materials according to their functions. recently, the development of an organic el device providing high efficiency and long lifespan is an urgent issue. in particular, considering el characteristic requirements for a middle or large-sized panel of oled, materials showing better characteristics than conventional ones must be urgently developed. the host material, which acts as a solvent in a solid state and transfers energy, needs to have high purity and a molecular weight appropriate for vacuum deposition. furthermore, the host material needs to have high glass transition temperature and high thermal degradation temperature to achieve thermal stability, high electro-chemical stability to achieve long lifespan, ease of forming an amorphous thin film, good adhesion to materials of adjacent layers, and non-migration to other layers. until now, fluorescent host materials have been widely used as a host material. for a blue fluorescent host material, a blue light-emitting material system of idemitsu kosan using 4,4′-bis(2,2′-diphenylvinyl)-1,1′-biphenyl (dpvbi), and a blue light-emitting material system of eastman kodak using dinaphthylanthracene and tetra(t-butyl)perylene, etc., are known. however, much research has been conducted until now in order to develop a blue fluorescent host material having improved characteristics in a device. korean patent application laying-open no. 2008-0047210 discloses a compound in which an aryl group is bonded to a benzocarbazole or dibenzocarbazole structure and an organic el device comprising the same. korean patent application laying-open no. 2013-0130747 discloses an aromatic heterocyclic ring derivative consisting of two or more carbazole derivative residual groups and a nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocyclic ring and an organic el device comprising the same. in addition, korean patent application laying-open no. 2010-0015581 discloses an organic electroluminescent compound in which a nitrogen-containing aromatic hydrocarbon group or an aromatic heterocyclic group is bonded to a pyrimidine ring or a triazine ring and an organic el device comprising the same. however, necessity of compounds having superior luminous efficiency and lifespan characteristic to the compounds disclosed in the references above is continuously to the fore. accordingly, after working on obtaining a compound satisfactory to the necessity above, the present inventors found that a compound of a specific structure in which a dibenzocarbazole and a diaryltriazine are bonded via an aryl group more suitable for producing an organic el device improved efficiency and lifespan compared to conventional organic electroluminescent compounds. disclosure of the invention problems to be solved the objective of the present invention is to provide an organic electroluminescent compound which can produce an organic electroluminescent device having excellent efficiency and improved lifespan. solution to problems the present inventors found that the above objective can be achieved by an organic electroluminescent compound represented by the following formula 1: wherein l represents a substituted or unsubstituted (c6-c30)arylene; r 1 to r 4 each independently represent hydrogen, deuterium, a halogen, a cyano, a substituted or unsubstituted (c1-c30)alkyl, a substituted or unsubstituted (c6-c30)aryl, a substituted or unsubstituted 3- to 30-membered heteroaryl, a substituted or unsubstituted (c3-c30)cycloalkyl, a substituted or unsubstituted (c1-c30)alkoxy, a substituted or unsubstituted tri(c1-c30)alkylsilyl, a substituted or unsubstituted di(c1-c30)alkyl(c6-c30)arylsilyl, a substituted or unsubstituted (c1-c30)alkyldi(c6-c30)arylsilyl, a substituted or unsubstituted tri(c6-c30)arylsilyl, a substituted or unsubstituted mono- or di-(c1-c30)alkylamino, a substituted or unsubstituted mono- or di-(c6-c30)arylamino, or a substituted or unsubstituted (c1-c30)alkyl(c6-c30)arylamino; or are linked to an adjacent substituent(s) to form a substituted or unsubstituted, mono- or polycyclic, (c3-c30) alicyclic or aromatic ring, whose carbon atom(s) may be replaced with at least one hetero atom selected from nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur; the heteroaryl contains at least one hetero atom selected from b, n, o, s, si, and p; and n and m represent an integer of 0 to 3. effects of the invention by using the organic electroluminescent compound of the present invention as a host of the light-emitting layer, efficiency and lifespan are significantly improved compared to the conventional organic electroluminescent compounds. specifically, by maintaining high efficiency and having significantly improved lifespan even at high luminance, the organic electroluminescent compound of the present invention shows more suitable characteristics in recent trends requiring increasing demands for high resolution. embodiments of the invention hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail. however, the following description is intended to explain the invention, and is not meant in any way to restrict the scope of the invention. the present invention relates to an organic electroluminescent compound of formula 1, an organic electroluminescent material comprising the compound, and an organic electroluminescent device comprising the material. in formula 1 above, preferably, l represents a substituted or unsubstituted (c6-c20)arylene, and r 1 to r 4 each independently represent hydrogen, or a substituted or unsubstituted (c6-c20)aryl, or are linked to an adjacent substituent(s) to form a substituted or unsubstituted, mono- or polycyclic, (c6-c20) alicyclic or aromatic ring, whose carbon atom(s) may be replaced with at least one hetero atom selected from nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur. in formula 1 above, more preferably, l represents a (c6-c12)arylene unsubstituted or substituted with a (c1-c6)alkyl or a (c6-c12)aryl, and r 1 to r 4 each independently represent hydrogen or an unsubstituted (c6-c12)aryl, or are linked to an adjacent substituent(s) to form a mono- or polycyclic, (c6-c15) alicyclic or aromatic ring unsubstituted or substituted with a (c1-c6)alkyl or a (c6-c12)aryl, whose carbon atom(s) may be replaced with at least one hetero atom selected from nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur. herein, “(c1-c30)alkyl” is meant to be a linear or branched alkyl having 1 to 30 carbon atoms constituting the chain, in which the number of carbon atoms is preferably 1 to 20, more preferably 1 to 10, and includes methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, tert-butyl, etc.; “(c2-c30)alkenyl” is meant to be a linear or branched alkenyl having 2 to 30 carbon atoms constituting the chain, in which the number of carbon atoms is preferably 2 to 20, more preferably 2 to 10, and includes vinyl, 1-propenyl, 2-propenyl, 1-butenyl, 2-butenyl, 3-butenyl, 2-methylbut-2-enyl, etc.; “(c2-c30)alkynyl” is meant to be a linear or branched alkynyl having 2 to 30 carbon atoms constituting the chain, in which the number of carbon atoms is preferably 2 to 20, more preferably 2 to 10, and includes ethynyl, 1-propynyl, 2-propynyl, 1-butynyl, 2-butynyl, 3-butynyl, 1-methylpent-2-ynyl, etc.; “(c1-c30)alkoxy” is meant to be a linear or branched alkoxy having 1 to 30 carbon atoms constituting the chain, in which the number of carbon atoms is preferably 1 to 20, more preferably 1 to 10, and includes methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, isopropoxy, 1-ethylpropoxy, etc.; “(c3-c30)cycloalkyl” is a mono- or polycyclic hydrocarbon having 3 to 30 ring backbone carbon atoms, in which the number of carbon atoms is preferably 3 to 20, more preferably 3 to 7, and includes cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, etc.; “5- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl” is a cycloalkyl having 5 to 7 ring backbone atoms, including at least one heteroatom selected from b, n, o, s, si, and p, preferably o, s, and n, and includes pyrrolidine, thiolan, tetrahydropyran, etc.; “(c6-c30)aryl(ene)” is a monocyclic or fused ring derived from an aromatic hydrocarbon having 6 to 30 ring backbone carbon atoms, in which the number of carbon atoms is preferably 6 to 20, more preferably 6 to 15, and includes phenyl, biphenyl, terphenyl, naphthyl, fluorenyl, phenanthrenyl, anthracenyl, indenyl, triphenylenyl, pyrenyl, tetracenyl, perylenyl, chrysenyl, naphthacenyl, fluoranthenyl, etc.; “3- to 30-membered heteroaryl(ene)” is an aryl having 3 to 30 ring backbone atoms, in which the number of atoms is preferably 3 to 20, more preferably 3 to 15, including at least one, preferably 1 to 4 heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of b, n, o, s, si, and p; is a monocyclic ring, or a fused ring condensed with at least one benzene ring; may be partially saturated; may be one formed by linking at least one heteroaryl or aryl group to a heteroaryl group via a single bond(s); and includes a monocyclic ring-type heteroaryl including furyl, thiophenyl, pyrrolyl, imidazolyl, pyrazolyl, thiazolyl, thiadiazolyl, isothiazolyl, isoxazolyl, oxazolyl, oxadiazolyl, triazinyl, tetrazinyl, triazolyl, tetrazolyl, furazanyl, pyridyl, pyrazinyl, pyrimidinyl, pyridazinyl, etc., and a fused ring-type heteroaryl including benzofuranyl, benzothiophenyl, isobenzofuranyl, dibenzofuranyl, dibenzothiophenyl, benzoimidazolyl, benzothiazolyl, benzoisothiazolyl, benzoisoxazolyl, benzoxazolyl, isoindolyl, indolyl, indazolyl, benzothiadiazolyl, quinolyl, isoquinolyl, cinnolinyl, quinazolinyl, quinoxalinyl, carbazolyl, phenoxazinyl, phenanthridinyl, benzodioxolyl, etc. further, “halogen” includes f, cl, br, and i. herein, “substituted” in the expression, “substituted or unsubstituted,” means that a hydrogen atom in a certain functional group is replaced with another atom or group, i.e. a substituent. in the present invention, the substituents of the substituted (c1-c30)alkyl, the substituted (c6-c30)aryl, the substituted 3- to 30-membered heteroaryl, the substituted (c3-c30)cycloalkyl, the substituted (c1-c30)alkoxy, the substituted tri(c1-c30)alkylsilyl, the substituted di(c1-c30)alkyl(c6-c30)arylsilyl, the substituted (c1-c30)alkyldi(c6-c30)arylsilyl, the substituted tri(c6-c30)arylsilyl, the substituted mono- or di-(c1-c30)alkylamino, the substituted mono- or di-(c6-c30)arylamino, the substituted (c1-c30)alkyl(c6-c30)arylamino, and the substituted mono- or polycyclic, (c3-c30) alicyclic or aromatic ring in r 1 to r 4 in formula 1 each independently are at least one selected from the group consisting of deuterium, a halogen, a cyano, a carboxyl, a nitro, a hydroxyl, a (c1-c30)alkyl, a halo(c1-c30)alkyl, a (c2-c30) alkenyl, a (c2-c30) alkynyl, a (c1-c30)alkoxy, a (c1-c30)alkylthio, a (c3-c30)cycloalkyl, a (c3-c30)cycloalkenyl, a 3- to 7-membered heterocycloalkyl, a (c6-c30)aryloxy, a (c6-c30)arylthio, a 5- to 30-membered heteroaryl unsubstituted or substituted with a (c6-c30)aryl, a (c6-c30)aryl unsubstituted or substituted with a 5- to 30-membered heteroaryl, a tri(c1-c30)alkylsilyl, a tri(c6-c30)arylsilyl, a di(c1-c30)alkyl(c6-c30)arylsilyl, a (c1-c30)alkyldi(c6-c30)arylsilyl, an amino, a mono- or di-(c1-c30)alkylamino, a mono- or di-(c6-c30)arylamino, a (c1-c30)alkyl(c6-c30)arylamino, a (c1-c30)alkylcarbonyl, a (c1-c30)alkoxycarbonyl, a (c6-c30)arylcarbonyl, a di(c6-c30)arylboronyl, a di(c1-c30)alkylboronyl, a (c1-c30)alkyl(c6-c30)arylboronyl, a (c6-c30)aryl(c1-c30)alkyl, and a (c1-c30)alkyl(c6-c30)aryl. the organic electroluminescent compound represented by formula 1 includes the following compounds, but is not limited thereto: the organic electroluminescent compound of the present invention can be prepared by a synthetic method known to a person skilled in the art. for example, it can be prepared according to the following reaction scheme. wherein l, r 1 to r 4 , m, and n are as defined in formula 1. the present invention provides an organic electroluminescent material comprising the organic electroluminescent compound of formula 1, and an organic electroluminescent device comprising the material. the above material can be comprised of the organic electroluminescent compound according to the present invention alone, or can further include conventional materials generally used in organic electroluminescent materials. the organic electroluminescent device comprises a first electrode; a second electrode; and at least one organic layer between the first and second electrodes. the organic layer may comprise at least one organic electroluminescent compound of formula 1. one of the first and second electrodes can be an anode, and the other can be a cathode. the organic layer comprises a light-emitting layer, and may further comprise at least one layer selected from the group consisting of a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an electron transport layer, an electron buffer layer, an electron injection layer, an interlayer, a hole blocking layer, and an electron blocking layer. the organic electroluminescent compound of formula 1 of the present invention can be comprised in the light-emitting layer as a host material, or can be comprised in the electron buffer layer. preferably, the light-emitting layer may comprise at least one dopant. if necessary, a compound besides the organic electroluminescent compound of formula 1 can be comprised as a second host material. another embodiment of the present invention provides a material for producing an organic electroluminescent device. the material comprises the first host material and the second host material, and the first host material comprises the organic electroluminescent compound of the present invention. herein, the weight ratio of the first host material to the second host material is in the range of 1:99 to 99:1. the second host material can be any of the known phosphorescent hosts. preferably, the compound may be selected from the group consisting of the compounds of formulae 2 to 6 below. wherein cz represents the following structure; a represents —o— or —s—; r 21 to r 24 each independently represent hydrogen, deuterium, a halogen, a substituted or unsubstituted (c1-c30)alkyl, a substituted of unsubstituted (c6-c30)aryl, a substituted or unsubstituted 5- to 30-membered heteroaryl, or —sir 25 r 26 r 27 , r 25 to r 27 each independently represent a substituted or unsubstituted (c1-c30)alkyl, or a substituted or unsubstituted (c6-c30)aryl; l 4 represents a single bond, a substituted or unsubstituted (c6-c30)arylene, or a substituted or unsubstituted 5- to 30-membered heteroarylene; m represents a substituted or unsubstituted (c6-c30)aryl, or a substituted or unsubstituted 5- to 30-membered heteroaryl; y 1 and y 2 each independently represent —o—, —s—, —n(r 41 )—, or —c(r 42 )(r 43 )—, provided that y 1 and y 2 do not simultaneously exist; r 41 to r 43 each independently represent a substituted or unsubstituted (c1-c30)alkyl, a substituted or unsubstituted (c6-c30)aryl, or a substituted or unsubstituted 5- to 30-membered heteroaryl, and r 42 and r 43 may be the same or different; i and j each independently represent an integer of 1 to 3; k, l, m, and n each independently represent an integer of 0 to 4; and where i, j, k, l, m, or n is an integer of 2 or more, each of (cz-l 4 ), each of (cz), each of r 21 , each of r 22 , each of r 23 , or each of r 24 may be the same or different. specifically, preferable examples of the second host material are as follows: [wherein tps represents a triphenylsilyl group] the dopant used in the present invention is preferably at least one phosphorescent dopant. the dopant materials applied to the organic electroluminescent device according to the present invention are not limited, but may be preferably selected from metallated complex compounds of iridium, osmium, copper, and platinum, more preferably selected from ortho-metallated complex compounds of iridium, osmium, copper, and platinum, and even more preferably ortho-metallated iridium complex compounds. the dopant comprised in the organic electroluminescent device of the present invention is preferably selected from the group consisting of the compounds of formulae 7 to 9 below. wherein l is selected from the following structures: r 100 represents hydrogen, a substituted or unsubstituted (c1-c30)alkyl, or a substituted or unsubstituted (c3-c30)cycloalkyl; r 101 to r 109 , and r 111 to r 123 each independently represent hydrogen, deuterium, a halogen, a (c1-c30)alkyl unsubstituted or substituted with a halogen(s), a substituted or unsubstituted (c3-c30)cycloalkyl, a cyano, or a substituted or unsubstituted (c1-c30)alkoxy; and adjacent substituents of r 120 to r 123 may be linked to each other to form a fused ring, e.g., quinoline; r 124 to r 127 each independently represent hydrogen, deuterium, a halogen, a substituted or unsubstituted (c1-c30)alkyl, or a substituted or unsubstituted (c6-c30)aryl; and where r 124 to r 127 are aryls, adjacent substituents of r 124 to r 127 may be linked to each other to form a fused ring, e.g., fluorene; r 201 to r 211 each independently represent hydrogen, deuterium, a halogen, a (c1-c30)alkyl unsubstituted or substituted with a halogen(s), a substituted or unsubstituted (c3-c30)cycloalkyl, or a substituted or unsubstituted (c6-c30)aryl; f and g each independently represent an integer of 1 to 3; where f or g is an integer of 2 or more, each of r 100 may be the same or different; and n represents an integer of 1 to 3. specifically, the phosphorescent dopant materials include the following: the organic electroluminescent device according to the present invention may further comprise, in addition to the organic electroluminescent compound represented by formula 1, at least one compound selected from the group consisting of arylamine-based compounds and styrylarylamine-based compounds. in the organic electroluminescent device according to the present invention, the organic layer may further comprise at least one metal selected from the group consisting of metals of group 1, metals of group 2, transition metals of the 4 th period, transition metals of the 5 th period, lanthanides and organic metals of d-transition elements of the periodic table, or at least one complex compound comprising said metal. the organic layer may further comprise a light-emitting layer and a charge generating layer. in addition, the organic electroluminescent device according to the present invention may emit white light by further comprising at least one light-emitting layer which comprises a blue electroluminescent compound, a red electroluminescent compound or a green electroluminescent compound known in the field, besides the organic electroluminescent compound according to the present invention. also, if necessary, a yellow or orange light-emitting layer can be comprised in the device. according to the present invention, at least one layer (hereinafter, “a surface layer”) is preferably placed on an inner surface(s) of one or both electrode(s); selected from a chalcogenide layer, a metal halide layer, and a metal oxide layer. specifically, a chalcogenide (including oxides) layer of silicon or aluminum is preferably placed on an anode surface of an electroluminescent medium layer, and a metal halide layer or a metal oxide layer is preferably placed on a cathode surface of an electroluminescent medium layer. such a surface layer provides operation stability for the organic electroluminescent device. preferably, said chalcogenide includes sio x (1≦x≦2), alo x (1≦x≦1.5), sion, sialon, etc.; said metal halide includes lif, mgf 2 , caf 2 , a rare earth metal fluoride, etc.; and said metal oxide includes cs 2 o, li 2 o, mgo, sro, bao, cao, etc. in the organic electroluminescent device according to the present invention, a mixed region of an electron transport compound and reductive dopant, or a mixed region of a hole transport compound and an oxidative dopant is preferably placed on at least one surface of a pair of electrodes. in this case, the electron transport compound is reduced to an anion, and thus it becomes easier to inject and transport electrons from the mixed region to an electroluminescent medium. further, the hole transport compound is oxidized to a cation, and thus it becomes easier to inject and transport holes from the mixed region to the electroluminescent medium. preferably, the oxidative dopant includes various lewis acids and acceptor compounds; and the reductive dopant includes alkali metals, alkali metal compounds, alkaline earth metals, rare-earth metals, and mixtures thereof. a reductive dopant layer may be employed as a charge generating layer to prepare an electroluminescent device having two or more electroluminescent layers and emitting white light. in order to form each layer of the organic electroluminescent device according to the present invention, dry film-forming methods such as vacuum evaporation, sputtering, plasma and ion plating methods, or wet film-forming methods such as spin coating, dip coating, and flow coating methods can be used. when using a wet film-forming method, a thin film can be formed by dissolving or diffusing materials forming each layer into any suitable solvent such as ethanol, chloroform, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, etc. the solvent can be any solvent where the materials forming each layer can be dissolved or diffused, and where there are no problems in film-formation capability. hereinafter, the organic electroluminescent compound, the preparation method of the compound, and the properties of the device comprising the organic electroluminescent compound will be explained in detail with reference to the following examples. example 1: preparation of compound c-1 preparation of compound 1-2 after dissolving compound 1-1 (7h-benzo[c]carbazole, 17.6 g, 65.8 mmol), 3-iodo-1-bromobenzene (23 g, 78.9 mmol), cui (6.3 g, 33 mmol), ethylenediamine (eda) (9 ml, 130 mmol), and k 3 po 4 (42 g, 197.4 mmol) in toluene 500 ml in a flask, the mixture was refluxed at 120° c. for 5 hours. after completing the reaction, an organic layer was extracted with ethyl acetate (ea), residual moisture was removed using magnesium sulfate and dried, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound 1-2 (20 g, yield: 71%). preparation of compound 1-3 after dissolving compound 1-2 (15 g, 35.3 mmol), 4,4,4′,4′,5,5,5′,5′-octamethyl-2,2′-bi(1,3,2-dioxaborolane) (14 g, 53 mmol), potassium acetate (koac) (11 g, 106 mmol), and bis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(ii)dichloride (pd(pph 3 ) 2 cl 2 ) (2.5 g, 0.0035 mmol) in dioxane 300 ml in a flask, the mixture was refluxed. after completing the reaction, an organic layer was extracted with ea, residual moisture was removed using magnesium sulfate and dried, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound 1-3 (10 g, yield: 61%). preparation of compound c-1 after dissolving compound 1-3 (10 g, 21.7 mmol), compound 1-4 (12 g, 0.043 mmol), tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium (pd(pph 3 ) 4 ) (1.3 g, 1.0 mmol), and k 2 co 3 (8.8 g, 65 mmol) in a mixture solvent of toluene, ethanol (etoh), and h 2 o in a flask, the mixture was refluxed at 120° c. for one day. after completing the reaction, an organic layer was extracted with ea, dried, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound c-1 (7.8 g, yield: 48%). mwuvplm.p.c-1574.67334 nm482 nm292° c. example 2: preparation of compound c-2 preparation of compound 2-2 after dissolving compound 2-1 (7h-benzo[c]carbazole, 17.6 g, 65.8 mmol), 4-iodo-1-bromobenzene (23 g, 78.9 mmol), cui (6.3 g, 33 mmol), eda (9 ml, 130 mmol), and k 3 po 4 (42 g, 197.4 mmol) in toluene 500 ml in a flask, the mixture was refluxed at 120° c. for 5 hours. after completing the reaction, an organic layer was extracted with ea, residual moisture was removed using magnesium sulfate and dried, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound 2-2 (20 g, yield: 71%). preparation of compound 2-3 after dissolving compound 2-2 (15 g, 35.3 mmol), 4,4,4′,4′,5,5,5′,5′-octamethyl-2,2′-bi(1,3,2-dioxaborolane) (14 g, 53 mmol), koac (11 g, 106 mmol), and pd(pph 3 ) 2 cl 2 (2.5 g, 0.0035 mmol) in dioxane 300 ml in a flask, the mixture was refluxed. after completing the reaction, an organic layer was extracted with ea, residual moisture was removed using magnesium sulfate and dried, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound 2-3 (10 g, yield: 61%). preparation of compound c-2 after dissolving compound 2-3 (10 g, 21.7 mmol), compound 2-4 (12 g, 0.043 mmol), pd(pph 3 ) 4 (1.3 g, 1.0 mmol), and k 2 co 3 (8.8 g, 65 mmol) in a mixture solvent of toluene, ethanol, and h 2 o in a flask, the mixture was refluxed at 120° c. for one day. after completing the reaction, an organic layer was extracted with ea, dried, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound c-2 (3.7 g, yield: 88%). mwuvplm.p.c-2574.67344 nm473 nm323° c. example 3: preparation of compound c-17 preparation of compound 3-3 after introducing 7h-benzo[c,g]carbazole (20 g, 74.80 mmol), 1-bromo-3-iodobenzene (23.7 ml, 187.00 mmol), cui (7.1 g, 37.4 mmol), k 3 po 4 (39.7 g, 187.00 mmol), and toluene 380 ml in a flask, the mixture was refluxed at 120° c. for 2 hours. after completing the reaction, the mixture was filtered with dichloromethane (dcm), dried, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound 3-3 (23.6 g, yield: 75%). preparation of compound 3-4 after dissolving compound 3-3 (70 g, 165.80 mmol), pinacolato diboron (51 g, 198.9 mmol), pdcl 2 (pph 3 ) 2 (5.8 g, 8.29 mmol), and koac (33 g, 331.60 mmol) in 1,4-dioxane 830 ml in a flask, the mixture was stirred under reflux for one day. the mixture was then extracted with ea and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound 3-4 (69 g, yield: 88%). preparation of compound c-17 after dissolving compound 3-4 (7.0 g, 14.90 mmol), compound 3-5 (7.0 g, 17.90 mmol), pd(pph 3 ) 4 (860 mg, 0.75 mmol), and k 2 co 3 (6.2 g, 44.70 mmol) in a mixture solvent of toluene 75 ml, etoh 20 ml, and h 2 o 20 ml in a flask, the mixture was stirred under reflux for 1 hour. after cooling the mixture to room temperature, methanol (meoh) was added thereto, a solid was filtered and recrystallized with toluene, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound c-17 (4.6 g, yield: 47%). mwuvplm.p.c-17650.77378 nm393 nm267° c. example 4: preparation of compound c-9 preparation of compound 4-3 after introducing 7h-dibenzo[c,g]carbazole (20 g, 74.80 mmol), 1-bromo-3-iodobenzene (23.7 ml, 187.00 mmol), cui (7.1 g, 37.4 mmol), k 3 po 4 (39.7 g, 187.00 mmol), and toluene 380 ml in a flask and dissolving the solutes in the solvent, the mixture was refluxed at 120° c. for 2 hours. after completing the reaction, the mixture was filtered with dcm, dried, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound 4-3 (23.6 g, yield: 75%). preparation of compound 4-4 after dissolving compound 4-3 (24.0 g, 55.90 mmol) and n-buli (34 ml, 83.80 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (thf) 280 ml in a flask, the mixture was stirred at −78° c. for one hour. trimethyl borate (b(ome) 3 ) (9.4 ml, 83.80 mmol) was then added dropwise to the mixture, and the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 4 hours. the mixture was then extracted with ea, and a solid was filtered with hexane (hex) to obtain compound 4-4 (15.9 g, yield: 74%). preparation of compound 4-6 after introducing compound 4-5 (20 g, 88.5 mmol), 2-naphthyl boronic acid (16.7 g, 97.3 mmol), pdcl 2 (pph 3 ) 2 (2.0 g, 2.92 mmol), na 2 co 3 (23.5 g, 221.3 mmol), thf 440 ml, and h 2 o 150 ml in a flask, the mixture was stirred for 2 hours at 65° c. after cooling the mixture to room temperature, distilled water was added thereto. after completing the reaction, an organic layer was extracted with ea, residual moisture was removed using magnesium sulfate and dried, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound 4-6 (21 g, yield: 81%). preparation of compound c-9 after dissolving compound 4-4 (4.0 g, 10.30 mmol), compound 4-6 (4.9 g, 15.50 mmol), pd(pph 3 ) 4 (600 mg, 0.52 mmol), and k 2 co 3 (4.3 g, 30.90 mmol) in a mixture solvent of toluene 50 ml, etoh 12 ml, and h 2 o 12 ml in a flask, the mixture was stirred under reflux for 4 hours. after cooling the mixture to room temperature, meoh was added thereto, a solid was filtered, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound c-9 (5.6 g, yield: 67%). mwuvplm.p.c-9624.73376 nm481 nm200.6° c. example 5: preparation of compound c-7 preparation of compound 5-3 after introducing 7h-dibenzo[c,g]carbazole (20 g, 74.80 mmol), 1-bromo-3-iodobenzene (23.7 ml, 187.00 mmol), cui (7.1 g, 37.4 mmol), k 3 po 4 (39.7 g, 187.00 mmol), and toluene 380 ml in a flask and dissolving the solutes in the solvent, the mixture was refluxed at 120° c. for 2 hours. after completing the reaction, the mixture was filtered with dcm, dried, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound 5-3 (23.6 g, yield: 75%). preparation of compound 5-4 after dissolving compound 5-3 (24.0 g, 55.90 mmol) and n-buli (34 ml, 83.80 mmol) in thf 280 ml in a flask, the mixture was stirred at −78° c. for one hour. b(ome) 3 (9.4 ml, 83.80 mmol) was then added dropwise to the mixture, and the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 4 hours. the mixture was then extracted with ea, and a solid was filtered with hex to obtain compound 5-4 (15.9 g, yield: 74%). preparation of compound c-7 after dissolving compound 5-4 (5.0 g, 12.90 mmol), compound 5-5 (6.7 g, 19.40 mmol), pd(pph 3 ) 4 (745 mg, 0.66 mmol), and k 2 co 3 (5.3 g, 38.70 mmol) in a mixture solvent of toluene 65 ml, etoh 16 ml, and h 2 o 16 ml in a flask, the mixture was stirred under reflux for 1 hour. after cooling the mixture to room temperature, the mixture was extracted with ea, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound c-7 (3.8 g, yield: 45%). mwuvplm.p.c-7650.77324 nm393 nm146.6° c. example 6: preparation of compound c-37 preparation of compound 6-3 after introducing 7h-dibenzo[c,g]carbazole (20 g, 74.80 mmol), 1-bromo-3-iodobenzene (23.7 ml, 187.00 mmol), cui (7.1 g, 37.4 mmol), k 3 po 4 (39.7 g, 187.00 mmol), and toluene 380 ml in a flask and dissolving the solutes in the solvent, the mixture was refluxed at 120° c. for 2 hours. after completing the reaction, the mixture was filtered with dcm, dried, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound 6-3 (23.6 g, yield: 75%). preparation of compound 6-4 after dissolving compound 6-3 (24.0 g, 55.90 mmol) and n-buli (34 ml, 83.80 mmol) in thf 280 ml in a flask, the mixture was stirred at −78° c. for one hour. b(ome) 3 (9.4 ml, 83.80 mmol) was then added dropwise to the mixture, and the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 4 hours. the mixture was then extracted with ea, and a solid was filtered with hex to obtain compound 6-4 (15.9 g, yield: 74%). preparation of compound 6-6 after dissolving compound 6-5 (20 g, 108.5 mmol), 2-naphthyl boronic acid (37.3 g, 216.9 mmol), pdcl 2 (pph 3 ) 2 (2.3 g, 3.3 mmol), and na 2 co 3 (28.7 g, 271.3 mmol) in a mixture solvent of toluene 540 ml and h 2 o 135 ml in a flask, the mixture was stirred for 2 hours at 95° c. after cooling the mixture to room temperature, distilled water was added thereto. after completing the reaction, an organic layer was extracted with ethyl acetate, residual moisture was removed using magnesium sulfate and dried, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound 6-6 (9 g, yield: 21%). preparation of compound c-37 after dissolving compound 6-4 (5.0 g, 12.9 mmol), compound 6-6 (5.7 g, 15.50 mmol), pd(pph 3 ) 4 (745 mg, 0.65 mmol), and k 2 co 3 (5.3 g, 38.70 mmol) in a mixture solvent of toluene 65 ml, etoh 16 ml, and h 2 o 16 ml in a flask, the mixture was stirred under reflux for 4 hours. after cooling the mixture to room temperature, meoh was added thereto, a solid was filtered, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound c-37 (3.7 g, yield: 43%). mwuvplm.p.c-37674.79340 nm489 nm290.5° c. example 7: preparation of compound c-8 preparation of compound 7-3 after introducing 7h-dibenzo[c,g]carbazole (45 g, 168.0 mmol), 1-bromo-4-iodobenzene (95 g, 336.0 mmol), cui (16 g, 84 mmol), eda (22.5 ml, 336 mmol), k 3 po 4 (89 g, 420.00 mmol), and toluene 840 ml in a flask and dissolving the solutes in the solvent, the mixture was refluxed at 120° c. for 2 hours. after completing the reaction, the mixture was filtered with dcm, dried, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound 7-3 (41.8 g, yield: 59%). preparation of compound 7-4 after dissolving compound 7-3 (7.2 g, 17.0 mmol), pinacolato diboron (5.2 g, 20.5 mmol), pdcl 2 (pph 3 ) 2 (1.2 g, 1.7 mmol), and koac (3.4 g, 34.0 mmol) in 1,4-dioxane 85 ml in a flask, the mixture was stirred under reflux for 3 hours. the mixture was then extracted with ea and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound 7-4 (6.4 g, yield: 80%). preparation of compound c-8 after dissolving compound 7-4 (5.9 g, 12.60 mmol), compound 7-6 (4.3 g, 12.60 mmol), pd(pph 3 ) 4 (728 mg, 0.63 mmol), and k 2 co 3 (3.5 g, 25.20 mmol) in a mixture solvent of toluene 63 ml, etoh 16 ml, and h 2 o 16 ml in a flask, the mixture was stirred under reflux for 2 hours. after cooling the mixture to room temperature, meoh was added thereto, a solid was filtered, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound c-8 (4.0 g, yield: 49%). mwuvplm.p.c-8650.77392 nm473 nm225.5° c. example 8: preparation of compound c-13 preparation of compound 8-3 after introducing 7h-dibenzo[c,g]carbazole (20 g, 74.80 mmol), 1-bromo-3-iodobenzene (23.7 ml, 187.00 mmol), cui (7.1 g, 37.4 mmol), k 3 po 4 (39.7 g, 187.00 mmol), and toluene 380 ml in a flask and dissolving the solutes in the solvent, the mixture was refluxed at 120° c. for 2 hours. after completing the reaction, the mixture was filtered with dcm, dried, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound 8-3 (23.6 g, yield: 75%). preparation of compound 8-4 after dissolving compound 8-3 (7.2 g, 17.0 mmol), pinacolato diboron (5.2 g, 20.5 mmol), pdcl 2 (pph 3 ) 2 (1.2 g, 1.7 mmol), and koac (3.4 g, 34.0 mmol) in 1,4-dioxane 85 ml in a flask, the mixture was stirred under reflux for 3 hours. the mixture was then extracted with ea and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound 8-4 (6.4 g, yield: 80%). preparation of compound c-13 after dissolving compound 8-4 (5.5 g, 11.60 mmol), compound 8-6 (4.0 g, 11.60 mmol), pd(pph 3 ) 4 (670 mg, 0.58 mmol), and nahco 3 (2.0 g, 23.20 mmol) in a mixture solvent of thf 63 ml and h 2 o 23 ml in a flask, the mixture was stirred under reflux for 2 hours. after cooling the mixture to room temperature, meoh was added thereto, a solid was filtered, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound c-13 (4.0 g, yield: 57%). mwuvplm.p.c-13650.77382 nm485 nm242.2° c. example 9: preparation of compound c-4 preparation of compound 9-3 after introducing 7h-dibenzo[c,g]carbazole (20 g, 74.80 mmol), 1,4-dibromonaphthalene (53.5 g, 187.00 mmol), cuso 4 .5h 2 o (1.9 g, 7.5 mmol), k 2 co 3 (20.7 g, 149.60 mmol), and 1,2-dichlorobenzene 374 ml in a flask and dissolving the solutes in the solvent, the mixture was refluxed at 200° c. for 2 days. after completing the reaction, the mixture was filtered with dcm, dried, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound 9-3 (14.9 g, yield: 42%). preparation of compound 9-4 after dissolving compound 9-3 (14.9 g, 31.5 mmol), pinacolato diboron (9.6 g, 37.9 mmol), pdcl 2 (pph 3 ) 2 (2.2 g, 3.2 mmol), and koac (6.2 g, 63.0 mmol) in 1,4-dioxane 158 ml in a flask, the mixture was stirred under reflux for 5 hours. the mixture was then extracted with mc and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound 9-4 (8.6 g, yield: 52%). preparation of compound c-4 after dissolving compound 9-4 (4.0 g, 7.70 mmol), compound 9-6 (2.5 g, 9.20 mmol), pd(pph 3 ) 4 (445 mg, 0.39 mmol), and k 2 co 3 (2.2 g, 15.40 mmol) in a mixture solvent of toluene 40 ml, etoh 10 ml, and h 2 o 10 ml in a flask, the mixture was stirred under reflux for 4 hours. after cooling the mixture to room temperature, meoh was added thereto, a solid was filtered, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound c-4 (3.1 g, yield: 65%). mwuvplm.p.c-4624.73392 nm511 nm292.7° c. example 10: preparation of compound c-5 preparation of compound 10-2 after dissolving compound 10-1 (40.0 g, 147.96 mmol) and n-buli (71 ml, 177.55 mmol) in a mixture solvent of toluene 555 ml and thf 185 ml in a flask, the mixture was stirred at −78° c. for one hour. b(oipr) 3 (40.0 ml, 177.55 mmol) was then added dropwise to the mixture, and the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 3 hours. the mixture was then extracted with ea, and a solid was filtered with hex to obtain compound 10-2 (11.5 g, yield: 33%). preparation of compound 10-4 after dissolving compound 10-2 (6.7 g, 28.50 mmol), compound 10-3 (15.2 g, 57.0 mmol), pd(pph 3 ) 4 (1.6 g, 1.43 mmol), and k 2 co 3 (7.9 g, 57.00 mmol) in a mixture solvent of toluene 140 ml, etoh 35 ml, and h 2 o 35 ml in a flask, the mixture was stirred under reflux for 3 hours. after cooling the mixture to room temperature, meoh was added thereto, a solid was filtered, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound 10-4 (8.8 g, yield: 73%). preparation of compound 10-6 after dissolving compound 10-4 (8.3 g, 19.6 mmol), phenyl boronic acid (2.9 g, 23.6 mmol), pd(pph 3 ) 4 (1.2 g, 0.98 mmol), and k 2 co 3 (5.4 g, 39.20 mmol) in a mixture solvent of toluene 100 ml, etoh 25 ml, and h 2 o 25 ml in a flask, the mixture was stirred under reflux for 4 hours. the mixture was then cooled to room temperature, extracted with ea, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound 10-6 (6.2 g, yield: 67%). preparation of compound c-5 after dissolving compound 10-6 (5.4 g, 12.86 mmol), compound 10-7 (3.8 g, 14.10 mmol), pd 2 (dba) 3 (589 mg, 0.64 mmol), 2-dicyclohexylphosphino-2′,6′-dimethoxybiphenyl (s-phos) (528 mg, 1.29 mmol), and naotbu (1.9 g, 19.29 mmol) in o-xylene 64 ml in a flask, the mixture was stirred under reflux for 6 hours. after cooling the mixture to room temperature, meoh was added thereto, a solid was filtered, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound c-5 (5.7 g, yield: 68%). mwuvplm.p.c-5650.77378 nm485 nm307.7° c. example 11: preparation of compound c-16 preparation of compound 11-3 after introducing 7h-dibenzo[c,g]carbazole (20 g, 74.80 mmol), 1,4-dibromonaphthalene (53.5 g, 187.00 mmol), cuso 4 .5h 2 o (1.9 g, 7.5 mmol), k 2 co 3 (20.7 g, 149.60 mmol), and 1,2-dichlorobenzene 374 ml in a flask and dissolving the solutes in the solvent, the mixture was refluxed at 200° c. for 2 days. after completing the reaction, the mixture was filtered with dcm, dried, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound 11-3 (14.9 g, yield: 42%). preparation of compound 11-4 after dissolving compound 11-3 (14.9 g, 31.5 mmol), pinacolato diboron (9.6 g, 37.9 mmol), pdcl 2 (pph 3 ) 2 (2.2 g, 3.2 mmol), and koac (6.2 g, 63.0 mmol) in 1,4-dioxane 158 ml in a flask, the mixture was stirred under reflux for 5 hours. the mixture was then extracted with mc and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound 11-4 (8.6 g, yield: 52%). preparation of compound c-16 after dissolving compound 11-4 (5.7 g, 10.97 mmol), compound 11-6 (4.2 g, 13.20 mmol), pd(pph 3 ) 4 (634 mg, 0.55 mmol), and k 2 co 3 (3.0 g, 21.94 mmol) in a mixture solvent of toluene 60 ml, etoh 15 ml, and h 2 o 15 ml in a flask, the mixture was stirred under reflux for 2 hours and 30 minutes. after cooling the mixture to room temperature, meoh was added thereto, a solid was filtered, and separated with column chromatography to obtain compound c-16 (5.1 g, yield: 69%). mwuvplm.p.c-16674.81412 nm585 nm281.9° c. device examples 1-1 to 1-12: production of an organic electroluminescent device comprising the organic electroluminescent compound according to the present invention as a host an oled device was produced comprising the organic electroluminescent compound according to the present invention. a transparent electrode indium tin oxide (ito) thin film (10 ω/sq) on a glass substrate for an organic light-emitting diode (oled) device (geomatec, japan) was subjected to an ultrasonic washing with trichloroethylene, acetone, ethanol, and distilled water, sequentially, and was then stored in isopropanol. next, the ito substrate was mounted on a substrate holder of a vacuum vapor depositing apparatus. n 4 ,n 4′ -diphenyl-n 4 ,n 4′ -bis(9-phenyl-9h-carbazol-3-yl)-[1,1′-biphenyl]-4,4′-diamine was introduced into a cell of said vacuum vapor depositing apparatus, and then the pressure in the chamber of said apparatus was controlled to 10 −6 torr. thereafter, an electric current was applied to the cell to evaporate the above introduced material, thereby forming a first hole injection layer having a thickness of 80 nm on the ito substrate. dipyrazino[2,3-f:2′,3′-h]quinoxaline-2,3,6,7,10,11-hexacarbonitrile was then introduced into another cell of said vacuum vapor depositing apparatus, and was evaporated by applying an electric current to the cell, thereby forming a second hole injection layer having a thickness of 5 nm on the first hole injection layer. n-([1,1′-biphenyl]-4-yl)-9,9-dimethyl-n-(4-(9-phenyl-9h-carbazol-3-yl)phenyl)-9h-fluorene-2-amine was introduced into another cell of said vacuum vapor depositing apparatus, and was evaporated by applying an electric current to the cell, thereby forming a first hole transport layer having a thickness of 10 nm on the second hole injection layer. n-(4-(9,9-diphenyl-9h,9′h-[2,9′-bifluorene]-9′-yl)phenyl)-9,9-dimethyl-n-phenyl-9h-fluorene-2-amine was introduced into another cell of said vacuum vapor depositing apparatus, and was evaporated by applying an electric current to the cell, thereby forming a second hole transport layer having a thickness of 60 nm on the first hole transport layer. thereafter, host compounds as listed in table 1 below was introduced into one cell of the vacuum vapor depositing apparatus as a host, and compound d-96 was introduced into another cell as a dopant. the two materials were deposited in a doping amount of 3 wt % (the amount of dopant) based on the total amount of the host and dopant to form a light-emitting layer having a thickness of 40 nm on the second hole transport layer. 2,4-bis(9,9-dimethyl-9h-fluoren-2-yl)-6-(naphthalen-2-yl)-1,3,5-triazine and lithium quinolate were then introduced into another two cells, evaporated at the same time, and deposited to form an electron transport layer having a thickness of 30 nm on the light-emitting layer. next, after depositing lithium quinolate as an electron injection layer having a thickness of 2 nm on the electron transport layer, an al cathode having a thickness of 80 nm was deposited by another vacuum vapor deposition apparatus on the electron injection layer. thus, an oled device was produced. comparative examples 1-1 to 1-3: production of an organic electroluminescent device comprising a conventional organic electroluminescent material as a host an oled device was produced in the same manner as in the device examples above, except for using the compounds below as a host of the light-emitting material. the evaluation results of the organic electroluminescent devices produced in device examples 1-1 to 1-12 and comparative examples 1-1 to 1-3 are shown in table 1 as follows: table 1voltageefficiencylifespanhost(v)(cd/a)t98 (hr)colordevice example 1-1c-14.626.014reddevice example 1-2c-24.929.020reddevice example 1-3c-95.127.425reddevice example 1-4c-75.327.211reddevice example 1-5c-374.926.98reddevice example 1-6c-104.625.412reddevice example 1-7c-115.228.828reddevice example 1-8c-84.423.09reddevice example 1-9c-134.726.512reddevice example 1-10c-44.724.942reddevice example 1-11c-54.724.920reddevice example 1-12c-165.124.138redcomparativea4.623.20redexample 1-1comparativeb5.519.30redexample 1-2comparativec5.424.02redexample 1-3 the data of driving voltage, efficiency, and color coordinate in table 1 are based on 5,000 nit of luminance, and the lifespan data are time taken to be reduced from 100% to 98% of the luminance at 5,000 nit and a constant current. comparative example 2-1: production of a blue light-emitting organic electroluminescent device not comprising an electron buffer layer an oled device was produced as follows. a transparent electrode indium tin oxide (ito) thin film (10 ω/sq) on a glass substrate for an organic light-emitting diode (oled) device (geomatec, japan) was subjected to an ultrasonic washing with acetone, ethanol, and distilled water, sequentially, and was then stored in isopropanol. next, the ito substrate was mounted on a substrate holder of a vacuum vapor depositing apparatus. n 4 ,n 4′ -diphenyl-n 4 ,n 4′ -bis(9-phenyl-9h-carbazol-3-yl)-[1,1′-biphenyl]-4,4′-diamine was introduced into a cell of said vacuum vapor depositing apparatus, and then the pressure in the chamber of said apparatus was controlled to 10 −6 torr. thereafter, an electric current was applied to the cell to evaporate the above introduced material, thereby forming a first hole injection layer having a thickness of 60 nm on the ito substrate. 1,4,5,8,9,12-hexaazatriphenylene-hexacarbonitrile (hat-cn) was then introduced into another cell of said vacuum vapor depositing apparatus, and was evaporated by applying an electric current to the cell, thereby forming a second hole injection layer having a thickness of 5 nm on the first hole injection layer. n-([1,1′-biphenyl]-4-yl)-9,9-dimethyl-n-(4-(9-phenyl-9h-carbazol-3-yl)phenyl)-9h-fluorene-2-amine was introduced into another cell of said vacuum vapor depositing apparatus, and was evaporated by applying an electric current to the cell, thereby forming a first hole transport layer having a thickness of 20 nm on the second hole injection layer. 9-(naphthalen-2-yl)-3-(4-(9-phenyl-9h-carbazol-3-yl)phenyl)-9h-carbazole as below (ht-2) was introduced into another cell of said vacuum vapor depositing apparatus, and was evaporated by applying an electric current to the cell, thereby forming a second hole transport layer having a thickness of 5 nm on the first hole transport layer. thereafter, compound bh-1 as below was introduced into one cell of the vacuum vapor depositing apparatus as a host, and compound bd-1 as below was introduced into another cell as a dopant. the two materials were evaporated at different rates and were deposited in a doping amount of 2 wt % (the amount of dopant) based on the total amount of the host and dopant to form a light-emitting layer having a thickness of 20 nm on the second hole transport layer. 2-(3-(phenanthren-9-yl)-5-(pyridin-3-yl)phenyl)-4,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-triazine and lithium quinolate were then introduced into another two cells, evaporated at the same rate in an amount of 50 wt % each, and deposited to form an electron transport layer having a thickness of 35 nm on the light-emitting layer. next, after depositing lithium quinolate as an electron injection layer having a thickness of 2 nm on the electron transport layer, an al cathode having a thickness of 80 nm was deposited by another vacuum vapor deposition apparatus on the electron injection layer. thus, an oled device was produced. all the materials used for producing the oled device were those purified by vacuum sublimation at 10 −6 torr. a driving voltage at 1,000 nit of luminance, cie color coordinate, and time taken to be reduced from 100% to 90% of the luminance at 2,000 nit and a constant current of oleds are shown in table 2 below. comparative example 2-2, and device examples 2-1 and 2-2: production of a blue light-emitting organic electroluminescent device according to the present invention an oled device was produced in the same manner as in comparative example 2-1, except for reducing the thickness of the electron transport layer to 30 nm, and inserting an electron buffer layer of 5 nm between the light-emitting layer and the electron transport layer, and evaluated. the evaluation results of the devices produced in comparative example 2-2, and device examples 2-1 and 2-2 are shown in table 2 as follows: table 2electronvoltagelifespanbuffer layer(v)color(%)comparative example 2-1—4.2blue38.7comparative example 2-2c4.0blue34.0device example 2-1c-14.6blue57.8device example 2-2c-24.4blue64.1 the blue fluorescent materials used at present have several problems. first, when exposed to high temperature during a process of producing a panel, a current characteristic of the blue fluorescent luminescent device changes to cause a problem of a change in luminance, and a drop of an interfacial characteristic between a light-emitting layer and an electron injection layer causes a decrease in luminance and lifespan. second, in the case of devices comprising an anthracene based blue fluorescent host and a pyrene based dopant, an absolute value of a lumo (lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) energy of the host (ah) is higher than that of the dopant (ad), and hole traps are magnified so that efficiency increases due to interfacial luminescence between the electron transport layer and the fluorescent light-emitting layer, but there is a problem in that the lifespan decreases. originally, lumo energy and homo (highest occupied molecular orbital) energy levels have negative values. however, for convenience, the lumo energy level and homo energy level are expressed in absolute values in the present invention. in addition, the values of the lumo energy level are compared based on absolute values. in the present invention, values measured by density functional theory (dft) are used for the lumo energy level and homo energy level. in the blue organic electroluminescent device according to the present invention, by interposing an electron buffering layer, electron injection is controlled and interfacial characteristics between the light-emitting layer and the electron injection layer are improved, and thus lifespan characteristics are focused. specifically, by interposing an electron buffer layer in the organic electroluminescent device, electron injection and transport can be controlled due to the difference of electron affinity according to lumo energy level, between the light-emitting layer and the electron transport zone. in the organic electroluminescent device according to the present invention, the lumo energy level of the electron buffer layer may be higher than the lumo energy level of the host compound. specifically, the difference in the lumo energy levels between the electron buffer layer and the host compound may be 0.4 ev or less. for example, the lumo energy levels of the electron buffer layer and the host compound may be 2.0 ev and 1.6 ev, respectively, and thus the difference in the lumo energy levels may be 0.4 ev. due to such lumo barrier between the host compound and the electron buffer layer, improved lifespan characteristics can be shown compared to a device not comprising an electron buffer layer. this is because a drop of an interfacial characteristic within the device is mitigated through electron injection control effect due to the electron buffer layer. as shown in table 2, due to the electron injection control effect of the electron buffer layer of the present invention, device examples 2-1 and 2-2 showed better lifespan characteristics than comparative examples 2-1 and 2-2 which do not comprise an electron buffer layer. these results can be effectively used henceforth in the field of flexible display or lighting device which require long lifespan.
|
162-122-519-542-501
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
G02B23/14,G02F1/1335,H04N5/225,H04N5/232
| 2001-07-31T00:00:00 |
2001
|
[
"G02",
"H04"
] |
panel display assembly
|
a panel display assembly comprises an interface, a display panel, a backlight and a stage. the interface is electrically connected to the display panel and the backlight. the stage contains a lens to magnify the image projecting from the display panel, a reflecting mirror with 45 to the lens to reflect vertically an image from the lens, an eye lens atop the reflecting mirror to magnify an image from the reflecting mirror, and a viewfinder atop the eye lens from which a user can view an image from the eye lens.
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1 . a panel display assembly comprising an interface for inputting dc power and an image; a display panel electrically connected to the interface and used to display the image input by the interface; a backlight electrically connected to the interface and used to provide backlight to the display panel; a stage containing a lens to magnify the image projecting from the display panel, a reflecting mirror with 45 to the lens to reflect vertically an image from the lens, an eye lens atop the reflecting mirror to magnify an image from the reflecting mirror, and a viewfinder atop the eye lens from which a user can view an image from the eye lens. 2 . the panel display assembly as in claim 1 , wherein the lens is used to magnify an image from the display panel by 10-30 times. 3 . the panel display assembly as in claim 1 , wherein the eye lens is used to magnify an image from the reflecting mirror by 2-3 times. 4 . the panel display assembly as in claim 1 , wherein a flexible protective bushing is arranged around the viewfinder to shield light.
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field of the invention the present invention relates to a panel display assembly, especially to a panel display assembly with light weight and compact size. background of the invention the prior art panel display assembly with image-capturing camera is generally erective type. as shown in figs. 1 and 2 , the erective panel display assembly comprises a stage 60 containing an aspherical lens 65 and an eye lens 70 , and a display panel 75 . the above-mentioned panel display assembly is useful to a searcher or a fireman in a foggy or dark place. however, the distance between the aspherical lens 65 and the display panel 75 is generally 17.09 mm; the between the aspherical lens 65 and the eye lens 70 is at least 5.74. the overall size of the panel display assembly is large and the field of view is limited summary of the invention it is the object of the present invention to provide a panel display assembly with light weight, compact size, low cost and comfort to user. to achieve above object, the present invention provides a panel display assembly having an interface, a display panel, a backlight and a stage. the interface is electrically connected to the display panel and the backlight. the stage contains a lens to magnify the image projecting from the display panel, a reflecting mirror with 45 to the lens to reflect vertically an image from the lens, an eye lens atop the reflecting mirror to magnify an image from the reflecting mirror, and a viewfinder atop the eye lens from which a user can view an image from the eye lens. the various objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the appended drawing, in which: brief description of drawings fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a prior art erective panel display assembly; fig. 2 shows an exploded view of fig. 1 ; fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a panel display assembly of the present invention; fig. 4 shows a block diagram of a panel display assembly of the present invention; fig. 5 shows a practical application of the present invention. detailed description of the invention with reference now to figs. 3 and 4 , the present invention provides a panel display assembly, which comprises an l-shaped stage 1 , a display panel 2 , a backlight 3 and an interface 4 . the interface 4 is electrically connected to the display panel 2 and the backlight 3 , and provide dc power to the display panel 2 and the backlight 3 . moreover, the interface 4 provides an image input function. the backlight 3 provides a backlight for the display panel 2 . the l-shaped stage 1 contains a lens 11 used to magnify an image from the display panel 2 by 10-30 times. a reflecting mirror 12 is arranged with 45 to the lens 11 and reflects vertically the light from the lens 11 . an eye lens 13 is arranged atop the reflecting mirror 12 to magnify an image from the reflecting mirror 12 by 2-3 times. a viewfinder 15 is provided atop the eye lens 13 by which the user can view the image from the eye lens 13 . a flexible protective bushing 16 is arranged around the viewfinder 15 to shield light. fig. 5 shows a practical application of the present invention. the ray trace to the viewfinder 15 comes from the display panel 2 and through the lens 11 , the reflecting mirror 12 and the eye lens 13 , the image is magnified by the lens 11 and the eye lens 13 . to sum up, the panel display assembly of the present invention has following advantages: (1) light weight (2) compact size (3) low cost and practical (4) comfortable for user although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details thereof. various substitutions and modifications have suggested in the foregoing description, and other will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. therefore, all such substitutions and modifications are intended to be embraced within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
|
162-572-860-359-426
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
E01C19/20,E01H10/00
| 1977-09-16T00:00:00 |
1977
|
[
"E01"
] |
vehicular spreader for icy roads and the like
|
an auxiliary hopper is attached to the rear of a cinder spreading truck. the auxiliary hopper carries salt. the cinders and salt are discharged from their respective storage hoppers in predetermined proportions, are mixed and dumped onto a spreader for application to the roadway. a hydraulic control mechanism allows continuous variation of the proportions of salt and cinders in the mixture applied to the roadway.
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1. in a vehicle for applying materials to icy or snow-covered roadways, having a storage tank carrying a first material and a spreader for applying said first material to the roadway, the improvement comprising: auxiliary storage means mounted behind said storage tank for carrying a second material to be applied to the roadway, first discharge means for removing said materials from said storage tank, second discharge means for removing said second material from said auxiliary storage means, mixing means for mixing said materials, said second discharge means being positioned to discharge said second material on said first discharge means upstream of said mixing means, and control means for regulating the proportions of said first and second materials discharged from said storage tank and from said auxiliary storage means prior to said materials being applied to the roadway by said spreader. 2. the apparatus of claim 1 in which said control means includes a cab-mounted control mechanism for continuously adjusting the proportions of said first and second materials to be applied to the roadway. 3. the apparatus of claim 1 in which the discharge means of said auxiliary storage means comprises a slidable plate extending across the bottom of said auxiliary storage means and said control means comprises a cab-mounted control mechanism and a hydraulic drive mechanism for moving said slidable plate to various positions in response to the position of said control mechanism, whereby the proportions of said materials applied to the roadway may be continuously carried. 4. the apparatus of claim 1 in which the discharge means of said auxiliary storage means comprises: a first slidable plate extending across the bottom of said auxiliary storage means, a hand crank connected to said first slidable plate for moving said plate from a closed position in which the bottom of said auxiliary storage means is closed off to an open position in which said first slidable plate does not obstruct the bottom of said auxiliary storage means, and a second slidable plate parallel with said first slidable plate, and in which said control means comprises a control mechanism and a hydraulic drive mechanism for moving said second slidable plate across the bottom of said auxiliary storage means in response to the position of said control mechanism, whereby the proportions of said materials applied to the roadway may be continuously varied. 5. in a dumptruck for applying materials to icy or snow-covered roadways, having a bed carrying a first material and a spreader for applying said first material to the roadway, the improvement comprising: an auxiliary hopper attached to the rear of the bed of said truck for carrying a second material to be applied to the roadway, a discharge auger mounted transversely across the rear of said bed for removing said first material from said bed, a discharge auger for said auxiliary hopper mounted transversely across the bottom of said hopper, a mixing chamber into which both of said augers empty said first and second materials, and control means for regulating the proportions of said first and second materials discharged from said storage bed and from said auxiliary storage means prior to said materials being applied to the roadway by said spreader. 6. the apparatus of claim 5 in which said auxiliary hopper is pivotally connected to the upper half of the bed of said truck, so that as the front of said bed is raised, said auxiliary hopper swings away from said bed, allowing said bed to be emptied.
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this invention relates to vehicles used to apply materials to icy and snow-covered roadways. in particular, the invention is a mechanism which may be applied to most vehicles currently in use throughout the united states with very little modification to the existing chassis and body of the truck. prior to the instant invention, vehicles applying cinders and salt to a roadway have carried a predetermined mixture of cinders and salt in a single storage hopper or bed. as the operator drives down the highway, he can control the amount of the mixture applied to the roadway but he cannot vary the proportions of salt and cinders applied to the roadway after the hopper or bed of the truck has been loaded. in many instances, it is desirable to apply only cinders to a section of the roadway. in other instances, it is desirable to apply a much higher proportion of salt to a section of the roadway than is carried in the hopper or bed of the truck. the ecological impact of applying undesirable amounts of chemicals to icy and snow-covered roadways makes it extremely desirable for operators of such vehicles to be able to continuously vary the proportions of salt and cinders applied to such roadways. the present invention allows the operator of such vehicles to continuously vary the proportions of salt and cinders applied to the roadway. it is understood that materials other than salt and cinders may be loaded into the truck, but for purposes of explanation, we describe the invention with respect to the use of salt and cinders. an auxiliary hopper is attached to the rear of a cinder-spreading truck. the auxiliary hopper is loaded with salt and the discharge of the auxiliary hopper empties into a mixing region in which the salt is mixed with the cinders in predetermined proportions. the mixture is then dropped onto a spreader and applied to the roadway. the prior art includes spreader trucks which carry a single storage area which discharges its load onto a spinning spreader at a rate controlled by the operator and is applied to the roadway by the spreader. the prior art also includes sipusic u.s. pat. no. 3,239,106 which discloses a hand cart for dispensing proportions of tar and gravel on roof tops through the use of rather crude, hand-operated valves. the purpose of the valves in sipusic is to adjust for varying pitches of roof tops. there is no teaching in sipusic of continuously varying the proportions of the mixture dispensed from the apparatus. similarly, sipusic contains no suggestion of continuously applying various proportions of materials to icy or snow-covered roadways. a primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved system for applying materials to icy or snow-covered roadways in which the operator may continuously vary the proportions of materials being applied to the roadway. a further object of the invention is to provide a system which may be added onto existing trucks with very little modification to the chassis or body of the truck. other objects and advantages of the instant invention will become apparent from the following disclosure of the preferred embodiment and the drawings wherein: fig. 1 is a perspective view of a hopper body truck incorporating the invention; fig. 2 is a sectional view along the line 2--2 of fig. 1; fig. 3 is a sectional view along the line 3--3 of fig. 2 with features of the invention shown schematically; fig. 4 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a portion of the invention; fig. 5 is a sectional view along the line 5--5 of fig. 4; fig. 6 is a sectional view along the line 6--6 of fig. 5; fig. 7 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the invention; fig. 8 is a sectional view along the line 8--8 of fig. 7; fig. 9 is a perspective view of a dump truck incorporating an alternate embodiment of the invention; and fig. 10 is a sectional view along the line 10--10 of fig. 9. referring to the drawings, fig. 1 shows a conventional hopper body truck 10 having a cab 11, a hopper or storage tank 12 and a spreader 15. a discharge conveyor 20 is shown partially in phantom in fig. 1 and is shown best in fig. 2. discharge conveyor 20 is driven by hydraulic motor 29 which drives a shaft 28 carried by chassis 13 and a sprocket 27 which interlocks with lugs 26 on discharge conveyor 20. the hopper body truck 10, discharge conveyor 20 and spreader 15 represent the basic components of the prior art hopper body spreader trucks. as shown in fig. 2, a first material 16 such as cinders is carried in storage tank or hopper 12. discharge conveyor 20 carries cinders 16 in the direction of the arrows to the spreader 15 for application to the roadway. in accordance with the present invention, auxiliary storage means 30 is a hopper mounted on the rear of storage tank 12. auxiliary hopper 30 carries a second material 17 such as salt. auxiliary hopper 30 may be attached at point 31 by welding to the rear of storage tank 12. the bottom portion 32 of auxiliary hopper 30 is carried by the rearmost portion of the chassis 13 of truck 10. weather-tight foldable tops 33 and 34 protect the contents of auxiliary hopper 30 from the weather. discharge means 40 of auxiliary hopper 30 is positioned at the lowermost portion of auxiliary hopper 30. discharge means 40 shown in figs. 1 through 3 is primarily a gravity feed discharge system, assisted by chunk breaker 41 which extends transversely across the bottom portion of auxiliary hopper 30, rotating on shaft 42. hydraulic motor 49 drives the chunk breaker 41. as shown best in fig. 2, a first slidable plate 43 is driven by hand crank 44 which is threaded along its shaft 45. as the hand crank 44 is rotated, plate 43 moves across the bottom of auxiliary hopper 30 from a position in which plate 43 completely seals off the bottom of auxiliary hopper 30 to a position in which plate 43 is withdrawn beyond the rear wall 36 of auxiliary hopper 30. a second slidable plate 48 also extends across the bottom of auxiliary hopper 30 and is driven by hydraulic drive means 50. hydraulic drive means 50 is a hydraulic cylinder connected by lines 51 and 52 to a hydraulic control means 60 shown best in fig. 3. hydraulic control means 60 comprises a pump 61, cab-mounted control levers 62, 63 and 64 which control respectively a hydraulic motor 49 for chunk breaker 41, the hydraulic drive means 50 and hydraulic motor 29 which drives the discharge conveyor 20 of storage tank 12. the position of slidable plate 48 varies with the position of control lever 63 which is operated by the driver of the vehicle as the vehicle moves down the road. slidable plate 48 may be positioned so as to completely close off the bottom of auxiliary hopper 30, may be withdrawn past the rear wall 36 of auxiliary hopper 30 or may be positioned at any intermediate location between these extremes selected by the operator. it is possible to use either slidable plate 43 or slidable plate 48 alone. however, it is advantageous to incorporate the hand driven plate 43 in the apparatus in the event of a failure of the hydraulic control system. it is apparent that if only slidable plate 43 were utilized, the operator would have to stop the truck and walk to the rear of the vehicle and turn hand crank 44 to vary the rate at which salt is discharged from auxiliary hopper 30. the use of the cab-operated hydraulic control means 60 and 50 allows the operator to continuously vary the proportions of salt and cinders as he drives down the highway. a mixing means 70 is provided which in the embodiment shown in fig. 2 is a chamber in which the exterior walls converge in the downward direction. at the lowermost edge 71 of mixing means 70, the salt and cinders are dumped onto spreader 15 and are applied to the roadway as spreader 15 spins. the mixing of the salt and cinders begins as the two materials converge at the point indicated as numeral 72 in fig. 2. at this point, salt dropping downwardly from auxiliary hopper 30 converges with cinders passing along discharge conveyor 20 from storage tank 12. figs. 4 through 6 show an alternate discharge means 90 for auxiliary hopper 30. a positive displacement paddle wheel 91 is mounted transversely at the lowermost portion of auxiliary hopper 30a on a shaft 92 driven by hydraulic motor 93 connected to cab-mounted control lever 94. as the paddle wheel 91 is driven in the direction of the arrow 95, shown in fig. 5, salt 17 is positively displaced from auxiliary hopper 30a and is discharged downwardly onto conveyor 20. figs. 7 and 8 show an alternate form of the invention in which an alternate discharge means 180 is used for removing the contents of auxiliary hopper 130. in this embodiment, the lower portion of auxiliary hopper 130 is of different design than that shown in figs. 1-6. as shown in fig. 7, the front and rear walls 131 and 132 respectively are vertical and are triangular in shape. discharge means 180 comprises an auger 181 driven by hydraulic motor 193 in a similar fashion to hydraulic motor 93 shown in fig. 4. auger sleeve 182 extends beyond the rear wall 132 of auxiliary hopper 130 and has a recess 183 formed at the rearmost portion of sleeve 182 to allow the salt of drop directly onto discharge conveyor 20. figs. 9 and 10 show an alternate form of the invention as applied to a conventional dump truck 210 having a cab 211 and a bed 212. auxiliary storage means or auxiliary hopper 230 is attached to the rear of bed 212 by pins 213 which are carried on the upper half of bed 212 near rear wall 214. the bottom edge 237 of auxiliary hopper 230 is held against bed 212 by latch mechanism 219 normally used to secure a conventional tailgate. the contents of bed 212 may be emptied directly by opening latch mechanism 219, and as bed 212 is raised, auxiliary hopper 230 rotates with respect to pins 213, allowing cinders 216 to fall to the ground between the rear edge of bed 212 and the bottom edge 237 of auxiliary hopper 230. auxiliary hopper 230 has a weather-proof lid 231 hinged at pins 232 and with front and rear walls 233 and 234 which converge at their lowermost extremes around discharge auger 240. discharge auger 240 is driven by hydraulic motor 293 which is part of a hydraulic control circuit similar to that shown in fig. 3. bed 212 is emptied by discharge auger 220. discharge auger 220 is driven by hydraulic motor 294 and operates as the front 209 of bed 212 is raised. cinders 216 are then driven by auger 220 to the rear, driver side corner of bed 212 and are dropped into mixing chamber 270. by varying the speeds of augers 220 and 240, the operator can continuously vary the proportions of salt 217 and cinders 216 entering mixing chamber 270. the mixture drops onto the spreader 215 for application to the roadway. auger 220 is carried by the side walls 238 and 239 of auxiliary hopper 230. when latch mechanism 219 is released, auger 220 rotates with auxiliary hopper 230. spinner 215 is hingedly suspended from the lower wall of auxiliary hopper 230 and thereby remains horizontal irrespective of the position of bed 212 or auxiliary hopper 230.
|
162-695-382-561-741
|
KR
|
[
"US",
"KR",
"EP"
] |
G09G3/04,G06T7/90,G09G3/20,G09G5/04,H04N9/73,G09G5/02,H04N9/64
| 2021-05-21T00:00:00 |
2021
|
[
"G09",
"G06",
"H04"
] |
display device and method of operating the same
|
a display device includes a display configured to display an image and a controller configured to reduce a blue component in the image when an execution command of a blue light reduction function is received. the controller may detect a preset part or color and perform control such that an amount of reduction of a blue component of an area corresponding to the detected part or color is different from that of the remaining area.
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1. a display device comprising: a display configured to display an image; and a controller configured to: determine the image includes a first part having a human skin color, a second part having a white color, a third part having a blue color, a fourth part corresponding to a background and a fifth part corresponding to a boundary between a remaining area of the image and the first part, the second part, the third part, and the fourth part, and in response to an execution command for reducing a blue light of the display, individually reduce an amount of the blue light for each of the first part, the second part, the third part, the fourth part and the fifth part of the image, wherein the controller is further configured to: in response to the execution command for reducing the blue light of the display, individually reduce the amount of the blue light for each of the first part, the second part, the third part, the fourth part and the fifth part of the image to be less than that of a remaining part of the image, and wherein the controller is further configured to: gradually change a color in a vicinity of the boundary of the fifth part determined to be included in the image. 2. the display device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to: in response to determining the image includes the third part having the blue color, determine if the third part has a blue color value equal to or less than a preset reference value. 3. the display device of claim 2 , wherein the controller is further configured to: in response to determining the third part has the blue color value equal to or less than the preset reference value, reduce the amount of the blue light for the third part to be different than the amount of blue light reduced for the third part having the blue color greater than the preset reference value. 4. the display device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to: determine the image includes the first part having the human skin color by comparing the first part with a pre-stored rgb range recognized as a human skin color. 5. the display device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to: determine the image includes the second part having the white color by comparing the second part with a pre-stored rgb range recognized as a white color. 6. the display device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to: individually control a white point of each of the first part, the second part, the third part, the fourth part and the fifth part determined to be included in the image to reduce the amount of blue light. 7. the display device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to: individually reduce the amount of the blue light for each of the first part, the second part, the third part, the fourth part and the fifth part of the image to be less than that of the remaining part of the image by moving a white point (wp) an amount that is less than that of a wp in the remaining part of the image. 8. a method of operating a display device, comprising: displaying an image on a display of the display device; determining, via a controller of the display device, the image includes a first part having a human skin color, a second part having a white color, a third part having a blue color, a fourth part corresponding to a background and a fifth part corresponding to a boundary between a remaining area of the image and the first part, the second part, the third part, and the fourth part; in response to an execution command for reducing a blue light of the display, individually reducing, via the controller, an amount of the blue light for each of the first part, the second part, the third part, the fourth part and the fifth part of the image; in response to the execution command for reducing the blue light of the display, individually reducing the amount of the blue light for each of the first part, the second part, the third part, the fourth part and the fifth part of the image to be less than that of a remaining part of the image; and gradually change a color in a vicinity of the boundary of the fifth part determined to be included in the image. 9. the method of claim 8 , further comprising: in response to determining the image includes the third part having the blue color, determining if the third part has a blue color value equal to or less than a preset reference value. 10. the method of claim 9 , further comprising: in response to determining the third part has the blue color value equal to or less than the preset reference value, reducing the amount of the blue light for the third part to be different than the amount of blue light reduced for the third part having the blue color greater than the preset reference value. 11. the method of claim 8 , further comprising: determining the image includes the first part having the human skin color by comparing the first part with a pre-stored rgb range recognized a human skin color. 12. the method of claim 8 , further comprising: determining the image includes the second part having the white color by comparing the second part with a pre-stored rgb range recognized a white color. 13. the method of claim 8 , further comprising: individually control a white point of each of the first part, the second part, the third part, the fourth part and the fifth part determined to be included in the image. 14. the method of claim 8 , further comprising: individually reducing the amount of the blue light for each of the first part, the second part, the third part, the fourth part and the fifth part of the image to be less than that of the remaining part of the image by moving a white point (wp) an amount that is less than that of a wp in the remaining part of the image.
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cross-reference to related applications the present application claims priority under 35 u.s.c. 119 and 35 u.s.c. 365 to korean patent application no. 10-2021-0065782 filed on may 21, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. background the present disclosure relates to a display device and a method of operating the same and, more particularly, to blue light reduction function executed in a display device. blue light is a light source of blue in a wavelength range of 300 to 500 nanometers and has shortest wavelength and strong energy among visible lights. prolonged exposure to blue light is known to have adverse effects on eyes, such as eye fatigue or dry eye syndrome. therefore, a display device such as a smartphone, a computer monitor or a tv tends to provide a blue light reduction function. however, since the blue light reduction function intentionally reduces a blue component, there is a disadvantage in that a screen is output in yellow as a whole. due to this disadvantage, the blue light reduction function is being disregarded by users. summary the present disclosure provides a display device for minimizing color distortion while executing a blue light reduction function, and a method of operating the same. the present disclosure provides a display device for minimizing a problem that a screen is output in yellow while executing a blue light reduction function, and a method of operating the same. the present disclosure provides a display device for minimizing user inconvenience while executing a blue light reduction function, and a method of operating the same. according to the present disclosure, it is possible to minimize reduction of a blue component with respect to a part or color, change of which is sensitive to users while executing a blue light reduction function. a display device according to an embodiment of the present application comprises a display configured to display an image, and a controller configured to reduce a blue component in the image when an execution command of a blue light reduction function is received, wherein the controller detects a preset part or color and performs control such that an amount of reduction of a blue component of an area corresponding to the detected part or color is different from that of the remaining area. the controller performs control such that the amount of reduction of the blue component of the area corresponding to the detected part or color is less than that of the remaining area. the preset part comprises a part corresponding to human skin. the preset color comprises a white color. the preset color comprises a blue color. the preset part comprises a part having a b value equal to or less than a preset reference value. the preset part comprises a part corresponding to a background image. the controller reduces the blue component by moving a white point (wp), and an amount of movement of a wp in the area corresponding to the detected part or color is less than that of a wp in the remaining area. the controller gradually changes a color in the vicinity of a boundary between the area corresponding to the predetermined part or color and the remaining area. the controller performs control such that an amount of movement of a color in a protection area corresponding to the preset part or color according to execution of the blue light reduction function is different from that of a color in the remaining area. a method of operating a display device according to an embodiment of the present application comprises displaying an image, receiving an execution command of a blue light reduction function, and reducing a blue component in the image when the blue light reduction function is executed, wherein the reducing the blue component comprises detecting a preset part or color, and performing control such that an amount of reduction of a blue component of an area corresponding to the detected part or color is different from that of the remaining area. the detecting the preset part or color comprises detecting a part corresponding to human skin, a part corresponding to a b value equal to or less than a preset reference value, a part corresponding to a background image, a blue color or a white color. the reducing the blue component comprises reducing the blue component by moving a white point (wp), and an amount of movement of a wp in an area corresponding to the detected part or area is less than that of a wp in the remaining area. the reducing the blue component comprises gradually changing a color in the vicinity of a boundary between an area corresponding to the preset part or color and the remaining area. the method further comprising gradually changing a color in the vicinity of a boundary between an area corresponding to the preset part or color and the remaining area. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a remote control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. fig. 3 is a view illustrating an actual configuration of a remote control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. fig. 4 is a view of utilizing a remote control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. fig. 5 is a view illustrating a change in rgb according to a change in color temperature. fig. 6 shows a change in output image as a color temperature is reduced in the related art. fig. 7 is a control block diagram illustrating a blue light reduction function according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. fig. 8 is a view illustrating a color detected as a protection area by a color protection unit of fig. 7 . fig. 9 is a view illustrating an example of a method of differently controlling a wp by a controller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. fig. 10 is a view showing a protection rate applied to a low blue area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. fig. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. fig. 12 is a view showing the vicinity of a boundary between an area corresponding to a preset part or color and the remaining area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. fig. 13 is a view showing an image in which movement of a white point is confirmed for each area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. detailed description of the embodiments hereinafter, embodiments relating to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. the suffixes “module” and “interface” for components used in the description below are assigned or mixed in consideration of easiness in writing the specification and do not have distinctive meanings or roles by themselves. fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. referring to fig. 1 , a display device 100 can include a broadcast reception module 130 , an external device interface 135 , a storage 140 , a user input interface 150 , a controller 170 , a wireless communication interface 173 , a voice acquisition module 175 , a display 180 , an audio output interface 185 , and a power supply 190 . the broadcast reception module 130 can include a tuner 131 , a demodulator 132 , and a network interface 133 . the tuner 131 can select a specific broadcast channel according to a channel selection command. the tuner 131 can receive broadcast signals for the selected specific broadcast channel. the demodulator 132 can divide the received broadcast signals into video signals, audio signals, and broadcast program related data signals and restore the divided video signals, audio signals, and data signals to an output available form. the network interface 133 can provide an interface for connecting the display device 100 to a wired/wireless network including internet network. the network interface 133 can transmit or receive data to or from another user or another electronic device through an accessed network or another network linked to the accessed network. the network interface 133 can access a predetermined webpage through an accessed network or another network linked to the accessed network. that is, it can transmit or receive data to or from a corresponding server by accessing a predetermined webpage through network. then, the network interface 133 can receive contents or data provided from a content provider or a network operator. that is, the network interface 133 can receive contents such as movies, advertisements, games, vods, and broadcast signals, which are provided from a content provider or a network provider, through network and information relating thereto. additionally, the network interface 133 can receive firmware update information and update files provided from a network operator and transmit data to an internet or content provider or a network operator. the network interface 133 can select and receive a desired application among applications open to the air, through network. the external device interface 135 can receive an application or an application list in an adjacent external device and deliver it to the controller 170 or the storage 140 . the external device interface 135 can provide a connection path between the display device 100 and an external device. the external device interface 135 can receive at least one of image and audio outputted from an external device that is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the display device 100 and deliver it to the controller. the external device interface 135 can include a plurality of external input terminals. the plurality of external input terminals can include an rgb terminal, at least one high definition multimedia interface (hdmi) terminal, and a component terminal. an image signal of an external device inputted through the external device interface 135 can be outputted through the display 180 . a sound signal of an external device inputted through the external device interface 135 can be outputted through the audio output interface 185 . an external device connectable to the external device interface 135 can be one of a set-top box, a blu-ray player, a dvd player, a game console, a sound bar, a smartphone, a pc, a usb memory, and a home theater system but this is just exemplary. additionally, some content data stored in the display device 100 can be transmitted to a user or an electronic device, which is selected from other users or other electronic devices pre-registered in the display device 100 . the storage 140 can store signal-processed image, voice, or data signals stored by a program in order for each signal processing and control in the controller 170 . additionally, the storage 140 can perform a function for temporarily store image, voice, or data signals outputted from the external device interface 135 or the network interface 133 and can store information on a predetermined image through a channel memory function. the storage 140 can store an application or an application list inputted from the external device interface 135 or the network interface 133 . the display device 100 can play content files (for example, video files, still image files, music files, document files, application files, and so on) stored in the storage 140 and provide them to a user. the user input interface 150 can deliver signals inputted from a user to the controller 170 or deliver signals from the controller 170 to a user. for example, the user input interface 150 can receive or process control signals such as power on/off, channel selection, and screen setting from the remote control device 200 or transmit control signals from the controller 170 to the remote control device 200 according to various communication methods such as bluetooth, ultra wideband (wb), zigbee, radio frequency (rf), and ir. additionally, the user input interface 150 can deliver, to the controller 170 , control signals inputted from local keys (not shown) such as a power key, a channel key, a volume key, and a setting key. image signals that are image-processed in the controller 170 can be inputted to the display 180 and displayed as an image corresponding to corresponding image signals. additionally, image signals that are image-processed in the controller 170 can be inputted to an external output device through the external device interface 135 . voice signals processed in the controller 170 can be outputted to the audio output interface 185 . additionally, voice signals processed in the controller 170 can be inputted to an external output device through the external device interface 135 . besides that, the controller 170 can control overall operations in the display device 100 . additionally, the controller 170 can control the display device 100 by a user command or internal program inputted through the user input interface 150 and download a desired application or application list into the display device 100 in access to network. the controller 170 can output channel information selected by a user together with processed image or voice signals through the display 180 or the audio output interface 185 . additionally, according to an external device image playback command received through the user input interface 150 , the controller 170 can output image signals or voice signals of an external device such as a camera or a camcorder, which are inputted through the external device interface 135 , through the display 180 or the audio output interface 185 . moreover, the controller 170 can control the display 180 to display images and control broadcast images inputted through the tuner 131 , external input images inputted through the external device interface 135 , images inputted through the network interface, or images stored in the storage 140 to be displayed on the display 180 . in this case, an image displayed on the display 180 can be a still image or video and also can be a 2d image or a 3d image. additionally, the controller 170 can play content stored in the display device 100 , received broadcast content, and external input content inputted from the outside, and the content can be in various formats such as broadcast images, external input images, audio files, still images, accessed web screens, and document files. moreover, the wireless communication interface 173 can perform a wired or wireless communication with an external electronic device. the wireless communication interface 173 can perform short-range communication with an external device. for this, the wireless communication interface 173 can support short-range communication by using at least one of bluetooth™, radio frequency identification (rfid), infrared data association (irda), ultra wideband (uwb), zigbee, near field communication (nfc), wireless-fidelity (wi-fi), wi-fi direct, and wireless universal serial bus (usb) technologies. the wireless communication interface 173 can support wireless communication between the display device 100 and a wireless communication system, between the display device 100 and another display device 100 , or between networks including the display device 100 and another display device 100 (or an external server) through wireless area networks. the wireless area networks can be wireless personal area networks. herein, the other display device 100 can be a mobile terminal such as a wearable device (for example, a smart watch, a smart glass, and a head mounted display (hmd)) or a smartphone, which is capable of exchanging data (or inter-working) with the display device 100 . the wireless communication interface 173 can detect (or recognize) a communicable wearable device around the display device 100 . furthermore, if the detected wearable device is a device authenticated to communicate with the display device 100 , the controller 170 can transmit at least part of data processed in the display device 100 to the wearable device through the wireless communication interface 173 . accordingly, a user of the wearable device can use the data processed in the display device 100 through the wearable device. the voice acquisition module 175 can acquire audio. the voice acquisition module 175 may include at least one microphone (not shown), and can acquire audio around the display device 100 through the microphone (not shown). the display 180 can convert image signals, data signals, or osd signals, which are processed in the controller 170 , or images signals or data signals, which are received in the external device interface 135 , into r, g, and b signals to generate driving signals. furthermore, the display device 100 shown in fig. 1 is just one embodiment of the present disclosure and thus, some of the components shown can be integrated, added, or omitted according to the specification of the actually implemented display device 100 . that is, if necessary, two or more components can be integrated into one component or one component can be divided into two or more components and configured. additionally, a function performed by each block is to describe an embodiment of the present disclosure and its specific operation or device does not limit the scope of the present disclosure. according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, unlike fig. 1 , the display device 100 can receive images through the network interface 133 or the external device interface 135 and play them without including the tuner 131 and the demodulator 132 . for example, the display device 100 can be divided into an image processing device such as a set-top box for receiving broadcast signals or contents according to various network services and a content playback device for playing contents inputted from the image processing device. in this case, an operating method of a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure described below can be performed by one of the display device described with reference to fig. 1 , an image processing device such as the separated set-top box, and a content playback device including the display 180 and the audio output interface 185 . the audio output interface 185 receives the audio processed signal from the controller 170 and outputs the sound. the power supply 190 supplies the corresponding power throughout the display device 100 . in particular, the power supply 190 supplies power to the controller 170 that can be implemented in the form of a system on chip (soc), a display 180 for displaying an image, and the audio output interface 185 for outputting audio or the like. specifically, the power supply 190 may include a converter for converting an ac power source into a dc power source, and a dc/dc converter for converting a level of the dc source power. then, referring to figs. 2 and 3 , a remote control device is described according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a remote control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure and fig. 3 is a view illustrating an actual configuration of a remote control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. first, referring to fig. 2 , a remote control device 200 can include a fingerprint recognition module 210 , a wireless communication interface 220 , a user input interface 230 , a sensor 240 , an output interface 250 , a power supply 260 , a storage 270 , a controller 280 , and a voice acquisition module 290 . referring to fig. 2 , the wireless communication interface 220 transmits/receives signals to/from an arbitrary any one of display devices according to the above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure. the remote control device 200 can include an rf module 221 for transmitting/receiving signals to/from the display device 100 according to the rf communication standards and an ir module 223 for transmitting/receiving signals to/from the display device 100 according to the ir communication standards. additionally, the remote control device 200 can include a bluetooth module 225 for transmitting/receiving signals to/from the display device 100 according to the bluetooth communication standards. additionally, the remote control device 200 can include an nfc module 227 for transmitting/receiving signals to/from the display device 100 according to the near field communication (nfc) communication standards and a wlan module 229 for transmitting/receiving signals to/from the display device 100 according to the wireless lan (wlan) communication standards additionally, the remote control device 200 can transmit signals containing information on a movement of the remote control device 200 to the display device 100 through the wireless communication interface 220 . moreover, the remote control device 200 can receive signals transmitted from the display device 100 through the rf module 221 and if necessary, can transmit a command on power on/off, channel change, and volume change to the display device 100 through the ir module 223 . the user input interface 230 can be configured with a keypad button, a touch pad, or a touch screen. a user can manipulate the user input interface 230 to input a command relating to the display device 100 to the remote control device 200 . if the user input interface 230 includes a hard key button, a user can input a command relating to the display device 100 to the remote control device 200 through the push operation of the hard key button. this will be described with reference to fig. 3 . referring to fig. 3 , the remote control device 200 can include a plurality of buttons. the plurality of buttons can include a fingerprint recognition button 212 , a power button 231 , a home button 232 , a live button 233 , an external input button 234 , a voice adjustment button 235 , a voice recognition button 236 , a channel change button 237 , a check button 238 , and a back button 239 . the fingerprint recognition button 212 can be a button for recognizing a user's fingerprint. according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the fingerprint recognition button 212 can perform a push operation and receive a push operation and a fingerprint recognition operation. the power button 231 can be button for turning on/off the power of the display device 100 . the power button 231 can be button for moving to the home screen of the display device 100 . the live button 233 can be a button for displaying live broadcast programs. the external input button 234 can be button for receiving an external input connected to the display device 100 . the voice adjustment button 235 can be button for adjusting the size of a volume outputted from the display device 100 . the voice recognition button 236 can be a button for receiving user's voice and recognizing the received voice. the channel change button 237 can be a button for receiving broadcast signals of a specific broadcast channel. the check button 238 can be a button for selecting a specific function and the back button 239 can be a button for returning to a previous screen. again, fig. 2 is described. if the user input interface 230 includes a touch screen, a user can touch a soft key of the touch screen to input a command relating to the display device 100 to the remote control device 200 . additionally, the user input interface 230 can include various kinds of input means manipulated by a user, for example, a scroll key and a jog key, and this embodiment does not limit the scope of the present disclosure. the sensor 240 can include a gyro sensor 241 or an acceleration sensor 243 and the gyro sensor 241 can sense information on a movement of the remote control device 200 . for example, the gyro sensor 241 can sense information on an operation of the remote control device 200 on the basis of x, y, and z axes and the acceleration sensor 243 can sense information on a movement speed of the remote control device 200 . moreover, the remote control device 200 can further include a distance measurement sensor and sense a distance with respect to the display 180 of the display device 100 . the output interface 250 can output image or voice signals corresponding to a manipulation of the user input interface 230 or corresponding to signals transmitted from the display device 100 . a user can recognize whether the user input interface 230 is manipulated or the display device 100 is controlled through the output interface 250 . for example, the output interface 250 can include an led module 251 for flashing, a vibration module 253 for generating vibration, a sound output module 255 for outputting sound, or a display module 257 for outputting an image, if the user input interface 230 is manipulated or signals are transmitted/received to/from the display device 100 through the wireless communication interface 220 . additionally, the power supply 260 supplies power to the remote control device 200 and if the remote control device 200 does not move for a predetermined time, stops the power supply, so that power waste can be reduced. the power supply 260 can resume the power supply if a predetermined key provided at the remote control device 200 is manipulated. the storage 270 can store various kinds of programs and application data necessary for a control or operation of the remote control device 200 . if the remote control device 200 transmits/receives signals wirelessly through the display device 100 and the rf module 221 , the remote control device 200 and the display device 100 transmits/receives signals through a predetermined frequency band. the controller 280 of the remote control device 200 can store, in the storage 270 , information on a frequency band for transmitting/receiving signals to/from the display device 100 paired with the remote control device 200 and refer to it. the controller 280 controls general matters relating to a control of the remote control device 200 . the controller 280 can transmit a signal corresponding to a predetermined key manipulation of the user input interface 230 or a signal corresponding to a movement of the remote control device 200 sensed by the sensor 240 to the display device 100 through the wireless communication interface 220 . additionally, the voice acquisition module 290 of the remote control device 200 can obtain voice. the voice acquisition module 290 can include at least one microphone 291 and obtain voice through the microphone 291 . then, fig. 4 is described. fig. 4 is a view of utilizing a remote control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. fig. 4a illustrates that a pointer 205 corresponding to the remote control device 200 is displayed on the display 180 . a user can move or rotate the remote control device 200 vertically or horizontally. the pointer 205 displayed on the display 180 of the display device 100 corresponds to a movement of the remote control device 200 . since the corresponding pointer 205 is moved and displayed according to a movement on a 3d space as show in the drawing, the remote control device 200 can be referred to as a spatial remote controller. fig. 4b illustrates that if a user moves the remote control device 200 , the pointer 205 displayed on the display 180 of the display device 100 is moved to the left in correspondence thereto. information on a movement of the remote control device 200 detected through a sensor of the remote control device 200 is transmitted to the display device 100 . the display device 100 can calculate the coordinates of the pointer 205 from the information on the movement of the remote control device 200 . the display device 100 can display the pointer 205 to match the calculated coordinates. fig. 4c illustrates that while a specific button in the remote control device 200 is pressed, a user moves the remote control device 200 away from the display 180 . thus, a selection area in the display 180 corresponding to the pointer 205 can be zoomed in and displayed largely. on the other hand, if a user moves the remote control device 200 close to the display 180 , a selection area in the display 180 corresponding to the pointer 205 can be zoomed out and displayed reduced. on the other hand, if the remote control device 200 is away from the display 180 , a selection area can be zoomed out and if the remote control device 200 is close to the display 180 , a selection area can be zoomed in. additionally, if a specific button in the remote control device 200 is pressed, the recognition of a vertical or horizontal movement can be excluded. that is, if the remote control device 200 is moved away from or close to the display 180 , the up, down, left, or right movement can not be recognized and only the back and fourth movement can be recognized. while a specific button in the remote control device 200 is not pressed, only the pointer 205 is moved according to the up, down, left or right movement of the remote control device 200 . moreover, the moving speed or moving direction of the pointer 205 can correspond to the moving speed or moving direction of the remote control device 200 . furthermore, a pointer in this specification means an object displayed on the display 180 in correspondence to an operation of the remote control device 200 . accordingly, besides an arrow form displayed as the pointer 205 in the drawing, various forms of objects are possible. for example, the above concept includes a point, a cursor, a prompt, and a thick outline. then, the pointer 205 can be displayed in correspondence to one point of a horizontal axis and a vertical axis on the display 180 and also can be displayed in correspondence to a plurality of points such as a line and a surface. meanwhile, blue light may be generated on the display 180 . blue light is a light source of blue in a wavelength range of 300 to 500 nanometers and has shortest wavelength and strong energy among visible lights. prolonged exposure to blue light is known to have adverse effects on eyes, such as eye fatigue or dry eye syndrome. therefore, the display device 100 may provide a blue light reduction function. that is, the display device 100 may reduce blue light generated on the display 180 when the blue light reduction function is executed. specifically, the controller 170 may reduce output of a blue color on the display 180 , when executing the blue light reduction function. the controller 170 may reduce output of a blue color by controlling a color temperature. the controller may reduce output of a blue color by moving a white point (wp). next, the principle of reducing output of the blue color through color temperature control (or white point movement) will be described with respect to the drawings. meanwhile, although a description is based on a rgb color space in the present specification, this is merely an example for convenience of description and thus the present disclosure is not limited thereto. based on the rgb color space, each pixel expresses a color through a combination of r, g and b. in addition, each pixel may be implemented by an r subpixel, a g subpixel and a b subpixel, the r component may mean output of r subpixels, the g component may mean output of g subpixels and the b component may mean output of b subpixels. fig. 5 is a view illustrating a change in rgb according to a change in color temperature. (a) of fig. 5 shows rgb when a color temperature is about 9000 k and (b) of fig. 5 shows rgb when a color temperature is about 5000 k. referring to (a) and (b) of fig. 5 , when the color temperature is lowered, a white point wp moves from blue to yellow in a state in which vertexes of red, blue and green are fixed. therefore, even when the same image signal is input, the blue color output from the display 180 decreases and a yellow color increases. accordingly, when the color temperature is reduced, blue light decreases and yellow increases. fig. 6 shows a change in output image as a color temperature is reduced in the related art. (a) of fig. 6 shows an original image and (b) of fig. 6 shows an image output by reducing the color temperature of the same image as (a) of fig. 6 . referring to fig. 6 , when the color temperature is reduced and the white point moves as shown in fig. 5 , the blue color is generally reduced, but color distortion occurs. for example, an area a 1 or a 2 of fig. 6 has a white color but is output in yellow. in addition, an area a 3 of fig. 6 is a part of human skin and may be output in yellow as yellow becomes strong. in addition, an area a 4 has a blue color but is expressed in another color such as a blue green color due to reduction of the blue color. in the related art, as the colors of the color gamut move throughout the image by reducing the color temperature, the blue color is effectively reduced, but the other colors may be distorted. in particular, since human skin or a white color is a memory color, users may sensitively recognize a change in such colors and feel uncomfortable. in addition, when a blue color is a preferred color, a user may feel uncomfortable due to a change in preferred color. for this reason, users tend to avoid use of the blue light reduction function. therefore, the present disclosure provides a blue light reduction function capable of minimizing user inconvenience. specifically, the present disclosure provides a blue light reduction function capable of minimizing a change in memory color or preferred color. fig. 7 is a control block diagram illustrating a blue light reduction function according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and fig. 8 is a view illustrating a color detected as a protection area by a color protection unit of fig. 7 . the display device 100 may include at least one of a color protection unit 181 or a wp controller 188 . the color protection unit 181 and the wp controller 188 may be one component of the controller 170 . the color protection unit 181 may obtain a protection area in which a color change is minimized when executing the blue light reduction function. the protection area may be an area in which a color change is minimized when performing the blue light reduction function. the color protection unit 181 may preset the protection area. the color protection unit 181 may set an area having a specific part or a specific color as the protection area. the color protection unit 181 may detect a preset part or color and obtain an area corresponding to the detected part or color as the protection area. the preset part may include a part corresponding to human skin, a part having a b value equal to or less than a preset reference value or a part corresponding to a background image, but this is only an example and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. the preset color may include a white color or a blue color, but this is only an example and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. the color protection unit 181 may include at least one of a low blue protection unit 183 , a base protection unit 184 , a skin protection unit 185 or a white protection unit 186 . each of the low blue protection unit 183 , the base protection unit 184 , the skin protection unit 185 and the white protection unit 186 may detect a protection area in which a color change will be minimized. the low blue protection unit 183 may detect an area composed of pixels having a b value equal to or less than the preset reference value (e.g., a first reference value). in the case of a pixel having a small b value among rgb signals, the blue color in the pixel is mixed to express another color. the low blue protection unit 183 may detect a low blue area such that the corresponding color is accurately expressed by mixing the blue color as intended. in addition, since the amount of blue light emitted from the pixel having the small b value is very small compared to the total amount of blue light, the low blue protection unit 183 may detect a low blue area to minimize a color change in the low blue area. the base protection unit 184 may detect an area having a blue color. for example, the base protection unit 184 may detect an area composed of pixels having a b value equal to or greater than a preset reference value (e.g., a second reference value). a pixel having a large b value is intended to be expressed by a blue color and is to minimize a serious color distortion problem when it is expressed in another color in order to reduce blue light. accordingly, the base protection unit 184 may detect pixels having a b value equal to or greater than the preset reference value, that is, an area having a blue color, to minimize a color change in a blue color area. the area having the blue color is a color area such as a base area shown in fig. 8 , but this is only an example and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. the skin protection unit 185 may detect a part corresponding to human skin. the skin protection unit 185 may pre-store an rgb range (e.g., a first rgb range) recognized as a human skin color. accordingly, the skin protection unit 185 may detect a part corresponding to the pre-stored rgb range as a part corresponding to human skin. the part corresponding to human skin may be a color area such as a skin area of fig. 8 , but this is only an example and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. the white protection unit 186 may detect an area corresponding to a white color. similarly, the white protection unit 186 may pre-store an rgb range (e.g., a second rgb range) recognized as a white color. accordingly, the white protection unit 186 may detect a part corresponding to the pre-stored rgb range as an area corresponding to a white color. the area corresponding to the white color may be a color area such as a white area of fig. 8 , but is only an example and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. meanwhile, although not shown in fig. 7 , the color protection unit 181 may further include a background protection unit (not shown). the background protection unit (not shown) may detect a part corresponding to a background image. for example, the background protection unit (not shown) may detect an object in an image through object detection, and detect a part corresponding to a background image based on the detected object. when the color of the background image is changed, users may sensitively recognize it. therefore, in order to minimize this, the background protection unit (not shown) may detect the part corresponding to the background image. meanwhile, performing object detection in order to detect the part corresponding to the background image is only an example, and there may be various methods of detecting the part corresponding to the background image. as described above, the color protection unit 181 may detect an area corresponding to human skin, a part corresponding to a b value equal to or less than a preset reference value, an area corresponding to a white color or a blue color and a part corresponding to a background image. the wp controller 188 may control the white point of the image. specifically, the wp controller 188 may control the white point of at least one area of the image. when the image is divided into a plurality of areas, the wp controller 188 may control the wp of each of the plurality of areas. for example, the wp controller 188 may control the location of the wp of an area detected by the color protection unit 181 to be different from that of the wp of an area which is not detected by the color protection unit 181 . the wp controller 188 may individually control the wp such that the amount of reduction of a blue component of the protection area detected by the color protection unit 181 is less than that of the remaining area. for example, the wp controller 188 may perform control such that the wp of the protection area detected by the base protection unit 184 , the skin protection unit 185 , the white protection unit 186 or the background protection unit (not shown) is different from that of the remaining area. fig. 9 is a view illustrating an example of a method of differently controlling a wp by a controller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. the controller 170 may change the wp of an area corresponding to a preset part or color from a first wp wp 1 to a second wp wp 2 as shown in (a) of fig. 9 , and change the wp of the remaining area from the first wp wp 1 to a third wp wp 3 as shown in (b) of fig. 9 . that is, the controller 170 may differently move the location of the white point wp depending on whether it is a preset part or color. the second wp wp 2 may be closer to a blue vertex than the third wp wp 3 . therefore, the amount of reduction of the blue component in an area corresponding to the preset part or color may be controlled to be less than that of the blue component in the remaining area. meanwhile, the wp of the area detected by the low blue protection unit 183 may be differently controlled as described above. however, in this case, since color distortion is highly likely to occur and thus the controller 170 may change the wp of the area detected by the low blue protection unit 183 to be equal to that of the remaining area and separately control the amount of reduction of the b value. for example, the controller 170 changes at least one of the r value, g value and b value of each pixel according to change in wp, and may apply a protection rate such that the change of the b value is minimized. that is, the controller 170 may calculate the amount of movement of rgb for each pixel while changing the wp to the third wp as shown in (b) of fig. 9 in the case of the low blue area. at this time, in the case of the b value, the calculated amount of movement may be small by applying the protection rate. the protection rate may be a constant for reducing the amount of reduction of the b value. the protection rate may be applied to only a pixel having a b value less than a preset reference value. that is, the protection rate may be applied to a pixel in a row blue area. in addition, as the b value decreases, the protection rate may increase. fig. 10 is a view showing a protection rate applied to a low blue area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. when a horizontal axis is a b value and a vertical axis is a protection rate, the protection rate of 0 is applied to a pixel having a b value equal to or greater than a preset reference value, such that the b value is reduced according to movement of the wp. meanwhile, the controller 170 may apply a protection rate greater than 0 and equal to or less than 1 to a pixel having a b value less than a preset reference value, thereby reducing the b value to be less than the amount of reduction according to movement of the wp. for example, the controller 170 may reduce the b value from 20 to 10 as the wp of a specific area is changed. that is, the amount of reduction of the b value according to change of the wp may be 10. however, when the area corresponds to a low blue area, the controller 170 may control the amount of reduction of the b value to 10 or less according to the protection rate. that is, the controller 170 may control the b value to a value between 20 to 10. in summary, the controller 170 may apply the protection rate, such that the amount of reduction of the b value according to change of the wp is 10 but the amount of reduction of the b value in the low blue area is 10 or less. therefore, the controller 170 can increase reproducibility of an intended color in the low blue area. fig. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. the controller 170 may receive an execution command of a blue light reduction function (s 10 ). for example, the display 180 may display a menu for receiving whether the blue light reduction function is executed. the controller 170 may receive a command for selecting whether the blue light reduction function is executed through the menu displayed on the display 180 . the controller 170 may receive the execution command of the blue light reduction function through the user input interface 150 . when the execution command of the blue light reduction function is received, the controller 170 may reduce a blue component in an image. that is, the controller 170 may reduce the b value of each pixel configuring the image. meanwhile, according to the present disclosure, the controller 170 may detect a preset part or a preset color and perform control such that the amount of reduction of a blue component of an area corresponding to the detected part or color is different from that of the remaining area. specifically, the controller 170 may perform control such that the amount of reduction of a blue component of an area corresponding to the detected part or color is less than that of the remaining area. hereinafter, this will be described in detail. when the execution command of the blue light reduction function is received, the controller 170 may detect the preset part or color (s 20 ). the preset part or color may be the above-described protection area. that is, the protection area may include a blue area (an area having a b value equal to or less than a preset reference value), an area corresponding to a blue color, an area corresponding to a white color, an area corresponding to human skin or an area corresponding to a background image. the controller 170 may perform control such that the amount of reduction of the blue component of the area corresponding to the detected part or color is less than that of the remaining area (s 30 ). according to an embodiment, the controller 170 may reduce the blue component by moving a white point (wp). specifically, the controller 170 may perform control such that the amount of reduction of the blue component of the area corresponding to the detected part or color is less than that of the remaining area, by changing the wp of the area corresponding to the detected part or color to be different from that of the remaining area. that is, the controller 170 may perform control such that the amount of movement of a color in the protection area corresponding to the preset part or color according to execution of the blue light reduction function is different from that of the color in the remaining area. therefore, the amount of movement of the wp in the area corresponding to the part or color detected in step s 20 may be less than that of the wp in the remaining area. according to another embodiment, the controller 170 may perform control such that the amount of reduction of the blue component of the area corresponding to the detected part or color is less than that of the remaining area, by applying a protection rate such that the amount of reduction of the b value of the area corresponding to the detected part or color is less than that of the remaining area. meanwhile, the above-described embodiments may be combined. in addition, the controller 170 may perform control such that a color is gradually changed in the vicinity of a boundary between the area corresponding to the preset part or color and the remaining area (s 40 ). fig. 12 is a view showing the vicinity of a boundary between an area corresponding to a preset part or color and the remaining area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. the vicinity of the boundary between the area corresponding to the preset part or color and the remaining area may include pixels corresponding to the boundary between the area corresponding to the preset part or color and the remaining area and the corresponding pixel±n pixels (e.g., n being 5). for example, the vicinity of the boundary of the area corresponding to the preset part or color and the remaining area may be first to fourth blocks b 1 , b 2 , b 3 and b 4 shown in fig. 12 , but this is only an example and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. the controller 170 may adjust the rgb value of the corresponding pixel such that a color is gradually changed in the vicinity of the boundary between the area corresponding to the preset part or color and the remaining area. that is, the color may be rapidly changed in the boundary between the area corresponding to the preset part or color and the remaining area. that is, the color may be rapidly changed in the boundary between the area corresponding to the preset part or color and the remaining area. therefore, in order to suppress such a rapid change, the controller 170 may generate soft transition. the controller 170 may gradually change the color in the vicinity of the boundary between the area corresponding to the preset part or color and the remaining area. in some embodiments, step s 40 may be omitted. according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the wp of the image may be adaptively moved for each area, instead of global movement. that is, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, local adaptive wp movement may be performed instead of global wp. local adaptive wp movement of the present disclosure may be confirmed through output of the image shown in fig. 13 . fig. 13 is a view showing an image in which movement of a white point is confirmed for each area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. the controller 170 may receive an image including at least one of a skin color, a white color, a low blue color or a blue color and at least one of the other colors, and, in this case, perform control such that the wp of the skin color, the white color, the low blue color or the blue color is different from that of the other color. here, the low blue color has a b value equal to or less than a preset reference value and has an r value and a g value less than the b value. as a specific example, the controller 170 may receive an image including a skin color, a white color, a low blue color, a yellow color, a red color, a magenta color, a green color, a cyan color and a blue color, but this is merely an example and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. according to an embodiment, when the image shown in fig. 13 is input while the blue light reduction function is executed, the controller 170 may perform control such that the wp of each of the skin color, the white color, the low blue color and the blue color is different from that of each of the yellow color, the red color, the magenta color, the green color and the cyan color. different wps may mean that the locations of the wps are different. according to another embodiment, when the image shown in fig. 13 is input while the blue light reduction function is executed, the controller 170 may perform control such that the wp of each of the skin color, the white color and the blue color is different from that of each of the low blue color, the yellow color, the red color, the magenta color, the green color and the cyan color, and, at the same time, apply a protection rate to the b value of the low blue color, thereby reducing the amount of reduction of the b value. according to the above-described various embodiments, it can be seen that the wp of at least a partial area is different from that of the other area. that is, it can be seen that, when the wp of the at least partial area is changed to be different from that of the other area, the amount of reduction of the blue component of a specific area is less than that of the remaining area. according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, since a change in specific part or color is minimized while a blue light reduction function is executed, and a blue component is reduced in the remaining part, it is possible to reduce blue light while minimizing color distortion. according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, since a change in part or color, change of which is sensitive to users, is minimized, it is possible to reduce blue light while minimizing user inconvenience. the present disclosure may be embodied as computer-readable code on a medium having a program recorded thereon. the computer-readable recording medium may be all types of recording devices that can store data which can be read by a computer system. examples of the computer-readable medium may include a hard disk drive (hdd), a solid state disk (ssd), a silicon disk drive (sdd), a rom, a ram, a cd-rom, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, and an optical data storage device. therefore, the detailed description should not be construed as restrictive in all respects and should be considered as illustrative. the scope of this specification should be determined by reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the equivalent scope of this specification are included in the scope of this specification. the above description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present disclosure, and various modifications and changes may be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present disclosure. therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not intended to limit the technical spirit of the present disclosure but to illustrate the technical idea of the present disclosure, and the technical spirit of the present disclosure is not limited by these embodiments. the scope of protection of the present disclosure should be interpreted by the appending claims, and all technical ideas within the scope of equivalents should be construed as falling within the scope of the present disclosure.
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164-333-622-861-511
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US
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[
"US"
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H01M4/38,H01M4/62,H01M10/0525,H01M4/131,H01M4/136
| 2011-09-30T00:00:00 |
2011
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[
"H01"
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lithium ion battery electrodes including graphenic carbon particles
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lithium ion battery electrodes including graphenic carbon particles are disclosed. lithium ion batteries containing such electrodes are also disclosed. the graphenic carbon particles may be used in cathodes of such batteries by depositing a graphenic carbon particle-containing coating of a conductive substrate such as a metal foil the use of graphenic carbon particles in the cathodes results in improved performance of the lithium ion batteries.
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1 . a lithium ion battery electrode material comprising: a lithium-containing active material; thermally produced graphenic carbon particles; and a binder. 2 . the lithium ion battery electrode material of claim 1 , comprising from 80 to 99.5 weight percent of the lithium-containing material, from 0.5 to 10 weight percent of the thermally produced graphenic carbon particles, and from 0.5 to 10 weight percent of the binder. 3 . the lithium ion battery electrode material of claim 1 , wherein the lithium-containing active material comprises from 87 to 99 weight percent, and the thermally produced graphenic carbon particles comprise from 1 to 8 weight percent. 4 . the lithium ion battery electrode material of claim 1 , wherein the lithium-containing active material comprises lithium iron phosphate, lithium cobalt oxide, lithium nickel cobalt aluminate, lithium manganate, lithium nickel cobalt manganate or a combination thereof. 5 . the lithium ion battery electrode material of claim 1 , wherein the thermally produced graphenic carbon particles have aspect ratios of greater than 3:1 and are produced in a thermal zone having a temperature of greater than 3,500° c. 6 . the lithium ion battery electrode material of claim 1 , wherein the thermally produced graphenic carbon particles have average thicknesses of from 0.3 to 6 nanometers. 7 . the lithium ion battery electrode material of claim 1 , wherein the thermally produced graphenic carbon particles have bet specific surface area of greater than 70 square meters per gram. 8 . the lithium ion battery electrode material of claim 10 , wherein the binder comprises a polymer selected from pvdf, acrylics or a combination thereof. 9 . the lithium ion battery electrode material of claim 1 , further comprising a dispersant. 10 . the lithium ion battery electrode material of claim 1 , wherein the battery electrode material is provided as a layer on a conductive substrate. 11 . the lithium ion battery electrode material of claim 10 , wherein the layer of battery electrode material has a thickness of from 10 to 500 microns. 12 . the lithium ion battery electrode material of claim 10 , wherein the layer of battery electrode material has a thickness of from 20 to 200 microns. 13 . the lithium ion battery electrode material of claim 1 , wherein the battery electrode material has an electrical resistivity of less than 240 ohms/square. 14 . the lithium ion battery electrode material of claim 1 , wherein the battery electrode material has an electrical resistivity of less than 100 ohms/square. 15 . a lithium ion battery cathode material comprising: a lithium-containing active material; graphenic carbon particles; and a binder, wherein the material has an electrical resistivity of less than 200 ohms/square. 16 . a lithium ion battery comprising: an anode; a cathode; a separator between the anode and the cathode; and an electrolyte in contact with the anode and the cathode, wherein the cathode comprises a coating of a lithium-containing active material, thermally produced graphenic carbon particles, and a binder. 17 . the lithium ion battery of claim 16 , wherein the cathode coating is provided on a conductive substrate comprising a metal foil.
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cross reference to related applications this application is a continuation-in-part of u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/348,280 filed mar. 28, 2014, which is a national phase of pct int'l patent application serial no. pct/us2012/057811 filed sep. 28, 2012 which claims priority to u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/249,315 filed sep. 30, 2011, now u.s. pat. no. 8,486,363 issued jul. 16, 2013, and also claims priority to u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/309,894 filed dec. 2, 2011, now u.s. pat. no. 8,486,364 issued jul. 16, 2013, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. field of the invention the present invention relates to lithium ion battery electrodes including graphenic carbon particles. background of the invention lithium ion batteries are well known. lithium ion battery cathode coatings use conductive carbon to transport electrons from electroactive lithium compounds, such as lithium iron phosphate or nickel, cobalt doped lithium manganate, to a metal foil collector such as aluminum. graphite anodes in lithium ion batteries also require conductive carbon to carry electrons to collectors such as copper. while essential for the performance of a lithium ion battery during the charge and discharge cycles, conductive carbon adds weight and volume to the electrode coating without contributing to the capacity, or energy density, of the battery. since batteries are used for energy storage, energy density of a lithium ion battery should be maximized. ideally a cathode coating would be comprised solely of materials that store energy without carrying the overhead associated with materials that serve other functions but do not store energy like conductive carbon and polymer binders, etc. however, the need to harvest energy from a battery at a high discharge current requires the coating to suffer the addition of conductive carbon to carry charge with maximum power density. this conductive carbon content lowers battery capacity. using a more highly conductive electron transporting material like the highly conductive graphene evaluated for this invention can increase the percentage of energy storage material in the coating and consequently increase overall battery capacity. summary of the invention an aspect of the invention provides a lithium ion battery electrode material comprising a lithium-containing active material, thermally produced graphenic carbon particles, and a binder. another aspect of the invention provides a lithium ion battery cathode material comprising a lithium-containing active material, thermally produced graphenic carbon particles, and a binder. a further aspect of the present invention provides a lithium ion battery comprising an anode, a cathode, a separator between the anode and the cathode, and an electrolyte in contact with the anode and the cathode. the cathode comprises a coating of a lithium-containing active material, thermally produced graphenic carbon particles, and a binder. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a partially schematic side sectional view of a lithium ion battery including a cathode comprising graphenic carbon particles in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. figs. 2-5 are graphs showing sheet resistances of various coating samples. fig. 6 is a graph of capacity loss versus discharge rates for test battery cells having different cathode materials. detailed description of embodiments of the invention fig. 1 schematically illustrates a lithium ion battery 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. the battery 100 includes an anode 20 , a cathode 10 , a separator 40 between the anode and cathode, and an electrolyte 30 in contact with the anode and cathode. a casing 50 is provided in electrical contact with the anode 20 . a terminal 60 is in electrical contact with the cathode 10 . the electrolyte 30 of the lithium ion battery 100 may comprise any known electrolyte material conventionally used in lithium ion batteries, such as lithium-containing electrolyte salts dissolved in organic solvents. examples of lithium-containing electrolyte salts include liclo 4 , liasf 6 , lipf 6 , libf 4 , lib(c 6 h 5 ) 4 , lib(c 2 o 4 ) 2 , ch 3 so 3 li, cf 3 so 3 li, licl, libr and the like. examples of organic solvents include propylene carbonate, ethylene carbonate, diethyl carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, 1,2-dimethoxyethane, 1,2-diethoxyethane, γ-butyrolactone, tetrahydrofuran, 2-methyl tetrahydrofuran, 1,3-dioxolane, 4-methyl-1,3-dioxolane, diethyl ether, sulfolane, methylsulfolane, acetonitrile, propionitrile, anisole, acetate, butyrate, propionate and the like. in certain embodiments, cyclic carbonates such as propylene carbonate, or chain carbonates such as dimethyl carbonate and diethyl carbonate may be used. these organic solvents can be used singly or in a combination of two types or more. in certain embodiments, the electrolyte 30 may also comprise additives or stabilizers such as vc (vinyl carbonate), vec (vinyl ethylene carbonate), ea (ethylene acetate), tpp (triphenylphosphate), phosphazenes, libob, libeti, litfsi, bp (biphenyl), ps (propylene sulfite), es (ethylene sulfite), amc (allylmethylcarbonate), and apv (divinyladipate). the anode 20 of the lithium ion battery 100 may be of any known type such as lithium metal, graphite, lithium titanate, silicon and the like and may comprise a conductive substrate such as copper foil, or other metal foils, having conductive particles deposited on one or both sides thereof. in certain embodiments, the conductive particles may comprise graphenic carbon particles, for example, as disclosed in u.s. application ser. no. 13/836,415, which is incorporated herein by reference. the graphenic carbon particle-containing anode material may include a mixture of the graphenic carbon particles with lithium-reactive particles such as si and/or sn and a binder. in accordance with embodiments of the invention, the cathode 10 of the lithium ion battery 100 includes a lithium-containing active material, graphenic carbon particles, and a binder. as more fully described below, the graphenic carbon particles may be thermally produced. the cathode may comprise an electrically conductive substrate, for example, a metal foil comprising al, carbon-coated aluminum foil, aluminum-celmet or the like. a coating of the present cathode material may be deposited and cured on the substrate to form a coating having a typical dry film thickness of from 5 or 10 to 500 microns, for example, from 20 or 25 to 200 microns, for example, from 50 to 100 microns. the lithium-containing active material of the cathode coating may include lifepo 4 , carbon-coated lithium iron phosphate, lithium cobalt oxide, lithium nickel cobalt aluminates, lithium manganate, lithium nickel cobalt manganates and the like. in certain embodiments, the lithium-containing active material comprises from 50 to 99.9 weight percent of the cured cathode coating material, for example, from 80 to 99.5 weight percent, or from 87 to 99 weight percent. in certain embodiments, the graphenic carbon particles comprise from 0.25 to 25 weight percent of the cured cathode coating material, for example, from 0.5 to 10 weight percent, or from 1 or 2 to 8 weight percent. in accordance with embodiments of the invention, the type and amount of graphenic carbon particles added to the cathode coating material are selected in order to reduce the electrical resistance of the cathode material to a level typically below 300 ohms/square, for example, below 250 ohms/square, or below 240 ohms/square, or below 200 ohms/square, or below 150 ohms/square. the resistance, in units of ohms/square, may be measured by a standard, commercially available four-point test probe. the binder may typically include polyvinylidene fluoride (pvdf), acrylics, cellulosics such as carboxymethylcellulose and the like. in certain embodiments, the binder comprises from 0.25 to 25 weight percent of the cured cathode coating material, for example, from 0.5 to 10 weight percent, or from 1 or 2 to 8 weight percent. in certain embodiments, a dispersant such as an acrylic may be added, e.g., the graphenic carbon particles may initially be mixed with a dispersant prior to their mixture with the binder. in certain embodiments, conductive carbon particles may optionally be added to the cathode coating material. the carbon particles may be in the form of carbon black, graphite and/or carbon nanospheres. the amount of conductive carbon particles added to the cathode coating material may be up to 25 weight percent of the cathode coating material solids, for example, from 0.25 to 10 weight percent, or from 1 or 2 to 8 weight percent. when conductive carbon particles are included, the weight ratio of graphenic carbon particles to conductive carbon particles may typically range from 1:99 to 99:1 for example, from 80:20 to 20:80, or from 45:55 to 55:45. in certain embodiments, the cathode coating material may include optional additives such as non-thermally produced graphenic carbon particles in a total amount of 10 weight percent. the non-thermally produced graphenic carbon particles may be obtained from commercial sources, for example, from angstron, xg sciences and other commercial sources. other optional additives include surfactants, rheology modifiers, corrosion inhibitors and the like in a total amount of 15 weight percent. in certain embodiments, the cathode coating material may be produced from a dispersion or a solution comprising an aqueous solvent or an organic solvent. examples of organic solvents include n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone and the like. the amount of solvent contained in the dispersion may typically range from 25 to 90 weight percent, for example, from 40 to 75 weight percent, or from 55 to 70 weight percent. as used herein, the term “graphenic carbon particles” means carbon particles having structures comprising one or more layers of one-atom-thick planar sheets of sp 2 -bonded carbon atoms that are densely packed in a honeycomb crystal lattice. the average number of stacked layers may be less than 100, for example, less than 50. in certain embodiments, the average number of stacked layers is 30 or less, such as 20 or less, 10 or less, or, in some cases, 5 or less. the graphenic carbon particles may be substantially flat, however, at least a portion of the planar sheets may be substantially curved, curled, creased or buckled. the particles typically do not have a spheroidal or equiaxed morphology. in certain embodiments, the graphenic carbon particles present in the electrode compositions of the present invention have a thickness, measured in a direction perpendicular to the carbon atom layers, of no more than 10 nanometers, no more than 5 nanometers, or, in certain embodiments, no more than 4 or 3 or 2 or 1 nanometers, such as no more than 3.6 nanometers. in certain embodiments, the graphenic carbon particles may be from 1 atom layer up to 3, 6, 9, 12, 20 or 30 atom layers thick, or more. in certain embodiments, the graphenic carbon particles present in the compositions of the present invention have a width and length, measured in a direction parallel to the carbon atoms layers, of at least 50 nanometers, such as more than 100 nanometers, in some cases more than 100 nanometers up to 500 nanometers, or more than 100 nanometers up to 200 nanometers. the graphenic carbon particles may be provided in the form of ultrathin flakes, platelets or sheets having relatively high aspect ratios (aspect ratio being defined as the ratio of the longest dimension of a particle to the shortest dimension of the particle) of greater than 3:1, such as greater than 10:1. in certain embodiments, at least a portion of the graphenic carbon particles may have lower aspect ratios, e.g., some of the particles may be substantially equiaxed or ball-like in shape. in certain embodiments, the graphenic carbon particles used in the electrode compositions of the present invention have relatively low oxygen content. for example, the graphenic carbon particles used in certain embodiments of the compositions of the present invention may, even when having a thickness of no more than 5 or no more than 2 nanometers, have an oxygen content of no more than 2 atomic weight percent, such as no more than 1.5 or 1 atomic weight percent, or no more than 0.6 atomic weight, such as about 0.5 atomic weight percent. the oxygen content of the graphenic carbon particles can be determined using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, such as is described in d. r. dreyer et al., chem. soc. rev. 39, 228-240 (2010). in certain embodiments, the graphenic carbon particles used in the electrode compositions of the present invention have a b.e.t. specific surface area of at least 50 square meters per gram, such as 70 to 1000 square meters per gram, or, in some cases, 200 to 1000 square meters per grams or 200 to 400 square meters per gram. as used herein, the term “b.e.t. specific surface area” refers to a specific surface area determined by nitrogen adsorption according to the astmd 3663-78 standard based on the brunauer-emmett-teller method described in the periodical “the journal of the american chemical society”, 60, 309 (1938). in certain embodiments, the graphenic carbon particles used in the electrode compositions of the present invention have a typical raman spectroscopy (532 nm laser) 2d/g peak ratio of from 0.5:1 to 1.5:1, for example, from 0.7:1 to 1.4:1. as used herein, the term “2d/g peak ratio” refers to the ratio of the intensity of the 2d peak at 2692 cm −1 to the intensity of the g peak at 1,580 cm −1 . in certain embodiments, the graphenic carbon particles used in the electrode compositions of the present invention have a typical raman spectroscopy (532 nm laser) d/g peak ratio of from 0.3:1 to 0.9:1, for example, from 0.35:1 to 0.85:1, or from 0.45:1 to 0.65:1. as used herein, the term “d/g peak ratio” refers to the ratio of the intensity of the d peak at 1,350 cm −1 to the intensity of the g peak at 1,580 cm −1 . in certain embodiments, the graphenic carbon particles used in the electrode compositions of the present invention have a relatively low bulk density. for example, the graphenic carbon particles used in certain embodiments of the present invention are characterized by having a bulk density (tap density) of less than 0.2 g/cm 3 , such as no more than 0.1 g/cm 3 . for the purposes of the present invention, the bulk density of the graphenic carbon particles is determined by placing 0.4 grams of the graphenic carbon particles in a glass measuring cylinder having a readable scale. the cylinder is raised approximately one-inch and tapped 100 times, by striking the base of the cylinder onto a hard surface, to allow the graphenic carbon particles to settle within the cylinder. the volume of the particles is then measured, and the bulk density is calculated by dividing 0.4 grams by the measured volume, wherein the bulk density is expressed in terms of g/cm 3 . in certain embodiments, the graphenic carbon particles used in the electrode compositions of the present invention have a compressed density and a percent densification that is less than the compressed density and percent densification of graphite powder and certain types of substantially flat graphenic carbon particles. lower compressed density and lower percent densification are each currently believed to contribute to better dispersion and/or rheological properties than graphenic carbon particles exhibiting higher compressed density and higher percent densification. in certain embodiments, the compressed density of the graphenic carbon particles is 0.9 or less, such as less than 0.8, less than 0.7, such as from 0.6 to 0.7. in certain embodiments, the percent densification of the graphenic carbon particles is less than 40%, such as less than 30%, such as from 25 to 30%. for purposes of the present invention, the compressed density of graphenic carbon particles is calculated from a measured thickness of a given mass of the particles after compression. specifically, the measured thickness is determined by subjecting 0.1 grams of the graphenic carbon particles to cold press under 15,000 pound of force in a 1.3 centimeter die for 45 minutes, wherein the contact pressure is 500 mpa. the compressed density of the graphenic carbon particles is then calculated from this measured thickness according to the following equation: the percent densification of the graphenic carbon particles is then determined as the ratio of the calculated compressed density of the graphenic carbon particles, as determined above, to 2.2 g/cm 3 , which is the density of graphite. in certain embodiments, the graphenic carbon particles have a measured bulk liquid conductivity of at least 100 microsiemens, such as at least 120 microsiemens, such as at least 140 microsiemens immediately after mixing and at later points in time, such as at 10 minutes, or 20 minutes, or 30 minutes, or 40 minutes. for the purposes of the present invention, the bulk liquid conductivity of the graphenic carbon particles is determined as follows. first, a sample comprising a 0.5% solution of graphenic carbon particles in butyl cellosolve is sonicated for 30 minutes with a bath sonicator. immediately following sonication, the sample is placed in a standard calibrated electrolytic conductivity cell (k=1). a fisher scientific ab 30 conductivity meter is introduced to the sample to measure the conductivity of the sample. the conductivity is plotted over the course of about 40 minutes. in accordance with certain embodiments, percolation, defined as long range interconnectivity, may occur between the conductive graphenic carbon particles. such percolation may reduce the resistivity of the coating compositions. in certain embodiments, the thermally produced graphenic particles may comprise particles having different morphologies, such as a bimodal distribution of plate-like particles having relatively high aspect ratios and generally equiaxed or ball-like particles having relatively low aspect ratios. the conductive graphenic particles may occupy a minimum volume within the coating such that the particles form a continuous, or nearly continuous, network. in such a case, the aspect ratios of the graphenic carbon particles may affect the minimum volume required for percolation. furthermore, the surface energy of the graphenic carbon particles may be the same or similar to the surface energy of the elastomeric rubber. otherwise, the particles may tend to flocculate or demix as they are processed. the graphenic carbon particles utilized in the electrode compositions of the present invention can be made, for example, by thermal processes. in accordance with embodiments of the invention, thermally-produced graphenic carbon particles are made from carbon-containing precursor materials that are heated to high temperatures in a thermal zone such as a plasma. the carbon-containing precursor, such as a hydrocarbon provided in gaseous or liquid form, is heated in the thermal zone to produce the graphenic carbon particles in the thermal zone or downstream therefrom. for example, thermally-produced graphenic carbon particles may be made by the systems and methods disclosed in u.s. pat. nos. 8,486,363 and 8,486,364. in certain embodiments, the graphenic carbon particles may be made by using the apparatus and method described in u.s. pat. no. 8,486,363 at [0022] to [0048] in which (i) one or more hydrocarbon precursor materials capable of forming a two-carbon fragment species (such as n-propanol, ethane, ethylene, acetylene, vinyl chloride, 1,2-dichloroethane, allyl alcohol, propionaldehyde, and/or vinyl bromide) is introduced into a thermal zone (such as a plasma), and (ii) the hydrocarbon is heated in the thermal zone to a temperature of at least 1,000° c. to form the graphenic carbon particles. in other embodiments, the graphenic carbon particles may be made by using the apparatus and method described in u.s. pat. no. 8,486,364 at [0015] to [0042] in which (i) a methane precursor material (such as a material comprising at least 50 percent methane, or, in some cases, gaseous or liquid methane of at least 95 or 99 percent purity or higher) is introduced into a thermal zone (such as a plasma), and (ii) the methane precursor is heated in the thermal zone to form the graphenic carbon particles. such methods can produce graphenic carbon particles having at least some, in some cases all, of the characteristics described above. during production of the graphenic carbon particles by the thermal production methods described above, a carbon-containing precursor is provided as a feed material that may be contacted with an inert carrier gas. the carbon-containing precursor material may be heated in a thermal zone, for example, by a plasma system. in certain embodiments, the precursor material is heated to a temperature ranging from 3,500° c. to 20,000° c., such as 3,600° c. to 10,000° c. for example, the temperature of the thermal zone may range from 3,700 to 8,000° c., such as from 3,800 to 5,000° c. although the thermal zone may be generated by a plasma system, it is to be understood that any other suitable heating system may be used to create the thermal zone, such as various types of furnaces including electrically heated tube furnaces and the like. the gaseous stream may be contacted with one or more quench streams that are injected into the plasma chamber through at least one quench stream injection port. the quench stream may cool the gaseous stream to facilitate the formation or control the particle size or morphology of the graphenic carbon particles. in certain embodiments of the invention, after contacting the gaseous product stream with the quench streams, the ultrafine particles may be passed through a converging member. after the graphenic carbon particles exit the plasma system, they may be collected. any suitable means may be used to separate the graphenic carbon particles from the gas flow, such as, for example, a bag filter, cyclone separator or deposition on a substrate. without being bound by any theory, it is currently believed that the foregoing methods of manufacturing graphenic carbon particles are particularly suitable for producing graphenic carbon particles having relatively low thickness and relatively high aspect ratio in combination with relatively low oxygen content, as described above. moreover, such methods are currently believed to produce a substantial amount of graphenic carbon particles having a substantially curved, curled, creased, buckled or equiaxed morphology (referred to herein as a “3d” morphology), as opposed to producing predominantly particles having a substantially two-dimensional (or flat) morphology. this characteristic is believed to be reflected in the previously described compressed density characteristics and is believed to be beneficial in the present invention because, it is currently believed, when a significant portion of the graphenic carbon particles have a 3d morphology, “edge to edge” and “edge-to-face” contact between graphenic carbon particles within the composition may be promoted. this is thought to be because particles having a 3d morphology are less likely to be aggregated in the composition (due to lower van der waals forces) than particles having a two-dimensional morphology. moreover, it is currently believed that even in the case of “face to face” contact between the particles having a 3d morphology, since the particles may have more than one facial plane, the entire particle surface is not engaged in a single “face to face” interaction with another single particle, but instead can participate in interactions with other particles, including other “face to face” interactions, in other planes. as a result, graphenic carbon particles having a 3d morphology are currently thought to provide optimal conductive pathways in the present compositions and are currently thought to be useful for obtaining electrical conductivity characteristics sought by embodiments of the present invention. in certain embodiments, the graphenic carbon particles may be treated in order to reduce or eliminate impurities. for example, thermally produced graphenic carbon particles may be treated to remove any polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (pahs) by methods such as soxhlet extraction using toluene, or the like. the following examples are intended to illustrate various aspects of the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. examples solvent grade n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (ashland, 570.7 grams) was added to a plastic container. while stirring with a cowles blade, kynar hsv 900 pvdf (arkema, 29.3 grams) was added in portions. stirring was continued until the pvdf was completely dissolved. multiple samples were prepared by mixing 32.79 grams of the pvdf binder solution with various types and amounts of carbonaceous additives, as listed in table 1. an acrylic dispersant was used for the graphenic carbon particles instead of adding powder directly. the thermally produced graphenic carbon particles used in sample nos. 1-6 were produced by a thermal-production method utilizing methane as a precursor material disclosed in u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/309,894. the thermally-produced graphenic carbon particles of sample nos. 1-6 were further treated with a toluene solution to extract any residual low molecular weight hydrocarbon contaminants. the xgnp-c300 graphenic carbon particles used in sample nos. 7-12 and the xgnp-c700 graphenic carbon particles used in sample nos. 13-18 were commercially available from xg sciences. the graphene x technology graphenic carbon particles used in sample nos. 19-24 were commercially available from graphene technologies. the carbon black particles used in sample nos. 4-6, 10-12, 16-18, 22-24 and 25-27 were c-nergy super c65 particles from timcal. each of the blends was placed in a dual-asymmetric centrifugal mixer and mixed at 2,350 rpm for 5 minutes. lithium iron phosphate (lfp) was added to each mixed blend, and the resulting combination was subjected to a second mixing in a dual-asymmetric centrifugal mixer at 2,350 rpm for 5 minutes to produce formulated slurry. the electrically active lithium compound was lithium iron phosphate life power p2 lot#1110gy195 from phostech lithium, inc. the slurries were formulated to contain about 35 weight percent solid fraction. weight ratios of the components of the solid fraction are listed in table 1. for each sample, a wet film was prepared on pre-cleaned aluminum foil by a draw-down application of the formulated slurry using a doctor blade. aluminum foil alloy 1085 from targray was cleaned with acetone before the slurry was applied. formulations were applied as wet films on the aluminum foil using a large automatic film coater (msk-afa-ii from mti corporation) using an adjustable doctor blade at a rate of 89 mm/sec. this wet film was heated in an oven to a maximum temperature of 120° c. for at least 10 minutes. after cooling, an average dry film thickness (dft) in microns was determined from five measurements with a micrometer and the average is shown in table 1. sheet resistance (rs) was determined from three measurements made by firmly pressing a standard four-point probe (r-check™ from edtm, inc.) on the coating surface. the average rs is shown in table 1. figs. 2-5 graphically illustrate sheet resistances of various samples listed in table 1. table 1thermallyproducedsamplegraphenicxgnp-xgnp-graphene xcarbonbinderdftresistanceno.carbonc300c700technologyblacklfp(%)(μm)(ω/□)1500009051232.52300009251191831000094510621142.50002.59051087851.50001.592511111260.50000.5945982857050009051072,4808030009251111,618901000945871,3871002.5002.5905743371101.5001.5925835471200.5000.5945971,03913005009051024,3601400300925993,9971500100945861,42116002.502.59057955117001.501.59258395018000.500.5945841,29819000509051252,61020000309251303,7602100010945793,983220002.52.5905100266230001.51.5925106793240000.50.5945941,6302500005905762472600003925785892700001945851,6192800000955604,337 the dry coated foils were passed through a roll calendar press (mti corporation) to achieve 25-30% compression. after vacuum drying, two coin-type half-cell batteries per dry coated foil were assembled using lithium metal as the anode and one-molar lipf 6 in ethylene carbonate, diethyl carbonate and dimethyl carbonate solvents as the electrolyte. the coin cell batteries were then tested on a battery tester (arbin instruments) using a potential window of 4.1-2.5 volts for 5 cycles each at currents corresponding to 0.2 c, 1.6 c, and 6.4 c charge/discharge rates, followed by 24 cycles at the current corresponding to a 1 c rate. for the dry coated foil made with c-nergy super c65 carbon black, for 5 cycles each at currents corresponding to 0.2 c, 0.4, 0.8, 1.6 c, 3.2 and 6.4 c, charge/discharge rates were used to better capture capacity losses. discharge capacity in milliamp-hours per gram of lithium iron phosphate was calculated from the average of the first 5 cycles for each c-rate. “c-rate” refers to a current value that is required to fully discharge a cell having a constant electric capacitance in a time period equal to the inverse of the c-rate value in hours. for example, discharge capacity at 0.2 c refers to dry coated film capacity in milliamp-hours per gram of lithium iron phosphate at a current value required to fully discharge the battery in 5 hours. similarly discharge capacity at 1 c refers to dry coated film capacity in milliamp-hours per gram of lithium iron phosphate at a current value required to fully discharge the battery in 1 hour. discharge capacity averages from the higher capacity coin-type half-cell of the two replicate cells for a given dry coated foil are listed in table 2. capacity retention was calculated from the quotient of the discharge capacity after the first charge-discharge cycle at 1 c and the last charge-discharge cycle at 1 c and reported as percentage according to the equation: 100×first cycle capacity/last cycle capacity. table 2capacity (mah/g) at variouscharge-dischargedftc-rates (hr −1 )% capacity retentionconductive carbonaceous additive(μm)0.2 c1.0 c1.6 c6.4 cafter 24 cycles at 1.0 cthermally produced graphenic8715715114711697carbon particlesc-nergy super c658615511237.7037 fig. 6 graphically illustrates the capacity at various charge-discharge c-rates corresponding to the values listed in table 2. the data in table 2 and fig. 6 demonstrates that thermally produced graphenic carbon particles of the present invention provides cathode coatings with high areal loading (dft) with low capacity loss at high discharge rates, while conventional conductive carbon c65 suffers major capacity loss at high discharge rates. similarly, cathode coatings made with thermally produced graphenic carbon particles of the present invention have higher capacity retention after multiple cycles. for purposes of this detailed description, it is to be understood that the invention may assume various alternative variations and step sequences, except where expressly specified to the contrary. moreover, other than in any operating examples, or where otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing, for example, quantities of ingredients used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about”. accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties to be obtained by the present invention. at the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. any numerical value, however, inherently contains certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard variation found in their respective testing measurements. also, it should be understood that any numerical range recited herein is intended to include all sub-ranges subsumed therein. for example, a range of “1 to 10” is intended to include all sub-ranges between (and including) the recited minimum value of 1 and the recited maximum value of 10, that is, having a minimum value equal to or greater than 1 and a maximum value of equal to or less than 10. in this application, the use of the singular includes the plural and plural encompasses singular, unless specifically stated otherwise. in addition, in this application, the use of “or” means “and/or” unless specifically stated otherwise, even though “and/or” may be explicitly used in certain instances. it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the concepts disclosed in the foregoing description. such modifications are to be considered as included within the following claims unless the claims, by their language, expressly state otherwise. accordingly, the particular embodiments described in detail herein are illustrative only and are not limiting to the scope of the invention which is to be given the full breadth of the appended claims and any and all equivalents thereof.
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169-990-239-385-251
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US
|
[
"US",
"EP",
"CA",
"WO"
] |
E01C11/00,E01C11/02,E01C11/10
| 2007-10-11T00:00:00 |
2007
|
[
"E01"
] |
road surface maintenance material forms
|
road surface maintenance material including a core of cold-applied rubberized asphalt and an outer shell of aggregate material surrounding the core. the core and outer shell are in the shape of either a ball form, a string form, or a ribbon form.
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1. a road surface maintenance material, comprising: an elongated core fibrous material including a flat surface; a rubberized asphalt formed completely around the elongated core fibrous material, wherein an amount of the rubberized asphalt formed on a first side of the elongated core fibrous material is greater than an amount of the rubberized material formed on a second side of the elongated core fibrous material opposite the first side of the elongated core fibrous material; and an outer shell of aggregate material completely around the rubberized asphalt. 2. the road surface maintenance material of claim 1 , wherein the elongated core fibrous material, rubberized asphalt, and outer shell includes a width ranging from less than one inch to two inches. 3. the road surface maintenance material of claim 1 , wherein the elongated core fibrous material includes a string or ribbon. 4. the road surface maintenance material of claim 1 , wherein the rubberized asphalt is compressible under pressure at ambient temperature. 5. the road surface maintenance material of claim 1 , wherein the elongated core fibrous material, rubberized asphalt, and outer shell includes a tapered contour. 6. the road surface maintenance material of claim 1 , wherein the elongated core fibrous material, rubberized asphalt, and outer shell includes a constant width over its length. 7. a road surface maintenance material, comprising: a plurality of spheres of the road surface maintenance material, each sphere of the road surface maintenance material including, (a) a solid core seed, (b) a rubberized asphalt formed completely around the solid core seed, and (c) an outer shell of aggregate material completely surrounding the rubberized asphalt. 8. the road surface maintenance material of claim 7 , wherein the solid core seed includes a rock or pebble. 9. the road surface maintenance material of claim 7 , wherein the spheres of the road surface maintenance material include a width ranging from less than one inch to two inches. 10. the road surface maintenance material of claim 7 , wherein the rubberized asphalt is compressible under pressure at ambient temperature. 11. a method of applying road surface maintenance material to a roadway, comprising: providing a road surface maintenance material by, (a) providing an elongated core fibrous material, (b) forming a rubberized asphalt around the completely around the elongated core fibrous material, and (c) forming an outer shell of aggregate material completely around the rubberized asphalt; disposing the road surface maintenance material in an opening of a roadway; and applying pressure to the road surface maintenance material in the opening from vehicle traffic at ambient temperature to seal the opening in the roadway. 12. the method of claim 11 , wherein the elongated core fibrous material includes a flat mesh. 13. the method of claim 11 , further including forming an amount of the rubberized asphalt on a first side of the elongated core fibrous material to be greater than an amount of the rubberized material on a second side of the elongated core fibrous material opposite the first side of the elongated core fibrous material. 14. the method of claim 11 , wherein the elongated core fibrous material, rubberized asphalt, and outer shell includes a tapered contour. 15. the method of claim 11 , further including forming the elongated core fibrous material, rubberized asphalt, and outer shell to a width ranging from less than one inch to two inches. 16. the method of claim 11 , wherein a shape of the elongated core fibrous material includes a string or ribbon. 17. the road surface maintenance material of claim 11 , wherein the elongated core fibrous material extends from one end of the rubberized asphalt. 18. the road surface maintenance material of claim 11 , wherein the elongated core fibrous material, rubberized asphalt, and outer shell includes a constant width over its length.
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claim to domestic priority the present application is a continuation of u.s. patent application ser. no. 11/870,707, filed oct. 11, 2007, which is incorporated herein by reference. field of the invention this invention generally relates to materials in a special form used in the repair of road surfaces. background of the invention in the field of road surface repair it is often necessary or desirable to repair cracks and potholes as they appear. the repair generally consists of applying some type of hot asphalt or asphalt product to the cracks and potholes. to apply the hot asphalt to a road surface requires a fairly large (approximately four tons) trailer towed heating and application machine. the machine melts bulk blocks or bags of the asphalt material into a semi-fluid by raising the temperature of the bulk material to approximately 425° f. to 450° f. the semi-fluid material is then applied to the road surface where needed through a manually operated application wand via a high pressure pump. the semi-fluid material will remain hot and sticky to the touch for some time and the road cannot be open to traffic until the semi-fluid material is adequately cooled. cold patch materials are available and will fill potholes and large cracks but cannot be used effectively on small cracks, small or shallow holes, or on concrete. adhesion of this material is poor and never, ever, water tight on any hole whether small or large. while hot applied rubberized asphalt will fill a pothole (small or large) with an absolute water tight seal, the drawbacks are the closure of the lane being repaired to traffic and the required equipment and man hours. there is also a loss of road surface friction in cooler temperatures as there is no aggregate contacting tire surfaces. while surface friction loss is not mentionable with cold patch materials with aggregates, these materials are unable to make a watertight bond with the existing road material. with no water tight seal, a conventionally patched pothole is doomed to failure from the start. further, while it fails, it also allows and facilitates continued degradation of surrounding road surface and subsurface material. another shortcoming in the use of cold patch material is the required diligence and planning on the part of the labor factor to determine, shape, and place just the right amount of over-fill in the pothole so that when fully compacted by traffic the pothole patch and the road surface are the same level. lack of diligence by workers or inability to compute compaction ratios mentally will result in—what was a pothole in the road, is now a bump in the road. if the workers use too little cold patch material in a pothole, they will create an even less desired effect, i.e., a shallow spot on the road surface. the shallow spot is a place for water to pool in as it seeps through the non-water tight seam, where it degrades the subsurface, which then further degrades the original road surface. also, with current cold patch materials, it is so unlikely to effect a successful patch on a very small or just-starting hole that such attempts are seldom even made. small cracks and potholes will generally bring the same response from the more senior work crew members to the new trainees, “that's not really big enough yet. just let it grow.” a safe thing to say since no maintenance supervisor is likely to criticize crew members for not attempting such patches, as their effectiveness-to-labor cost ratio is so well understood by all. no supervisor is likely to send a crew to do a section of road where there is just a few small holes. labor cost-to-work completed is simply not justified, so they wait for a more labor cost/work done ratio to appear. basically neglecting the road until adequately degraded. it would be highly advantageous, therefore, to remedy the foregoing and other deficiencies inherent in the prior art. accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide new and improved road surface maintenance material forms and formation. it is another object of the present invention to provide new and improved road surface maintenance material forms that are useful in a large variety of maintenance\repair applications and conditions. it is another object of the present invention to provide new and improved road surface maintenance material forms that are useful in the repair of different sized and shaped road surface faults. summary of the invention the above objects and others are realized in a road surface maintenance material including a core of cold-applied rubberized asphalt and an outer shell of aggregate material surrounding the core. the core and outer shell are in the shape of either a ball form, a string form, or a ribbon form. the above objects and others are further realized in a method of maintaining road surfaces that includes the step of providing a supply of maintenance material in a form including at least one of a ball shaped form, a string shaped form, and a ribbon shaped form, each form including a core of cold-applied rubberized asphalt and an outer shell of aggregate material surrounding the core, and the string shaped form including an elongated fiber extending through the core of cold-applied rubberized asphalt, and the ribbon shaped form including an elongated piece of fabric-like material or mesh extending through the core of cold-applied rubberized asphalt. the method further includes the step of performing at least one of filling potholes in a road with a plurality of the ball shaped forms, filling cracks in a road with at least one of the string shaped forms, and filling depressions in a road with at least one of the ribbon shaped forms. brief description of the drawings the foregoing and further and more specific objects and advantages of the instant invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which: fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a first road surface maintenance material form in accordance with the present invention; fig. 2 is a sectional view of the first form illustrated in fig. 1 ; fig. 3 is a view in perspective of a second road surface maintenance material form in accordance with the present invention; fig. 4 is a sectional view of the second form illustrated in fig. 3 ; fig. 5 is a view in perspective of a third road surface maintenance material form in accordance with the present invention; fig. 6 is a sectional view of the third form illustrated in fig. 5 ; fig. 7 is a top perspective view of a section of road illustrating uses of the three road surface maintenance material forms; fig. 8 is a sectional view of a pothole in a road surface with the first road surface maintenance material form of fig. 1 applied thereto; fig. 9 is a sectional view of a small crack in a road surface with the second road surface maintenance material form of fig. 3 applied thereto; and fig. 10 is a sectional view of a wide crack in a road surface with the third road surface maintenance material form of fig. 5 applied thereto. detailed description of the drawings turning now to the drawings, attention is first directed to figs. 1 and 2 which illustrate a first road surface maintenance material form 10 in accordance with the present invention. first maintenance material form 10 is in the shape of small balls or spheres of material with a core 12 of cold-applied rubberized asphalt and an outer surface or shell of aggregate material 14 . the core of rubberized asphalt can be formed about a central seed such as a pebble or rock if desired, to help maintain the shape. the cold-applied rubberized asphalt material can be, for example, a material sold by crafco inc., having a place of business at chandler, ariz. the outer diameter of first maintenance material form 10 can vary from fractions of an inch to two inches or more. further, any specific quantity of first maintenance material forms 10 to be used for road repair can include single diameter material or different diameter material, depending upon the specific application intended. however, it is preferred that quantities of first maintenance material form 10 to be used for road repair include substantially single diameter material because of the simplicity in manufacturing and use. aggregate material 14 can be selected for size and quality depending upon the outer diameter of first maintenance material form 10 that is desired. for example, smaller diameter balls could use smaller diameter aggregate and vice versa. it is preferred, however, to use a standard sized aggregate to simplify manufacturing and use. referring to figs. 3 and 4 , a second road surface maintenance material form 20 is illustrated, in accordance with the present invention. second maintenance material form 20 includes an elongated fiber 22 surrounded by a core of cold-applied rubberized asphalt 24 and an outer surface or shell of aggregate material 25 to produce a thin string of material. the elongated fiber is included to control stretching of second maintenance material form 20 . the cold-applied rubberized asphalt material can be, for example, a material sold by crafco inc., having a place of business at chandler, ariz. second maintenance material form 20 may taper slightly from a first end 26 toward a second end 28 or second maintenance material form 20 may have a relatively constant diameter over its length. for convenience in handling, a portion of fiber 22 extends from first end 26 . also, second maintenance material form 20 may be manufactured in different lengths and diameters so that one or more can be placed lengthwise in cracks in the road. as explained in conjunction with figs. 1 and 2 above, the outer diameter of second maintenance material form 20 can vary from fractions of an inch to two inches or more. however, it is preferred that quantities of second maintenance material form 20 to be used for road repair include substantially single diameter material because of the simplicity in manufacturing and use. aggregate material 25 can be selected for size and quality depending upon the outer diameter of second maintenance material form 20 that is desired. referring to figs. 5 and 6 , a third road surface maintenance material form 30 is illustrated, in accordance with the present invention. third maintenance material form 30 is comprised of a flat elongated piece of fabric-like material or mesh 32 surrounded by a core of cold-applied rubberized asphalt 34 with an outer surface or shell of aggregate material 35 producing a flat ribbon with a lower surface 36 and an upper surface 38 . the cold-applied rubberized asphalt material can be, for example, a material sold by crafco inc., having a place of business at chandler, ariz. third maintenance material form 30 may taper slightly from a first end toward a second end or third maintenance material form 30 may have a relatively constant width over its length. also, third maintenance material form 30 may be manufactured in different lengths and widths so that one or more can be placed lengthwise or adjacent in small depressions in the road or, more probably over very small cracks that conventionally would not be repaired, but pass water through to the sub-base. the width of third maintenance material form 30 can vary from fractions of an inch to three inches or more. however, it is preferred that quantities of third maintenance material form 30 to be used for road repair include substantially single width material because of the simplicity in manufacturing and use. aggregate material 35 can be selected for size and quality depending upon the width of third maintenance material form 30 that is desired. also, because third maintenance material form 30 is intended for use in small cracks, it is preferred that fabric-like material or mesh 32 be situated nearer lower surface 36 and that the amount of aggregate material 35 on lower surface 36 be less than on the other surfaces, i.e., upper surface 38 . in a particular embodiment, there actually may be nothing on the lower surface of mesh 32 , with rubberized asphalt 34 and aggregate material 35 only on the upper surface, or only rubberized asphalt on the lower surface. turning to figs. 7 and 8 , it can be seen that first road surface maintenance material form 10 is primarily intended as a maintenance material for potholes and deep faults in a road. the workers simply fill the pothole with first road surface maintenance material form 10 as illustrated. here it should be noted that because each ball comprising first maintenance material form 10 is coated with aggregate material 14 , the balls can be easily stored and distributed (i.e., remain discrete) without sticking together or otherwise congealing into one form. through normal use of the road, vehicles compress the small balls of material into a compact fill that forms a solid, waterproof bond between adjacent balls as well as between balls and the adjacent remaining or surrounding road material. first road surface maintenance material form 10 has a self-leveling characteristic that prevents bumps from occurring when a larger than required amount is used in a crack or pothole. the self-leveling characteristic is partially due to the inclusion of aggregate in each ball and partially due to the use of cold-applied rubberized asphalt 12 . turning to figs. 7 and 9 , it can be seen that second road surface maintenance material form 20 is primarily intended as a maintenance material for cracks in a road wide enough to be filled. the worker simply lays one or more of the thin strings of material (second forms 20 ) lengthwise in the crack as illustrated. here it should be noted that because each string comprising second maintenance material form 20 is coated with aggregate material 25 , the strings can be easily stored and distributed (i.e., remain discrete) without sticking together or otherwise congealing into one form. also, if desired the end of fiber 22 extending from first end 26 can be used as a convenient handle for each string of material. through normal use of the road, vehicles compress the thin strings of material into a compact fill that forms a solid, waterproof bond between the thin strings and remaining or surrounding road material. second road surface maintenance material form 20 has a self-leveling characteristic that prevents bumps from occurring when a larger than required amount is used in a crack. the self-leveling characteristic is partially due to the inclusion of aggregate in each string and partially due to the use of cold-applied rubberized asphalt 24 . turning to figs. 7 and 10 , it can be seen that third road surface maintenance material form 30 is primarily intended as a maintenance material for small cracks in a road which are too small to be filled but will still pass water through to the sub-base. the worker simply lays one or more of the ribbons of material (third forms 30 ) lengthwise over the crack as illustrated. here it should be noted that because each ribbon comprising third maintenance material form 30 is coated with aggregate material 35 , the ribbons can be easily stored and distributed (i.e., remain discrete) without sticking together or otherwise congealing into one form. through normal use of the road, vehicles compress the ribbons of material into a compact fill that forms a solid, waterproof bond between the ribbons and remaining or surrounding road material. further, because a smaller amount of aggregate 35 is preferably incorporated on lower surface 36 the ribbons form a very good bond with the remaining road material. third road surface maintenance material form 30 has a self-leveling characteristic that prevents bumps from occurring when a larger than required amount is used on a crack. the self-leveling characteristic is partially due to the inclusion of aggregate in each ribbon and partially due to the use of cold-applied rubberized asphalt 34 . thus, new and improved road surface maintenance material forms are disclosed that contain cold-applied rubberized asphalt surrounded by aggregate material. because the various forms are fabricated with an outer coating of aggregate, they can be stored or carried in convenient quantities without sticking together and can be conveniently distributed into road faults, i.e., potholes, cracks, and the like, without the need for large equipment. further, because the maintenance material forms are relatively small they can be conveniently used to repair relatively small faults in a road without undue effort or labor. for example, the maintenance material forms can be applied as soon as a need is located with full effectiveness. no crack is too small and no pothole is too shallow to be 100% water tight effectively fixed. also, in most cases the repairs can be effected with just a pickup or one ton truck and a crew of two, working in between traffic with no or minimum signing or traffic control necessary. this procedure allows more time to find and apply more timely and effective road maintenance with far less secondary labor costs, e.g., signing and traffic control set up and take down costs. further, during standard road repair it is unnecessary to use large equipment such as cone trucks, hot application machines, bobtail size trucks to carry cold patch material or act as attenuator vehicles, or oil boots. another advantage in the use of the new and improved road surface maintenance material forms is the available immediate use of the road by traffic after application with less fly-off hazard. being able to make immediate and effective repairs to a crack or small hole or leaky seam translates into much longer roadway life span with more hours actually spent repairing road surface problems and less spent on work support type labor. various changes and modifications to the embodiment herein chosen for purposes of illustration will readily occur to those skilled in the art. to the extent that such modifications and variations do not depart from the spirit of the invention, they are intended to be included within the scope thereof which is assessed only by a fair interpretation of the following claims. having fully described the invention in such clear and concise terms as to enable those skilled in the art to understand and practice the same, the invention claimed is.
|
170-275-116-062-295
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
A46B5/00
| 2008-05-13T00:00:00 |
2008
|
[
"A46"
] |
adjustable angle cleaning brush head
|
adjustable angle cleaning brush comprised of a handle and rotatably attached first longitudinal brush head and a second longitudinal brush head that are side by side and parallel to each other in one configuration and rotate out to a t position with respect to the handle in a second configuration. one end of each brush head is fixedly attached to a pinion gear within the handle. the pinion gears engage a centrally located rack so that when a user pushes up on an actuation button attached to the rack, the brushes rotate out into a t position. they are held in a t position by a spring biased post. the user can press on the post to return the brush heads to the side by side position.
|
1 . adjustable angle cleaning brush head comprising: a first brush head; a second brush head; a brush angle change button; a hollow main handle; a slide button; a slide button track; a locking post; a locking post spring a rack tension spring; a first pinion gear; a second pinion gear; a rack; and a rack extension shaft; said hollow handle enclosing said rack and said rack extension shaft and said tension spring which are all located longitudinally within said handle; said hollow handle being widened at the uppermost portion to retain said first and second pinion gears; said rack capable of extending out of the top portion of said handle; said slide button fixedly attached to said rack extension shaft; said tension spring attached at one end to said slide button and at the opposite end to a retaining post within the lower portion of said hollow handle; said first pinion gear fixed by a shaft on the upper left side of said rack and said second pinion gear fixed by a shaft on the upper right side of said rack; said first and second gear shafts rotatably attached to apertures in the said widened portion of said handle; said first and second brush heads being constructed in a standard longitudinal bottle brush format; said first brush head fixedly attached to said first pinion gear and said second brush head fixedly attached to said second pinion gear so that both said brush heads are in close proximity to and parallel to each other; said first and second brush heads capable of rotating outwardly from each other to form a t shape with respect to said handle when a user slides said slide button along said slide button track located on said handle in an upward motion toward said brush head portion which causes said rack to move upward and force said first pinion gear to rotate counter clockwise and said second pinion gear to rotate clockwise; said first and second brush heads capable of being fixed in place in said t position when said spring biased locking post engages an aperture in the side of said hollow handle; said first and second brush heads capable of being disengaged from said t position and returning to said side by side parallel position when a user presses on the tip of said locking post so that it is freed from said side aperture thereby allowing said rack to be pulled downward. 2 . adjustable angle cleaning brush head as claimed in claim 1 wherein a third brush head is fixedly attached to the opposite end of said handle; said third brush head angled at approximately forty five degrees with respect to said handle. said third brush bristles mounted in a standard rigid flat plastic base plate so that said third brush head bristles are facing away from said handle. 3 . an alternate embodiment of said adjustable angle cleaning brush head as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cleaning brush head is comprised on only one rotatable brush head capable of forming an l shape rather than the said t shape. 4 . an alternate embodiment of said adjustable angle cleaning brush head as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first and second brush heads are capable being fixed a plurality of y shaped configurations by use of a plurality of said locking pin apertures located in a linear orientation on the side of said brush handle. 5 . an alternate embodiment of said adjustable angle cleaning brush head as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first and second pinion gears are eliminated and said rack is eliminated and said first and second brush heads are rotatably pinned to the top most portion of a centrally located slidable post within said hollow handle and where said slidable post can be pulled down by the user causing said first and second brush heads to be forced from a parallel position to a t position with respect to said handle.
|
cross reference to related applications not applicable statement regarding federally sponsored research or development not applicable description of attached appendix not applicable background of the invention this invention relates generally to the field of hand held cleaning brushes and more specifically to an adjustable angle cleaning brush head. cleaning brushes are well known in the housewares industry. they generally include a rigid handle and a brush head. brushes are made in a variety of configurations including standard bottle brush designs that employ a central twisted wireform that holds bristles perpendicular to the wireform. another standard brush configuration includes a rigid backing plate that has a plurality of bristles inserted into pre-formed holes in the plate. this type of brush can have a handle extending from its backing plate, or can include a griping portion directly on top of the backing plate. for certain cleaning applications it is beneficial to have a brush head that is capable of bending or rotating to one side to help the brush head reach hard to get at spaces such as the rear portion of a kitchen faucet, or behind the spokes of a vehicle tire rim. a number of inventors have addressed this problem to some degree. w f hoerle in his patent u.s. pat. no. 2,379,962 shows a cleaning tool that includes a clevis joint to allow the brush head to rotate and bend. mclaughlin et al. in their patent u.s. pat. no. 4,908,900 shows a bristle brush whose head can be rotated sideways for helping to clean ice and snow off a vehicle windshield. lee in her patent d294886 shows a bent head for a cleaning brush for cleaning radiators and the like. peake et al in their patent u.s. pat. no. 6,032,316 shows a plate that includes bristles where the plate can pivot and be set at an angle with respect to a surrounding frame for shoe cleaning purposes. weber et al in their patent u.s. pat. no. 6,134,738 discloses a toilet cleaning brush that has a head that can be bent for fitting into the bowl more easily. li in his patent u.s. pat. no. 6,240,58 shows a wheel cleaning brush whose head can be bent. and le van in his patent application 2007/0297846 discloses a rim detailing brush that has a multiple replaceable cleaning heads. however, all the above sited patents contain deficiencies with regard to providing a bendable brush head for reaching hard to get at spaces such as behind the spokes of a vehicle rim or behind a faucet set mounted on a kitchen sink. none of the sited patents except the mclaughlin patent show a way to change the angle of a brush head and lock it in place at that angle. the mclaughlin patent does not show a brush head that can be quickly turned. it must be manually removed from the handle and replaced in a different orientation. none of the above sited patents show a side by side pair of brush heads that can be quickly, by the push of a button, rotated outward to form a t shape with respect to the handle. brief summary of the invention the primary object of the invention is to provide a hand held cleaning brush tool whose bristle brush head angle can be adjusted and locked in place by the user. another object of the invention is to provide a cleaning brush head that is composed of two brushes that can be quickly and easily rotated from a parallel side by side position to a perpendicular t shaped position. another object of the invention is to provide a cleaning brush head that allows the user to clean behind hard to reach areas such as behind spokes of a vehicle tire rim. other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed. in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed adjustable angle cleaning brush head comprising: a first brush head, a second brush head, a brush angle change button, a hollow main handle, a slide button, a slide button track, a locking post, a locking post spring, a rack tension spring, a first pinion gear, a second pinion gear, a rack, and a rack extension shaft, said hollow handle enclosing said rack and said rack extension shaft and said tension spring which are all placed longitudinally within said handle, said hollow handle being widened at the uppermost portion to retain said first and second pinion gears, said rack extending out of the top portion of said handle, said slide button fixedly attached to said rack extension shaft, said tension spring attached at one end to said slide button and at the opposite end to a retaining post within the lower portion of said hollow handle, said first pinion gear rotatably fixed by a shaft on the upper left side of said rack and said second pinion gear rotatably fixed by a shaft placed on the upper right side of said rack, said first and second gear shafts rotatably attached to the said widened portion of said handle, said first and second brush heads being constructed in a standard longitudinal bottle brush format, said first brush head fixedly attached to said first pinion gear and said second brush head fixedly attached to said second pinion gear so that both said brush heads are in close proximity to and parallel to each other, said first and second brush heads capable of rotating outwardly to form a t shape with respect to said handle when a user slides said slide button along said slide button track located on said handle in an upward motion toward said brush head portion which causes said rack to move upward and force said first pinion gear to rotate counter clockwise and said second pinion gear to rotate clockwise, said first and second brush heads capable of being fixed in place in said t position when said spring biased locking post engages an aperture in the side of said hollow handle, said first and second brush heads capable of being disengaged from said t position and returning to said side by side parallel position when a user presses on the tip of said locking post so that it is freed from said side aperture thereby allowing said rack to be pulled downward. brief description of the drawings the drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. it is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention. fig. 1 is a perspective top view of the invention. fig. 2 is a perspective bottom view of the invention. fig. 3 is a partial side view of the invention. fig. 4 is a partial section view of the invention showing bristles in a parallel position. fig. 5 is a partial section view of the invention showing bristles in a rotated t position. fig. 6 is a partial top view of the invention with bristles in parallel position. fig. 7 is a partial top view of the invention with bristles in the t position. fig. 8 is a section view of an alternative embodiment of the invention. fig. 9 is a partial plan view of the alternative embodiment of the invention with bristles is parallel position. fig. 10 is a partial plan view of the alternative embodiment of the invention with bristles in the t position. fig. 11 is a side view of the invention. detailed description of the preferred embodiments detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. it is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner. referring now to fig. 1 we see a top perspective view of the invention 100 . a first and second brush head 2 , 4 are positioned side by side in a longitudinal manner at the end of handle portion 8 . the first and second brush heads 2 , 4 are constructed in a standard bottle brush manufacturing technique. a third brush head that acts as a tire cleaning brush 10 is mounted on the opposite end of main handle 8 . the brush head is positioned at approximately a forty-five degree angle with respect to the handle and is comprised of a flat rigid plastic plate having stiff nylon bristles extending up from the plate approximately one inch. a brush angle change button 6 can be pushed along slide button track 12 to cause the brush heads 2 , 4 to rotate to form a t shape with respect to the handle as will be explained in detail below. fig. 2 shows a bottom perspective view of the invention 100 . the bristles of tire brush head 10 can be clearly seen. rubber grip portion 14 helps the user hold the handle 8 in a comfortable non slip manner. fig. 3 shows a partial side view of the invention. the bottom of brush head 2 can be seen to be fixedly attached to first pinion gear 20 . pinion gear 20 includes shaft 22 that pins the gear 20 to the handle portion 8 . in this view raised brush angle changing button 6 can be seen, as well as raised rubber grip portion 14 . locking aperture 18 and the end of locking post 16 can also be seen. the locking post 16 helps hold the first and second brush heads 2 , 4 in their spread t shaped portion, as will be explained further below. fig. 4 shows a partial top section view of the invention as defined by section line 50 shown in fig. 11 . the central wireform spines of brush heads 2 , 4 are fixedly attached to pinion gears 20 , 32 . rack 28 slidably engages both pinion gears 20 , 32 . handle 8 is widened at its topmost portion to accommodate pinion gears 20 , 32 . rack extension shaft 36 is fixedly attached to the bottom of rack 28 and terminates in brush handle change button 6 . button 6 includes a tab having an aperture that accepts on end of tension spring 24 . the other end of spring 24 is pinned to a post 26 within handle 8 . when the user pushes up on button 6 , rack 28 travels upward causing pinion gear 20 to rotate counter clockwise and pinion gear 32 to rotate clockwise. attached brush heads 2 , 4 are therefore caused to also rotate forming a t shape with respect to handle 8 as shown in fig. 5 fig. 5 is a partial top section view of the invention as shown by section line 50 in fig. 11 and shows locking post 16 engaged with locking aperture 18 thereby locking the brush heads 2 , 4 in their rotated condition. a locking post spring 38 pushes locking post 16 out into aperture 18 . the user can unlock the locking post 16 by pushing in on the tip of the post 16 until it clears the wall thickness of handle 8 wall. of course one can envision alternate embodiments where a plurality of apertures along the side of handle 8 could allow the brush heads 2 , 4 to lock at angles other than the t shape so far disclosed. these other angles would create a y shape of varying degrees depending on how far up button 6 was pushed. additionally, an alternate design can be envisioned where a single brush head was employed, thereby creating an l shape with respect to the handle 8 when in the rotated position. fig. 6 shows a partial top view of the invention showing brush heads 2 , 4 in the parallel position. brush angle change button 6 is in the lowered portion and is guided by button guide track 12 . fig. 7 shows a partial top view of the invention showing brush heads 2 , 4 in the perpendicular t position. locking pin tip 16 can be seen protruding from the side wall of handle 8 . brush angle change button 6 is in the raised position. rack 28 is protruding slightly from the widened portion of handle 8 . fig. 8 shows a partial section plan view of an alternate embodiment of the invention where brush heads 202 , 204 are pinned at the top 214 of a central slidable post 206 which is contained within a hollow handle 210 . brush heads 202 , 214 are constructed by standard bottle brush manufacturing techniques. fig. 9 shows a plan view of the alternate embodiment of the invention 200 . brush heads 202 , 204 are pinned by shaft pin 214 . slide button 208 is shown in the up portion in its slide track 212 located on the wall of handle 210 . fig. 10 is shows a partial plan view of the alternate embodiment of the invention 200 where brush heads 202 , 204 are splayed outward so that the brush portion located near pin 214 is engaged by the flat surfaces 218 located at the top of handle 210 . slide button 208 is shown in the down position in its slide track 212 . fig. 11 shows a side view of the invention 100 while the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
|
170-300-205-526-268
|
IT
|
[
"EP",
"US",
"WO",
"IT",
"CN"
] |
H04R19/00,B81B7/00,H02N1/00,H01R43/00,H04R25/00,B81C1/00,H04R9/08,H04R11/04,H04R17/02,H04R19/04,H04R21/02
| 2009-12-23T00:00:00 |
2009
|
[
"H04",
"B81",
"H02",
"H01"
] |
microelectromechanical transducer and corresponding assembly process
|
a mems transducer has a micromechanical sensing structure and a package. the package is provided with a substrate, carrying first electrical-connection elements, and with a lid, coupled to the substrate to define an internal cavity, in which the micromechanical sensing structure is housed. the lid is formed by: a cap layer having a first surface and a second surface, set opposite to one another, the first surface defining an external face of the package and the second surface facing the substrate inside the package; and a wall structure, set between the cap layer and the substrate, and having a coupling face coupled to the substrate. at least a first electrical component is coupled to the second surface of the cap layer, inside the package, and the coupling face of the wall structure carries second electrical-connection elements, electrically connected to the first electrical component and to the first electrical-connection elements.
|
a mems transducer (1), comprising a micromechanical sensing structure (10) and a package (46), said package (46) being provided with a substrate (45), carrying first electrical-connection elements (47), and a lid (25), coupled to said substrate (45) to define an internal cavity (24), in which said micromechanical sensing structure (10) is housed, said lid (25) being formed by: a cap layer (20) having a first surface (20a) and a second surface (20b), which are set opposite to one another, said first surface (20a) defining an external face of said package (46) and said second surface (20b) facing said substrate (45) inside said package (46); and a wall structure (21), set between said cap layer (20) and said substrate (45), and having a coupling face (21a) coupled to said substrate (45), characterized in that at least a first electrical component (10, 11) is coupled to said second surface (20b) of said cap layer (20), inside said package (46), and said coupling face (21a) of said wall structure (21) carries second electrical-connection elements (30), designed to electrically connect said first electrical component (10, 11) to said first electrical-connection elements (47). the transducer according to claim 1, wherein said wall structure (21) delimits and surrounds said internal cavity (24) with corresponding wall surfaces (24b), and said second electrical-connection elements comprise cavity-connect lands (30), electrically insulated from one another and adjacent to said internal cavity (24). the transducer according to claim 2, wherein said cavity-connect lands (30) are connected to said first electrical-connection elements (47) by means of solder-paste regions (50), which are set between said coupling face (21a) and said substrate (45); further comprising a sealing region (44), made of conductive material, set between said wall structure (21) and said substrate (45), externally to said solder-paste regions (50) with respect to said cavity (24). the transducer according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said cap layer (20) is traversed by an access port (29) designed to enable a fluid communication between the inside and the outside of said package (46), and said micromechanical sensing structure is integrated in a first die (10) coupled to said second surface (20b) of said cap layer (20), in an area corresponding to said access port (29); said micromechanical sensing structure (10) comprising a structural layer (2), a sensing cavity (3) formed in said structural layer (2), and a membrane (4), said sensing cavity (3) being in fluid communication with said access port (29) and said membrane (4) separating said sensing cavity (3) from said internal cavity (24). the transducer according to claim 4, of an acoustic type, wherein said micromechanical sensing structure (10) is configured so as to detect acoustic pressure waves; and wherein said sensing cavity (3) constitutes a front chamber, and said internal cavity (24) constitutes a back chamber of said mems transducer (1). the transducer according to claim 4 or 5, wherein said first electrical component (10, 11) includes said micromechanical sensing structure (10); further comprising first wire-connection elements (39) for electrical connection between said second electrical-connection elements (30) and first conductive pads (36) carried by said first die (10). the transducer according to claim 4 or 5, further comprising a second die (11) integrating a processing circuit designed to be operatively coupled to said micromechanical sensing structure (10), said second die (11) being coupled to said second surface (20b) of said cap layer (20), laterally with respect to said first die (10), and said first electrical component (10, 11) including said processing circuit (11); further comprising first wire-connection elements (39) for electrical connection between first conductive pads (36) carried by said first die (10) and second conductive pads (38a) carried by said second die (11), and second wire-connection elements (40) for electrical connection between third conductive pads (38b) carried by said second die (11) and said second electrical-connection elements (30). the transducer according to claim 4 or 5, wherein said substrate (45) has a third surface (45a) facing said internal cavity (24) and carrying said first electrical-connection elements (47), and a fourth surface (45b), opposite to said third surface (45a) and carrying external connection pads (49) designed for electrical connection to an external printed circuit board; said substrate (45) further comprising coupling elements for the electrical coupling between said first electrical-connection elements (47) and said external connection pads (49). the transducer according to claim 8, further comprising at least a second electrical component (52) coupled to said third surface (45a) of said substrate (45) inside said internal cavity (24); said coupling elements of said substrate (45) being further configured for electrical coupling between said second electrical component (52) and said first electrical-connection elements (47) and/or said external connection pads (49). the transducer according to claim 8 or 9, wherein said first electrical component (10, 11) includes said micromechanical sensing structure (10); further comprising: a second die (11) integrating a processing circuit operatively coupled to said micromechanical sensing structure (10), said second die (11) being coupled to said third surface (45a) of said substrate (45); first wire-connection elements (39) for electrical connection between said second electrical-connection elements (30) and first conductive pads (36) carried by said first die (10); and second wire-connection elements (40) for electrical coupling between said second electrical-connection elements (30) and second conductive pads (38a) carried by said second die (11). the transducer according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said cap layer (20) and said wall structure (21) are constituted by distinct layers coupled to one another made of a same plastic material, in particular a laminated bt. an electronic device (60), comprising a mems transducer (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, and a control unit (61) connected to said mems transducer (1). an assembly process for assembling a mems transducer (1), comprising the steps of: - providing a micromechanical sensing structure (10); - providing a substrate (45), carrying first electrical-connection elements (47); - providing a lid (25) formed by: a cap layer (20) having a first surface (20a) and a second surface (20b), set opposite to one another; and a wall structure (21), coupled to said cap layer (20) to form an internal cavity (24), and having a coupling face (21a), opposite to said cap layer (20); - coupling said lid (25) to said substrate (45), with said coupling face (21a) of said wall structure (21) coupled to said substrate (45) in such a way as to form a package (46), delimiting said internal cavity (24) designed to house said micromechanical sensing structure (10), said first surface (20a) defining an external face of said package (46) and said second surface (20b) facing said substrate (45) inside said package (46), characterized by comprising, prior to said coupling step, the steps of: - defining cavity-connect lands (30) on said coupling face (21a) of said wall structure (21); - fixing to said second surface (20b) of said cap layer (20) at least a first electrical component (10, 11); and - electrically connecting said cavity-connect lands (30) to said first electrical component (10, 11), and in that said step of coupling further comprises electrically coupling said cavity-connect lands (30) to said first electrical-connection elements (47). the process according to claim 13, wherein said step of defining comprises: - forming a metal coating layer (28) on said coupling face (21a) and on wall surfaces (24b) of said wall structure (21) delimiting said internal cavity (24); - defining said metal coating layer (28) by means of a sawing operation so as to define said cavity-connect lands (30) in such a way that they are insulated from one another and moreover insulated with respect to portions of said metal layer (28) remaining on said wall surfaces (24b). the process according to claim 14, wherein said step of electrical connecting comprises connecting said cavity-connect lands (30) to first conductive pads (36) of said first electrical component (10, 11) by means of first wire-connection elements (39). the process according to claim 14 or 15, wherein said step of providing a substrate (45) is executed prior to said step of coupling, and further comprises the step of: - forming said first electrical-connection elements (47) on a first face (45a) of said substrate (45) and external connection pads (49) on a second face (45b) of said substrate (45) opposite to said first face (45a), in such a way that said external connection pads (49) are electrically coupled to said first electrical-connection elements (47); and - forming solder-paste regions (50) on said first electrical-connection elements (47), and wherein said step of coupling comprises the steps of: - positioning said substrate (45) with respect to said lid (25) in such a way that said solder-paste regions (50) are located in positions corresponding to said cavity-connect lands (30); and - bonding said substrate (45) to said lid (45), at least in part through said solder-paste regions (50). the process according to any one of claims 13-16, wherein said step of providing a lid (25) comprises providing an access port (29) through said cap layer (20), designed to enable a fluid communication between the inside and the outside of said package (46), and wherein said step of providing a micromechanical sensing structure (10) comprises integrating said micromechanical sensing structure inside a first die (10), said micromechanical sensing structure (10) comprising a structural layer (2), a sensing cavity (3) formed in said structural layer (2), and a membrane (4); and wherein said step of fixing at least a first electrical component (10, 11) to said second surface (20b) of said cap layer (20) comprises fixing said first die (10) to said second surface (20b), at said access port (29), in such a way that said sensing cavity (3) is in fluid communication with said access port (29) and said membrane (4) separates said sensing cavity (3) from said internal cavity (24). the process according to claim 17, further comprising, prior to said step of coupling, the steps of: - integrating a processing circuit, designed to be operatively coupled to said micromechanical sensing structure (10), in a second die (11); - fixing said second die (11) to said second surface (20b) of said cap layer (20), laterally with respect to said first die (10) ; and - connecting first wire-connection elements (39) between first conductive pads (36) carried by said first die (10) and second conductive pads (38a) carried by said second die (11), and second wire-connection elements (40) between third conductive pads (38b) carried by said second die (11) and said cavity-connect lands (30). the process according to claim 17, wherein said substrate (45) has a third surface (45a) carrying said first electrical-connection elements (47), and a fourth surface (45b), opposite to said third surface (45a) and carrying external connection pads (49) designed for electrical connection to an external printed circuit board; further comprising, prior to said step of coupling, the steps of: - integrating a processing circuit, designed to be operatively coupled to said micromechanical sensing structure (10), in a second die (11); - fixing said second die (11) to said third surface (45a) of said substrate (45); - connecting first wire-connection elements (39) between first conductive pads (36) carried by said first die (10) and said cavity-connect lands (30); and - electrically coupling, by means of second wire-connection elements (40), second conductive pads (38a) carried by said second die (11) and said cavity-connect lands (30).
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technical field the present invention relates to a transducer of a mems (micro-electro-mechanical system) type, in particular a capacitive microphone, to which the ensuing treatment will make explicit reference, without this implying any loss of generality, and to a corresponding assembly process. background art as it is usual in this technical field, the term "package" will be used herein to designate, as a whole, the casing, or covering structure, which surrounds, completely or partially, the die or dice of semiconductor material constituting the acoustic transducer, enabling electrical connection thereof to the outside (in particular, connection to a printed circuit of a corresponding electronic device). as is known, an acoustic transducer, for example a mems microphone of a capacitive type, generally comprises a micromechanical sensing structure, designed to transduce acoustic pressure waves into an electrical quantity (in particular a capacitive variation), and reading electronics, designed to carry out appropriate processing operations (amongst which amplification and filtering operations) of this electrical quantity for supplying an electrical output signal (for example, a voltage). the micromechanical sensing structure in general comprises a mobile electrode, provided as a diaphragm or membrane, set facing a fixed electrode, at a short distance of separation (gap), to provide the plates of a sensing capacitor with a capacitance that varies as a function of the acoustic pressure waves to be detected. the mobile electrode is generally anchored, by means of a perimetral portion thereof, to a fixed structure, whilst a central portion thereof is free to move, or undergo deformation, in response to the pressure exerted by the incident acoustic pressure waves, in this way causing a capacitance variation of the sensing capacitor. in greater detail, and with reference to figure 1 , a micromechanical sensing structure of a mems acoustic transducer 1, of a known type, comprises a structural layer 2 of semiconductor material, for example silicon, in which a cavity 3 is provided, for example via chemical etching from the back. a membrane, or diaphragm, 4 is coupled to the structural layer 2 and closes the cavity 3 at the top; the membrane 4 is flexible and, in use, undergoes deformation as a function of the pressure of the incident sound waves. a rigid plate 5 (generally referred to as "back-plate") is set above the membrane 4 and faces it, via the interposition of spacers 6 (for example, made of insulating material, such as silicon oxide). the back plate 5 constitutes the fixed electrode of a sensing capacitor with a variable capacitance, the mobile electrode of which is constituted by the membrane 4, and has a plurality of holes 7, designed to enable the circulation of air towards the membrane 4 (rendering the back plate 5 acoustically transparent). the micromechanical sensing structure further comprises (in a way not illustrated) membrane and back-plate electrical contacts, used for biasing the membrane 4 and the back plate 5 and detecting a signal of capacitive variation resulting from the deformation of the membrane 4 caused by the incident acoustic pressure waves; in general, these electrical contacts are arranged in a surface portion of the die, in which the micromechanical sensing structure is provided. in a known way, the sensitivity of the mems acoustic transducer 1 depends on the mechanical characteristics of the membrane 4 of the micromechanical sensing structure (in particular upon its so-called "mechanical compliance") and on the type of assembly of the membrane 4 and back plate 5. in addition, the volume of the front acoustic chamber or simply "front chamber" (i.e., the space traversed in use by acoustic pressure waves coming from the external environment through an appropriate access port), and the volume of the back acoustic chamber, or "back-chamber" (i.e., the space that is located on the opposite side of the front chamber with respect to the membrane 4, set in use at a reference pressure) directly affect the acoustic performance of the transducer. in particular, the volume of the front chamber behaves as a sort of helmholtz resonator, on account of the oscillations of the air penetrating through the access port. in fact, the acoustic input signal causes an increase in the pressure of the air inside the front chamber, which consequently acts as a spring pushing out air from the same chamber. as a result of the forces of inertia of the air mass leaving the front chamber, the increase of pressure inside the same chamber is over-compensated, causing a pressure drop, and the negative pressure that is created in the front chamber attracts new air therein. this repeated change of pressure generates the oscillations of air inside the front chamber, at a given resonance frequency. the volume of the front chamber is such as to determine the upper resonance frequency of the acoustic transducer, and hence its performance for high frequencies (in fact, the operative frequency band of the acoustic transducer has to be lower than the resonance frequency of the oscillations of the air): in general, the smaller the volume of the front chamber, the higher the upper cut-off frequency of the transducer in so far as the resonance frequency of the oscillations of air shifts towards higher frequencies. the back chamber behaves, instead, as a closed volume subject to compression, with the consequence that the smaller the volume of the back chamber, the lower the sensitivity of the acoustic transducer (in fact, it is as if the deformations of the membrane were hindered by the action of a high-stiffness spring). it is hence generally desirable to provide a back chamber of large dimensions so as to improve the sensitivity of the acoustic transducer. the volume of the front chamber and/or of the back chamber of the mems acoustic transducer not only depend upon the configuration of the micromechanical sensing structure, but also upon the conformation of the corresponding package, which has to be configured so as to house not only the same micromechanical sensing structure, but also the reading electronics associated thereto, generally provided as an asic in a respective die of semiconductor material. in the design stage, it has also to be considered that the presence of acoustic access ports, directly communicating with the external environment, designed to enable entry of the acoustic pressure waves towards the membrane 4 of the micromechanical sensing structure, involves the further requirement of pre-arranging appropriate shields for the incident light, which could jeopardize proper operation of the micromechanical sensing structure and of the reading electronics. several constraints are thus imposed on the assembly of a mems acoustic transducer (and of the corresponding package), which render design thereof particularly problematical, especially where compact dimensions and high electrical and mechanical performance are called for. in a known assembly arrangement, represented schematically in figure 2 , a first die 10, integrating the micromechanical sensing structure (here only shown schematically), and a second die 11, integrating the asic of the corresponding reading electronics, are coupled side-by-side on a substrate 12. electrical connections 15 between the first and second dice 10, 11, and between the second die 11 and the substrate 12, are provided with the wire-bonding technique (i.e., with appropriate electrical wires), whilst metallization layers and vias (not shown in detail) are provided through the substrate 12 for routing the electrical signals towards the outside of the package of the mems acoustic transducer, which is once again designated as a whole by 1. in a way not illustrated, pads (in the case of an lga - land-grid array - package), or conductive spherical elements (in the case of a bga - ball-grid array - package), or similar connection elements, are moreover provided on the underside of the substrate 12 for soldering and electrical connection to an external printed circuit of a corresponding electronic device. a cap 16 is coupled to the substrate 12, and encloses within it the first and second dice 10, 11. the cap 16 may be made of metal, or of a pre-moulded plastic coated within with a metallization layer, in such a way as to prevent disturbance due to external electromagnetic signals (by providing a sort of faraday cage). the cap 16 is generally attached to the substrate 12 by means of a conductive glue 17 (for example, epoxy resin) so as to obtain also a ground connection towards the substrate 12. the cap 16 further has an opening 18 to enable entry into the package of acoustic pressure waves coming from the external environment. the above solution is not however free from drawbacks. in particular, the cap 16 is made through moulding and hence requires, during production, a set of specific and dedicated moulding tools (comprising, for example, dies and punches), for each possible variation of dimensions and shapes that may prove necessary in time, for example following upon the evolution of the dimensions of the silicon structures or upon specific requirements of the end user. in addition, the pitch and layout of the moulding and punching tools are not always compatible with the dimensions and configuration of the array of contacts (for example, of an map-bga - mould-array process - ball-grid array - type) each time used for mems devices. the production and fixing of the cap 16 to the substrate 12 cannot hence be obtained with technologies and equipment for so-called "mass production". the above solution involves large dimensions for accommodating side-by-side the two dice of the mems acoustic transducer and for providing the corresponding package, and in general has the disadvantage of not offering to the designer a sufficient freedom (as instead would be desirable) in the sizing of the front and back chambers of the acoustic transducer, for determination of its electrical characteristics. moreover, in general, providing the electrical connections 15, in particular towards the substrate of the package, can prove problematical in the flow of the assembly process. wo/2007 022249 discloses an apparatus having a package, with a base and a lid coupled with the package base. the lid and package base form a chamber for at least partially containing a microphone. the lid is electrically coupled with a given portion of the leadframe in the package base. disclosure of invention the aim of the present invention is to provide an appropriate assembly of a mems acoustic transducer and of a corresponding package, which will enable solution of the problems highlighted above, and in particular enable reduced manufacturing costs, high acoustic performance and reliability, and small dimensions. according to the present invention, a transducer of a microelectromechanical type and a corresponding assembly process are provided, as defined in claims 1 and 13, respectively. brief description of the drawings for a better understanding of the present invention, a preferred embodiment thereof is now described, purely by way of non-limiting example and with reference to the attached drawings, wherein: figure 1 is a schematic cross section of a micromechanical sensing structure of a mems acoustic transducer, of a known type; figure 2 is a schematic cross section of a mems acoustic transducer and of the corresponding package, of a known type; figures 3a-3g show cross sections through a mems acoustic transducer, in successive steps of the corresponding assembly process, according to one embodiment of the present invention; figure 4 is a perspective schematic view of the transducer of figure 3d , which moreover shows the (broken) line of cross section along which the representation of figure 3d is obtained; figure 5 is a perspective view of the transducer of figure 3e , which again shows the (broken) line of cross section along which the representation of figure 3e is obtained; figures 6a , 6b are schematic perspective views, respectively, from above and from beneath, partially in cutaway view, of the mems acoustic transducer of figure 3g ; figure 7 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of figure 3g , regarding a different embodiment of the present invention; figure 8 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of figure 3g , regarding yet another different embodiment of the present invention; figures 9a , 9b are schematic perspective views, respectively, from above and from beneath, of the mems acoustic transducer of figure 8 (figure 9a shows the broken line of cross section along which the representation of figure 8 is obtained); and figure 10 shows a general block diagram of an electronic device incorporating the mems acoustic transducer according to a further aspect of the present invention. best mode for carrying out the invention as will be discussed in detail in what follows, one aspect of the present invention envisages providing a specific cap structure for the package of a mems acoustic transducer, of a composite type, constituted by the assembly of two layers made of a same plastic material, obtained with standard semiconductor techniques (such as standard techniques for obtaining bga, lga substrates, or the like). in addition, one or both of the dice of the mems acoustic transducer (integrating the micromechanical sensing structure and, respectively, the corresponding asic), and/or further electrical/electronic components, are directly coupled to the cap structure, instead of being coupled to a substrate to which the same cap structure is bonded for providing the package of the mems acoustic transducer and its connection to an external printed circuit board. in detail, and with reference firstly to figure 3a , a process of assembly of a mems acoustic transducer initially envisages providing a first cap layer 20 and a second cap layer 21, made of one and the same plastic material, in particular an epoxy resin, and specifically a laminated bt (bismaleimide triazine). the first cap layer 20 has a first main face 20a and a second main face 20b (where by "main faces" is meant the surfaces of greater extension of the layer, in a horizontal plane xy), and a first thickness along a vertical axis z, transverse to the horizontal plane xy. in particular, the first main face 20a, as will be clarified hereinafter, is designed to define the upper face of the package of the mems acoustic transducer (in the so-called "top port" configuration, i.e., with a corresponding acoustic access port facing in the opposite direction with respect to the printed circuit board to which the mems acoustic transducer is designed to be coupled). the second cap layer 21 has, in turn, a respective first main face 21a and a respective second main face 21b, and a second thickness, greater than the first thickness of the first cap layer 20. in particular, the second thickness is a function, for reasons that will be clarified hereinafter, of the vertical dimensions of the dice of the mems acoustic transducer (integrating, as previously underlined, the micromechanical sensing structure and the corresponding asic). the main faces of the first cap layer 20 and of the second cap layer 21 are coated, with techniques of a standard type, by a thin first metal layer 22 (as shown in figure 3a , the first main face 20a of the first cap layer 20, designed to define the outer surface of the package, may not be metallized). in addition, an adhesion layer 23, of non-conductive adhesive material, is formed on the first metal layer 22 in a region corresponding to the second main face 21b of the second cap layer 21. then (see figure 3b ), a cavity 24 is provided through the second cap layer 21, traversing it throughout its thickness and moreover traversing the first metal layer 22 (in regions corresponding to both of its main faces 21a, 21b) and the adhesive layer 23. in a way here not illustrated, the cavity 24 has, for example, a rectangular shape in plan view (in the horizontal plane xy) and, for the reasons that will be clarified hereinafter, dimensions such as to accommodate within it one or both of the dice of the micromechanical sensing structure and of the asic of the mems acoustic transducer. note that figure 3b , as likewise the subsequent ones (unless otherwise indicated), show only a portion of the aforesaid cap layers 20, 21, for providing a single mems device, it being, however, evident that a plurality of mems devices, set side-by-side, are provided by means of the same processing steps (so that, for example, several cavities 24 are made through the second cap layer 21 in this step, set at a distance apart from one another by an appropriate pitch, according to the final dimensions that the individual mems devices are to assume after the final cutting or "singulation" operation). next, the first and second cap layers 20, 21 are joined together, in a stacked way (the so-called "stacking operation"), via the interposition, between the corresponding surfaces in contact (in areas corresponding to the respective second main faces 20b, 21b), of the adhesive layer 23 (the so-called "bonding operation"), forming in this way a composite cap 25. the first cap layer 20, and in particular the corresponding second main face 20b (with the first metal layer 22 superimposed thereon), constitutes a top delimitation surface 24a of the cavity 24, closing it at the top (considering that, as pointed out previously, the first cap layer 20a is designed to constitute the upper face of the package of the mems acoustic transducer, in a "top port" configuration). next, a seed layer 26 is grown, constituted by a thin metal film, on the top delimitation surface 24a of the cavity 24, on the side walls, designated by 24b, of the same cavity 24 and moreover on the first metal layer 22 in a region corresponding to the first main face 21a of the first cap layer 21. then, formed on the seed layer 26, for example using the electroplating technique or the sputtering technique, is a second metal layer 28, which coats, in particular, the inside of the cavity 24. next (as shown in figure 3c ), an acoustic access port 29 is provided, using micromachining techniques of a standard type, through the entire thickness of the first cap layer 20 and through the first metal layer 22, the seed layer 26 and the second metal layer 28. the acoustic access port 29 is, for example, constituted by a through hole with circular cross section extending from the first main face 20a of the first cap layer 20 as far as the cavity 24. as will be clarified hereinafter, the acoustic access port 29 is designed to enable entry of acoustic pressure waves into the package of the mems acoustic transducer. in this step, in a way not illustrated, marking of the package can advantageously be carried out, for example for providing information regarding the manufacturing lot; in particular, marking can be carried out on the first main face 20a of the first cap layer 20, which is in fact accessible for the marking tools. according to one aspect of the present invention (see figure 3d , as well as the corresponding perspective view of figure 4 ), the composite cap 25 is turned upside down along a vertical direction, and, via standard cutting processes (the so-called "sawing" operation), for example using a diamond-saw cutting tool, the second metal layer 28 is appropriately processed, for providing, at the first surface 21a of the second cap layer 21, a plurality of cavity contact pads or lands, denoted with 30 and referred to as "ccls" (cavity-connect lands), electrically insulated from one another. as will be clarified hereinafter, the cavity-connect lands 30 are designed to be contacted electrically, in particular using the wire-bonding technique, by electrical components that will subsequently be coupled to the composite cap 25, in an area corresponding to the top delimitation surface 24a of the cavity 24. in greater detail, during the aforesaid cutting operation, the following elements are defined by way of removal of material: an outer groove 32, having a perimeter substantially rectangular in the horizontal plane xy, which surrounds the cavity 24 at a given distance, and a depth such as to remove the second metal layer 28, the seed layer 26, the first metal layer 22, and a surface portion of the second cap layer 21 (at the corresponding first main face 21a); and a first inner groove 33 and a second inner groove 34, which extend inside the outer groove 32, at the side walls 24b of the cavity 24, and have substantially the same depth as the same outer groove 32. in particular, the first and second inner grooves 33, 34 extend parallel to one another along respective major sides of the cavity 24 (in the example shown in figure 4 , along the axis y), extending in part through a surface portion of the second cap layer 21, at the edge between the first main face 21a of the second cap layer 21 and the side walls 24b of the cavity 24. consequently, two parallel strips of metal material are defined between the outer groove 32 and the first and second inner grooves 33, 34, the strips being electrically insulated from the coating layer inside the cavity 24, on account of the presence of the same first and second inner grooves 33, 34. during the sawing operation, a plurality of recesses 35 (visible in figure 4 ) are moreover cut, having for example the same depth as the grooves 32, 33, 34, and extending in a direction transverse to, and starting from, the outer groove 32, as far as the first inner groove 33 or, respectively, the second inner groove 34 (hence traversing entirely the aforesaid parallel strips of metal material). in particular, the recesses 35 thus define, between them, the cavity-connect lands 30, which are electrically insulated from one another and moreover insulated with respect to the remaining portions of the second metal layer 28 (which remain at the side walls 24b of the cavity 24 and at the first main face 21a of the second cap layer 21, around the same cavity 24). for example, as may be seen in figure 4 , three cavity-connect lands 30 may be provided, in a region corresponding to an end portion of each major side of the cavity 24. in any case, it is emphasized that the depth of cut, the shape, number, and positioning of the various cavity-connect lands 30 can vary with respect to what is illustrated, for example in such a way as to be optimized with respect to the electrical connection requirements and characteristics of the mems acoustic transducer. after the sawing operation (see figure 3e and the corresponding figure 5 ), a first die, designated once again by 10, which integrates the micromechanical sensing structure (shown schematically, and provided, by way of non-limiting example, as described previously with reference to figure 1 ), and a second die, designated once again by 11, integrating an asic of the corresponding reading electronics, are coupled to the composite cap 25 at the top delimitation surface 24a of the cavity 24. in particular, a bottom surface 10a, 11a of both of the dice 10, 11 is glued by means of adhesive material to the second metal layer 28 in an area corresponding to the top delimitation surface 24a of the cavity 24. first contact pads 36 associated to the membrane 4 and to the back plate 5 (here illustrated schematically) of the micromechanical sensing structure integrated in the first die 10, carried by a top surface 10b thereof, and moreover second and third contact pads 38a, 38b, electrically connected to the circuit components of the asic integrated in the second die 11, carried by a respective top surface 11b thereof, instead face the horizontal plane (parallel to the plane xy) defined by the first main face 21a of the second cap layer 21. in addition, the first die 10 is positioned with respect to the composite cap 25 in such a way that the cavity 3 of the corresponding micromechanical sensing structure faces and is in fluid communication with the acoustic access port 29 so that the cavity 3 constitutes the front chamber of the mems acoustic transducer. the electrical connections to/from the first and second dice 10, 11 are then provided using the wire-bonding technique, by connecting: first electrical wires 39 between the first contact pads 36 and the second contact pads 38a (in such a way as to convey the electrical quantities detected by the micromechanical sensing structure towards the asic); and, according to one aspect of the present invention, second electrical wires 40 between the third contact pads 38b and respective cavity-connect lands 30 (in such a way as to enable, as will be described hereinafter, carrying the electrical signals generated by the asic to the outside of the package or else to further electrical/electronic components present inside the same package). as shown schematically only in figure 3e , a coating region 42 (the so-called "glob top" region), made of appropriate material, can be formed, optionally, on the top surface 11b of the second die 11 in such a way as to shield the asic from light radiation at spurious wavelengths, which are not blocked by the material of the composite cap 25 and by the material (typically silicon) of which the membrane 4 and the back plate 5 of the micromechanical sensing structure are made. in this regard, it should in fact be noted that in the package structure proposed, the membrane 4 and the back plate 5 act as an interface between the outside of the package (in particular, the environment external to the acoustic access port 29) and the cavity 24 inside the same package. alternatively, on the top surface 11b of the second die 11 a thin film of an appropriate protective material can be formed, which performs the same function of shielding the light radiation. next (see figure 3f where, by way of example, portions of two mems devices set side-by-side, obtained starting from the same layers, are shown), a sealing material (for example, a conductive resin) is distributed along what will be, after the final singulation operation, the perimeter of each mems device, and in particular inside the outer groove 32, thus creating therein a sealing region 44. in particular, the sealing region 44 also constitutes an attachment base for coupling to a pcb (printed-circuit board) of a standard type. in this regard (see figure 3g and the corresponding figures 6a and 6b ), the assembly process proceeds with coupling of a printed-circuit substrate 45 to the composite cap 25 in an area corresponding to the first main face 21a of the second cap layer 21 so as to close at the bottom (with respect to vertical axis z) the cavity 24 that is to constitute the back chamber of the mems acoustic transducer, here designated once again by 1. the printed-circuit substrate 45 has a first main face 45a set facing the inside of the cavity 24, and a second main face 45b set facing the outside of the package of the mems acoustic transducer 1, here designated as a whole by 46. provided on the first main face 45a (see in particular figure 6b ) are: substrate contact pads 47, made of metal material, for example in a number and with an arrangement corresponding to those of the cavity-connect lands 30; and conductive strips 48, having shapes and an arrangement such as to superimpose (as is evident from figures 6a and 6b ) on the aforesaid remaining portions of the second metal layer 28 in an area corresponding to the first main face 21a of the second cap layer 21, providing an electrical contact with the same portions. in a way not illustrated, on the aforesaid first main face 45a and/or inside the same printed-circuit substrate 45, connection paths, metallized vias, and/or further electrical-connection elements are moreover provided. instead, elements for electrical connection towards the outside are provided on the second main face 45b of the printed-circuit substrate 45, in particular for connection to a printed circuit board (or other support), to which the mems acoustic transducer is to be coupled. in the case illustrated, these electrical-connection elements are constituted by external contact pads 49 (connection with the lga technique), which are appropriately connected (for example, by the metallized vias traversing the printed-circuit substrate 45) to the substrate contact pads 47 and/or the conductive strips 48. in greater detail, and as illustrated in figure 3g , solder-paste regions 50 are pre-applied in appropriate areas on the first main face 45a of the printed-circuit substrate 45, for example in areas corresponding to the substrate contact pads 47 and/or the conductive strips 48. the solder-paste regions 50 can be applied using the screen-printing technique, or pre-applied during production of the printed-circuit substrate 45. then, the printed-circuit substrate 45 is positioned, using the flip-chip technique, with the first main face 45a facing the first main face 21a of the second cap layer 21 (in particular exploiting the resting base offered by the sealant region 44) in such a way that the substrate contact pads 47 are positioned at the cavity-connect lands 30. at this point, the stacked assembly of the printed-circuit substrate 45 and the composite cap 25 is subjected to brazing (the so-called "reflow" operation), in such a way as to obtain their mechanical and electrical bonding, by soldering. like this, the package 46 is formed and the back chamber of the mems acoustic transducer 1 (constituted by the cavity 24 internal to the package 46) is defined, which is thus sealed from the external environment and also shielded from electromagnetic disturbance. it may be noted that the asic in the second die 11 of the mems acoustic transducer 1 is, at the end of the aforesaid stacked assembly, automatically connected by means of the electrical connections described to the substrate contact pads 47, and, consequently, to the external contact pads 49 for connection towards the outside of the package 46. in particular, once assembly is completed, the solder-paste regions 50 are located beside the sealing region 44, within the package 46. finally, using traditional cutting techniques, the various mems acoustic transducers 1 (and the corresponding packages 46) are singulated. the finished devices are then subjected to the usual testing procedures (for the so-called "sorting" operation). in the final structure of the package 46, the shielding effect provided by the composite cap 25 in regard to the cavity 24 is enhanced as compared to traditional structures, thanks to the fact that two layers of the same material (first and second cap layers 20, 21) are coupled together and to the fact that the inside of the same cavity 24 is uniformly coated with one and the same layer of conductive material (the second metal layer 28). in addition, the use of the sealing region 44, of conductive material, for coupling between the composite cap 25 and the printed-circuit substrate 45 enables improved shielding against electromagnetic disturbance and also provision of a good ground connection. in particular, it may be noted that the definition of the cavity-connect lands 30 when providing the composite cap 25, using traditional cutting techniques, advantageously enables different conductive patterns and electrical-connection pads to be obtained on the portions of the first main face 21a of the second cap layer 21 adjacent to the cavity 24, for connection to the printed-circuit substrate 45 during assembly of the package 46. this solution at the same time enables the following results to be obtained in a simplified manner: electrical connections, inside the package, between the first and second dice 10, 11 of the mems acoustic transducer, which are housed in the cavity 24 and are directly coupled to the composite cap 25, and the printed-circuit substrate 45 that is to be connected to external printed circuit boards; and a composite cap 25 having a totally shielded cavity 24 in such a way as to guarantee proper shielding against electromagnetic disturbance. in addition, it is to be noted that, advantageously, the front chamber 27 of the mems acoustic transducer is in this case constituted by just the cavity 3 of the corresponding micromechanical sensing structure, and can consequently be controlled via an appropriate design of the micromechanical reduced volumes of the front chamber. this solution also renders the assembly process more robust given that the volume of the front chamber does not depend upon the realization and proper positioning of the components within the cavity 24. instead, once again advantageously, the volume of the back chamber is represented by the entire cavity 24, internal to the package 46, so that the upper limit for this volume is represented only by the external dimensions of the package 46, which can easily be defined at the design stage. in particular, given that the characteristics of the back chamber are linked principally to the structure of the package 46, it is possible to obtain micromechanical sensing structures of small dimensions (for example, using thinner silicon wafers as starting structural layers). a different embodiment of the present invention (shown in figure 7 ) envisages the possibility that further electrical components 52, for example smds (surface-mounted devices), are coupled, in a known way, to the first main face 45a of the printed-circuit substrate 45. for example, the electrical components 52 can be resistors, capacitors, or other active or passive components. moreover, in this way, also further packages of electronic devices, such as full-moulded or premoulded packages can be arranged inside the cavity 24 (by means of coupling to the first main face 45a of the printed-circuit substrate 45). generally, the possibility of exploiting the first main face 45a of the printed-circuit substrate 45 (to which in this case the dice of the mems acoustic transducer are not coupled) for connection of further electrical/electronic components advantageously enables maximization of the space occupied inside the cavity 24, in this way reducing the occupation of area on the external printed circuit board to which the package 46 of the mems acoustic transducer 1 is coupled. furthermore, this solution guarantees that all the electrical components 52 inside the package 46 are adequately shielded from emi disturbance, since they are arranged inside the cavity 24, which is in turn totally shielded. it is to be noted that in the embodiment illustrated, the electrical components 52 are, at least in part, vertically set on top of the first die 10 inside the package 46. the electrical components 52 can be electrically connected to the asic integrated in the second die 11, through the cavity-connect lands 30, the second electrical wires 40, the solder-paste regions 50, the substrate contact pads 47, and appropriate electrical paths (or similar electrical connections) integrated in the printed-circuit substrate 45. alternatively, or in addition, the electrical components 52 are connected to the outside of the package through the external contact pads 49 and, again, electrical paths (or other electrical connections) in the printed-circuit substrate 45. yet a further different embodiment of the present invention (shown in figure 8 and in the corresponding figures 9a and 9b ) envisages that the second die 11 (integrating the asic) is coupled, with traditional techniques, to the first main face 45a of the printed-circuit substrate 45, together with the possible further electrical components 52. in this case, the first electrical wires 39 are connected inside the package 46 between the first contact pads 36 and the cavity-connect lands 30, whilst the second electrical wires 40 connect the second contact pads 38a (which define input pads) with the substrate contact pads 47 (for receiving the electrical quantities generated by the micromechanical sensing structure), and further second electrical wires, which are also designated by 40, connect the third contact pads 38b (which define output pads) to the external contact pads 49 and/or to the further electrical components 52. this solution can possibly enable a saving in the occupation of area in the horizontal plane xy inside the package 46. the advantages of the mems acoustic transducer and of the corresponding assembly process emerge clearly from the foregoing description. in particular, it is once again emphasized that the use of a composite cap structure made of plastic material (in particular bt material) enables the use of traditional manufacturing techniques (mass-production techniques), without it being necessary to use specific moulding tools and machinery. it is in this way easy to adapt the process to different shapes or sizes of the package, without incurring in high costs for tooling. the assembly described enables convenient tuning of the volumes of the front and back chambers of the mems acoustic transducer 1 and achievement of high electrical performance of the transducer in terms, for example, of the frequency response and of the signal-to-noise ratio (snr). use of the cavity-connect lands 30, as previously emphasized, enables providing of the electrical connections inside (and towards the outside of) the package 46 already during assembly of the composite cap 25, enabling the dual advantage of providing in a simple and inexpensive way, with the same processing steps, both the connections to the printed-circuit substrate 45 and a totally shielded cavity 24 inside the package 46. in addition, the described process makes it possible to carry out marking of the package 46 in an initial step thereof, thus enabling elimination of the risk of contamination by dust or by external agents of the mems acoustic transducer 1 (which in the initial step has not yet been coupled to the structure being assembled). the layout proposed for the package 46 of the mems acoustic transducer 1 moreover minimizes exposure of the electrical/electronic components inside the cavity 24 to light radiation, given that light radiation is largely absorbed by the micromechanical sensing structure integrated in the first die 10, which is set between the acoustic access port 29 and the inside of the cavity 24. for the same reason, the electrical wire connections inside the cavity 24, in particular for connection between the first and second dice 10, 11, are better protected from the outside environment, as compared to traditional package solutions (of the same "top port" type). also the mechanical robustness of the assembly is in general improved, given that the micromechanical sensing structure (integrated in the first die 10) is attached to the composite cap 25 in an area corresponding to its internal surface opposite to the printed-circuit substrate 45 (the top delimitation surface 24a of the cavity 24) so that the sturdiness and strength at drop tests are improved. the characteristics previously listed render the use of the mems acoustic transducer 1 particularly advantageous in an electronic device 60, as shown in figure 10 . the electronic device 60 is preferably a mobile communications device, such as, for example, a cellphone, a pda, a notebook, but also a voice recorder, an audio-file reader with voice-recording capacity, etc. alternatively, the electronic device 60 may be a hydrophone, capable of working under water, or else a hearing-aid device. the electronic device 60 comprises a microprocessor (cpu - central processing unit) 61, a memory block 62, connected to the microprocessor 61, and an input/output interface 63, for example provided with a keyboard and a display, which is also connected to the microprocessor 61. the mems acoustic transducer 1 communicates with the microprocessor 61. in particular, the asic in the second die 11 sends electrical output signals to the microprocessor 61 (a further electronic circuit for processing these electrical output signals, designated by 65, may possibly be present). a loudspeaker 66 is also provided for generation of sounds on an audio output (not shown) of the electronic device 60. as shown schematically, the mems acoustic transducer 1, the microprocessor 61, the memory block 62, the input/output interface 63, and the possible further electronic components are coupled to a single printed circuit board 67, for example using the smd technique. finally, it is clear that modifications and variations may be made to what has been described and illustrated herein, without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention, as defined in the attached claims. in particular, it is emphasized once again that, generally, the shapes and configurations of the structural elements described can be different from what has been described and illustrated so far, as likewise the electrical components that can be coupled inside the package may be different. for example, further electrical/electronic components could be appropriately coupled to the composite cap 25, which can be electrically reached via the cavity-connect lands 30. in addition, it is evident that the assembly proposed can advantageously be used also for other types of mems transducers and corresponding packages, envisaging the presence of an access port enabling fluid communication between the external environment and the inside of the package.
|
170-434-443-641-759
|
JP
|
[
"US",
"JP",
"CN"
] |
G06F3/12,G06K15/00,H04N1/00,G06F8/65,B41J29/38,G06F8/60,G06F9/445,G06F21/57
| 2016-09-29T00:00:00 |
2016
|
[
"G06",
"H04",
"B41"
] |
printing apparatus and control method of printing apparatus
|
a printing apparatus connectable to a server, the printing apparatus includes: a printing apparatus communication unit that transmits printing apparatus information to the server and receives an address which designates a storage location of overwriting firmware of firmware from the server in a case where a predetermined condition is satisfied; and a printing apparatus control unit that receives the overwriting firmware from the server and executes overwriting of the firmware based on the address received by the printing apparatus communication unit.
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1. a printing apparatus connectable to a server, the printing apparatus comprising a processor, the processor configured to: transmit printing apparatus information to the server; receive a server address which designates a storage location of overwriting firmware when a predetermined condition is satisfied; transmit a request for the overwriting firmware to the server; receive the overwriting firmware from the server; and execute overwriting of firmware using the overwriting firmware, wherein the request for the overwriting firmware includes the server address. 2. the printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the printing apparatus information includes model information indicating a model of the printing apparatus and version information indicating a version of the firmware, and wherein the server determines whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied based on the model information and the version information transmitted by the processor. 3. the printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the printing apparatus information includes identification information of the printing apparatus, and wherein the server determines whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied based on the identification information transmitted by the processor. 4. the printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the server determines whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied based on whether or not overwriting of the firmware by the processor is permitted. 5. the printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the server determines whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied based on whether or not the printing apparatus is in a time period during which overwriting of the firmware can be executed. 6. the printing apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising: a printing unit configured to perform printing on a printing medium, and wherein the time period during which overwriting of the firmware can be executed is a time period that excludes a time period from an opening time of a store to a closing time of the store. 7. the printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to determine a validity of the overwriting firmware, before executing overwriting of the firmware. 8. the printing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the processor is configured to execute the overwriting of the firmware using the overwriting firmware when it is determined that the overwriting firmware is valid, and wherein the processor is configured to refrain from executing the overwriting of the firmware using the overwriting firmware when it is determined that the overwriting firmware is not valid. 9. the printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the server address is a uniform resource location address. 10. the printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to receive a password from the server, and to transmit the password to the server. 11. a control method of a printing apparatus connectable to a server, the method comprising: transmitting printing apparatus information to the server; receiving a server address which designates a storage location of overwriting firmware when a predetermined condition is satisfied; transmitting a request for the overwriting firmware to the server; receiving the overwriting firmware from the server; and executing overwriting of the firmware using the overwriting firmware, wherein the request for the overwriting firmware includes the server address. 12. the method according to claim 11 , wherein the server address is a uniform resource location address. 13. the method according to claim 11 , further comprising: receiving a password from the server, and transmitting the password to the server.
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background 1. technical field the present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a control method of a printing apparatus. 2. related art in the related art, a printing apparatus (information processing apparatus 100 ) that communicates with a server (external server 250 ) and overwrites firmware, is known (for example, refer to jp-a-2016-24775). as in the printing apparatus described above, in a printing apparatus that communicates with a server and overwrites firmware, there is a need to execute overwriting of firmware in an appropriate method based on communication with the server. summary an advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide a printing apparatus that can execute overwriting of firmware in an appropriate method based on communication with a server, the printing apparatus executing overwriting of firmware by communication with the server. according to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a printing apparatus connectable to a server, the apparatus including: a printing apparatus communication unit that transmits printing apparatus information to the server and receives an address which designates a storage location of overwriting firmware of firmware from the server in a case where a predetermined condition is satisfied; and a printing apparatus control unit that receives the overwriting firmware from the server and executes overwriting of the firmware based on the address received by the printing apparatus communication unit. according to this configuration of the aspect of the invention, in a case where the server determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied, the printing apparatus receives the address which designates the storage location of the overwriting firmware, receives the overwriting firmware based on the address, and performs overwriting of the firmware. thus, in a case where the predetermined condition is not satisfied, it is possible to prevent the printing apparatus from acquiring the address which designates the storage location of the overwriting firmware. in addition, the server can control whether or not to permit overwriting of the firmware of the printing apparatus, and control an execution timing of processing related to overwriting. that is, according to this embodiment, in the printing apparatus that performs overwriting of the firmware by communication with the server, overwriting of the firmware can be executed in an appropriate method based on communication with the server. in addition, in the aspect of the invention, the printing apparatus information may include model information indicating a model of a printing apparatus and version information indicating a version of the firmware, and whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied may be determined by the server based on the model information and the version information transmitted by the printing apparatus communication unit. according to this configuration of the aspect of the invention, since the printing apparatus information transmitted by the printing apparatus includes the model information indicating the model of the printing apparatus and the version information indicating the version of the firmware, the server can appropriately determine whether or not overwriting of the firmware is necessary in the printing apparatus, based on the model of the printing apparatus and the version of the firmware. in addition, in the aspect of the invention, the printing apparatus information may include identification information of the printing apparatus, and whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied may be determined by the server based on the identification information transmitted by the printing apparatus communication unit. according to this configuration of the aspect of the invention, since the printing apparatus information transmitted by the printing apparatus includes the identification information of the printing apparatus, by using the identification information of the printing apparatus, the server can appropriately determine whether or not overwriting of the firmware is necessary in the printing apparatus, based on specific circumstances of the printing apparatus. in addition, in the aspect of the invention, whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied may be determined based on whether or not overwriting of the firmware by the printing apparatus control unit is permitted. according to this configuration of the aspect of the invention, the server can appropriately determine whether or not overwriting of the firmware is necessary in the printing apparatus, based on whether or not overwriting of the firmware by the printing apparatus is permitted. in addition, in the aspect of the invention, whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied may be determined based on whether or not the printing apparatus is in a time period during which overwriting of the firmware can be executed. according to this configuration of the aspect of the invention, the printing apparatus can execute processing related to overwriting of the firmware in the time period during which overwriting of the firmware can be executed. in addition, in the aspect of the invention, the printing apparatus may further include a printing unit that performs printing on a printing medium, and the time period during which overwriting of the firmware can be executed may be a time period during which the printing unit does not execute printing on the printing medium. according to this configuration of the aspect of the invention, the printing apparatus can execute the processing related to overwriting of the firmware in the time period during which the printing unit does not execute printing on the printing medium. in addition, in the aspect of the invention, the printing apparatus control unit may execute processing of determining validity of the overwriting firmware, after receiving the overwriting firmware from the server and before executing overwriting of the firmware. according to this configuration of the aspect of the invention, in a case where the overwriting firmware has validity, by performing overwriting of the firmware, for example, it is possible to prevent the firmware from being overwritten with tampered file data. in addition, in the aspect of the invention, the printing apparatus control unit may execute overwriting of the firmware based on the overwriting firmware in a case where it is determined that the overwriting firmware is valid, and the printing apparatus control unit may not execute overwriting of the firmware based on the overwriting firmware in a case where it is determined that the overwriting firmware is not valid. according to this configuration of the aspect of the invention, it is possible to prevent the firmware stored in the printing apparatus from being overwritten with firmware which may be tampered with. further, according to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a control method of a printing apparatus connectable to a server, the method including: transmitting printing apparatus information to the server and receiving an address which designates a storage location of overwriting firmware of firmware from the server in a case where a predetermined condition is satisfied; and receiving the overwriting firmware from the server and executing overwriting of the firmware based on the received address. according to this configuration of the aspect of the invention, in a case where the server determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied, the printing apparatus receives the address which designates the storage location of the overwriting firmware, receives the overwriting firmware based on the address, and performs overwriting of the firmware. thus, in a case where the predetermined condition is not satisfied, it is possible to prevent the printing apparatus from acquiring the address which designates the storage location of the overwriting firmware. in addition, the server can control whether or not to permit overwriting of the firmware of the printing apparatus, and control an execution timing of processing related to overwriting. that is, according to this embodiment, in the printing apparatus that performs overwriting of the firmware by communication with the server, overwriting of the firmware can be executed in an appropriate method based on communication with the server. brief description of the drawings the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements. fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a network system according to the present embodiment. fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a printing apparatus. fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a server unit. fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating operations of the printing apparatus, a printing apparatus control server, and a management server. figs. 5a and 5b are flowcharts illustrating operations of the printing apparatus, the management server, and a file providing server. fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating operations of the printing apparatus, the management server, and the file providing server. fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of information printed on roll paper. fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of information printed on roll paper. description of exemplary embodiments hereinafter, an embodiment according to the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a network system 1 according to the embodiment. as illustrating in fig. 1 , the network system 1 includes a server unit 2 (server) and a plurality of store systems 3 . the server unit 2 is configured to include a printing apparatus control server 2 a (first server), a management server 2 b (second server), and a file providing server 2 c (third server). in the network system 1 , the server unit 2 and each of the store systems 3 are connected to each other so as to communicate with each other via a global network gn which is configured to include the internet and other networks. configurations and functions of the printing apparatus control server 2 a , the management server 2 b , and the file providing server 2 c will be described later. in fig. 1 , although each of the printing apparatus control server 2 a , the management server 2 b , and the file providing server 2 c is expressed by one block, this does not mean that each of the servers is configured with a single server apparatus. for example, the printing apparatus control server 2 a may be configured to include a plurality of server apparatuses. the store system 3 is a system provided in a store such as a supermarket, a convenience store, a department store, or a restaurant at which merchandise, a service, or the like is provided and accounting is performed according to the provision. as illustrated in fig. 1 , the store system 3 includes a local network ln. one or a plurality of printing apparatuses 10 , one or a plurality of host computers 11 corresponding to each of the printing apparatuses 10 , and a communication apparatus 12 are connected to the local network ln. the communication apparatus 12 is an interface apparatus that connects the local network ln and the global network gn. the communication apparatus 12 has a function as a modem (or an optical network unit (onu)), a function as a router, a network address translation (nat) function, a function as a dynamic host configuration protocol (dhcp) server, and the like. the communication apparatus 12 transfers data which is transmitted and received between an apparatus connected to the local network ln and an apparatus connected to the global network gn when communication is performed between the apparatuses. in fig. 1 , although the communication apparatus 12 is represented by one block, the communication apparatus 12 may be configured to include a plurality of apparatuses according to the function. as illustrated in fig. 1 , proxy servers 13 provided in a demilitarized zone (dmz) segment sg are connected to the local network ln via a fire wall fw. the proxy server 13 is configured to include a relay server, a dns server, a web server, or the like. illegal access from the global network gn to the apparatus connected to the local network ln is prevented by functions of the firewall fw and the proxy server 13 provided in the dmz segment sg. the printing apparatus 10 and the host computer 11 are provided at a checkout counter at which a customer performs accounting in a store. the host computer 11 issues a receipt by controlling the printing apparatus 10 according to accounting performed at the checkout counter. the receipt issued by the printing apparatus 10 is handed over to the customer by a person in charge of the checkout counter. the printing apparatus 10 has a function of accessing the global network gn and communicating with the apparatus connected to the global network gn (including the printing apparatus control server 2 a , the management server 2 b , and the file providing server 2 c ). secure communication is performed between the printing apparatus 10 and the server unit 2 by using a technique related to encryption, such as a virtual private network (vpn), or a technique related to a virtual dedicated line (which may be a physical dedicated line). a configuration and a function of the printing apparatus 10 will be described later. fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the printing apparatus 10 . the printing apparatus 10 is an apparatus that has a function of accommodating roll paper (print medium), transporting the accommodated roll paper, printing an image on the accommodated roll paper, and cutting the roll paper. a printing method of the printing apparatus 10 may be any one of a thermal method, an ink jet method, and the like. as illustrated in fig. 2 , the printing apparatus 10 includes a printing apparatus control unit 20 , a printing apparatus storage unit 21 , a printing unit 22 , a printing apparatus network-communication unit 23 (printing apparatus communication unit), and a printing apparatus device-communication unit 24 . the printing apparatus control unit 20 includes an system on a chip (soc) 201 on which a first processor 201 a and a second processor 201 b are mounted, a rom, a ram, an asic, a signal processing circuit, and the like, and controls each unit of the printing apparatus 10 . the printing apparatus storage unit 21 includes a nonvolatile memory, and stores first firmware 21 a , second firmware 21 b , and other data. the first firmware 21 a is firmware which has at least a function of printing an image by controlling the printing unit 22 to be described and a function of performing communication with the host computer 11 by controlling the printing apparatus device-communication unit 24 to be described. the printing apparatus control unit 20 reads and executes the first firmware 21 a by the first processor 201 a , and controls the printing unit 22 and the printing apparatus device-communication unit 24 by the function of the first firmware 21 a . the second firmware 21 b is firmware which has at least a function of communicating with an apparatus connected to the global network gn by controlling the printing apparatus network-communication unit 23 to be described. the printing apparatus control unit 20 reads and executes the second firmware 21 b by the second processor 201 b , and controls the printing apparatus network-communication unit 23 by the function of the second firmware 21 b. the printing unit 22 has at least a printing mechanism, a transporting mechanism, and a cutting mechanism. the printing mechanism includes a printing head and other elements related to printing. the transporting mechanism includes a transporting roller for transporting the roll paper accommodated in the printing apparatus 10 in a predetermined direction, and other elements related to the transporting of the roll paper. the cutting mechanism includes a cutter for cutting the roll paper and other elements related to the cutting of the roll paper. under the control of the printing apparatus control unit 20 , the printing unit 22 transports the roll paper in a predetermined direction, prints an image on the roll paper by the printing mechanism, and cuts the roll paper at a predetermined position by the cutting mechanism. thus, a piece of paper on which the image is printed, is issued. under the control of the printing apparatus control unit 20 , the printing apparatus network-communication unit 23 communicates with an apparatus connected to the global network gn according to a predetermined communication standard. any communication standard may be used for communication between the printing apparatus 10 and the apparatus connected to the global network gn. the communication standard which is used when the printing apparatus 10 communicates with the printing apparatus control server 2 a , the management server 2 b , and the file providing server 2 c of the server unit 2 will be described later. the printing apparatus device-communication unit 24 communicates with the host computer 11 according to a predetermined communication standard under the control of the printing apparatus control unit 20 . the communication standard which is used for communication between the printing apparatus 10 and the host computer 11 may be a wired communication standard or a wireless communication standard. the wired communication standard is, for example, usb, a serial communication standard such as rs232c other than usb, a parallel communication standard such as ieee1284, or ethernet (registered trademark). in addition, the wireless communication standard is, for example, a wireless lan communication standard such as wi-fi (registered trademark), or a near-field communication standard such as bluetooth (registered trademark). fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating functional configurations of the printing apparatus control server 2 a , the management server 2 b , and the file providing server 2 c. as illustrated in fig. 3 , the printing apparatus control server 2 a includes a first server control unit 30 , a first server communication unit 31 , and a first server storage unit 32 . the first server control unit 30 includes a cpu, a rom, a ram, an asic, a signal processing circuit, and the like, and controls each unit of the printing apparatus control server 2 a. under the control of the first server control unit 30 , the first server communication unit 31 communicates with an apparatus connected to the global network gn according to the predetermined communication standard. the first server storage unit 32 includes a nonvolatile memory, and stores various types of data. the data stored in the first server storage unit 32 will be described later. as illustrated in fig. 3 , the management server 2 b includes a second server control unit 40 , a second server communication unit 41 , and a second server storage unit 42 . the second server control unit 40 includes a cpu, a rom, a ram, an asic, a signal processing circuit, and the like, and controls each unit of the management server 2 b. under the control of the second server control unit 40 , the second server communication unit 41 communicates with an apparatus connected to the global network gn according to the predetermined communication standard. the second server storage unit 42 includes a nonvolatile memory, and stores various types of data. the data stored in the second server storage unit 42 will be described later. as illustrated in fig. 3 , the file providing server 2 c includes a third server control unit 50 , a third server communication unit 51 , and a third server storage unit 52 . the third server control unit 50 includes a cpu, a rom, a ram, an asic, a signal processing circuit, and the like, and controls each unit of the file providing server 2 c. under the control of the third server control unit 50 , the third server communication unit 51 communicates with an apparatus connected to the global network gn according to the predetermined communication standard. the third server storage unit 52 includes a nonvolatile memory, and stores various types of data. the data stored in the third server storage unit 52 will be described later. next, operations of the printing apparatus 10 , the printing apparatus control server 2 a , and the management server 2 b after the printing apparatus 10 is powered on, will be described. fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating operations of the printing apparatus 10 , the printing apparatus control server 2 a , and the management server 2 b at the time of startup of the printing apparatus 10 after the printing apparatus 10 is powered on. in fig. 4 , a flowchart fa illustrates operations of the printing apparatus 10 , a flowchart fb illustrates operations of the printing apparatus control server 2 a , and a flowchart fc illustrates operations of the management server 2 b. for example, in a store provided with the printing apparatus 10 , the printing apparatus 10 is powered on by a user at a predetermined timing before the store is open. as illustrated in the flowchart fa of fig. 4 , when the printing apparatus 10 is powered on (step s 1 ), the printing apparatus control unit 20 of the printing apparatus 10 acquires first server access address information j 1 (step sa 1 ). the first server access address information j 1 is information indicating an address of the printing apparatus control server 2 a . the first server access address information j 1 is registered in advance in the printing apparatus 10 , and is stored in a predetermined storage area of the printing apparatus storage unit 21 . next, the printing apparatus control unit 20 accesses the printing apparatus control server 2 a according to websocket based on the first server access address information j 1 by controlling the printing apparatus network-communication unit 23 , and establishes a websocket connection with the printing apparatus control server 2 a (step sa 2 ). the websocket is one communication standard which allows asynchronous bidirectional communication between a server connected via a network (in this example, the printing apparatus control server 2 a ) and a client (in this example, the printing apparatus 10 ). the websocket connection is a logical communication path for transmitting and receiving data according to a websocket protocol and a websocket procedure between a server (in this example, the printing apparatus control server 2 a ) and a client (in this example, the printing apparatus 10 ), the server and the client being connected to each other by the websocket connection. after the websocket connection is established in step sa 2 , the printing apparatus 10 and the printing apparatus control server 2 a perform the asynchronous bidirectional communication (websocket communication) via the websocket connection. as described above, when the power is on, the printing apparatus 10 accesses the printing apparatus control server 2 a , and establishes the websocket connection with the server. thereby, a state where the printing apparatus 10 and the server can perform asynchronous bidirectional communication, is established. although a detailed description is omitted, when establishing the websocket connection, authentication of the printing apparatus 10 may be appropriately performed by the printing apparatus control server 2 a , and authentication of the printing apparatus control server 2 a may be appropriately performed by the printing apparatus 10 , based on an existing technology. in this embodiment, although the websocket is used as a communication standard for communication between the printing apparatus 10 and the printing apparatus control server 2 a , this is only an example, and another communication standard may be used. after establishing the websocket connection, the printing apparatus control unit 20 generates printing apparatus startup information j 2 (step sa 3 ). the printing apparatus startup information j 2 is information including at least printing apparatus identification information j 3 and startup notification information j 4 . the printing apparatus identification information j 3 is identification information for uniquely identifying the printing apparatus 10 , and the printing apparatus identification information j 3 having a different value is assigned for each printing apparatus 10 . as the printing apparatus identification information j 3 , a serial number which is assigned for the printing apparatus 10 at a manufacturing stage of the printing apparatus 10 , can be used. the printing apparatus identification information j 3 is registered in advance in the printing apparatus 10 , and is stored in a predetermined storage area of the printing apparatus storage unit 21 . the startup notification information j 4 is information for notifying startup of the printing apparatus 10 by power-on of the printing apparatus 10 . after generating the printing apparatus startup information j 2 in step sa 3 , the printing apparatus control unit 20 transmits the printing apparatus startup information j 2 obtained in step sa 3 to the printing apparatus control server 2 a via the websocket connection by controlling the printing apparatus network-communication unit 23 (step sa 4 ). as illustrated in the flowchart fb of fig. 4 , the first server control unit 30 of the printing apparatus control server 2 a receives the printing apparatus startup information j 2 by controlling the first server communication unit 31 (step sb 1 ). next, the first server control unit 30 generates second server access password information j 5 (step sb 2 ). the second server access password information j 5 is information indicating a password which is used when the printing apparatus 10 accesses the management server 2 b . as will be described later, when accessing the management server 2 b , the printing apparatus 10 notifies the management server 2 b of the second server access password information j 5 . the management server 2 b authenticates the printing apparatus 10 as an access source based on the second server access password information j 5 . a value of the second server access password information j 5 is not a fixed value but a variable value which changes each time the information is generated. in step sb 2 , the first server control unit 30 generates the second server access password information j 5 using a predetermined algorithm. next, the first server control unit 30 generates printing apparatus authentication information j 6 (step sb 3 ). the printing apparatus authentication information j 6 is information including at least the printing apparatus identification information j 3 and the second server access password information j 5 . next, the first server control unit 30 transmits the printing apparatus authentication information j 6 generated in step sb 3 to the management server 2 b by controlling the first server communication unit 31 (step sb 4 ). as illustrated in the flowchart fc of fig. 4 , the second server control unit 40 of the management server 2 b receives the printing apparatus authentication information j 6 by controlling the second server communication unit 41 (step sc 1 ). next, the second server control unit 40 updates a content of a corresponding record of a printing apparatus authentication information management database db 2 a stored in the second server storage unit 42 (step sc 2 ). the printing apparatus authentication information management database db 2 a is a database including records for each printing apparatus 10 . each record of the printing apparatus authentication information management database db 2 a includes the printing apparatus identification information j 3 and the second server access password information j 5 . in step sc 2 , the second server control unit 40 specifies, from records of the printing apparatus authentication information management database db 2 a , a record which includes printing apparatus identification information j 3 having the same value as a value of the printing apparatus identification information j 3 included in the received printing apparatus authentication information j 6 . here, the specified record corresponds to the “corresponding record”. next, the second server control unit 40 updates a value of second server access password information j 5 of the specified record with the value of the second server access password information j 5 included in the received printing apparatus authentication information j 6 . in this embodiment, the management server 2 b stores the printing apparatus authentication information management database db 2 a , and the management server 2 b updates the database. on the other hand, it is not always necessary that the management server 2 b stores the printing apparatus authentication information management database db 2 a . the printing apparatus authentication information management database db 2 a may be in a location that can be referred to by the management server 2 b , and the database may be updated by the printing apparatus control server 2 a. as illustrated in the flowchart fb of fig. 4 , after transmitting the printing apparatus authentication information j 6 to the management server 2 b , the first server control unit 30 generates second server access relevant information j 7 (step sb 5 ). the second server access relevant information j 7 is information including at least the second server access password information j 5 and second server access address information j 8 . the second server access address information j 8 is information indicating an address of the management server 2 b. the second server access address information j 8 is registered in advance in the printing apparatus control server 2 a , and is stored in a predetermined storage area of the first server storage unit 32 . in addition, in a case where the management server 2 b is configured to include a plurality of server apparatuses having different addresses from each other, the first server control unit 30 executes the following processing in step sb 5 . that is, the second server access address information j 8 of each of the plurality of server apparatuses constituting the management server 2 b is registered in advance in the printing apparatus control server 2 a , and is stored in a predetermined storage area of the first server storage unit 32 . in step sb 5 , the first server control unit 30 selects one management server 2 b that will be notified of the second server access address information j 8 such that accesses are not concentrated on a specific management server 2 b , and includes the second server access address information j 8 corresponding to the selected management server 2 b into the second server access relevant information j 7 . the printing apparatus 10 accesses the printing apparatus control server 2 a when the power is on. thus, by performing such processing using the access appropriately, it is possible to effectively distribute a load of the management server 2 b. after generating the second server access relevant information j 7 , the first server control unit 30 transmits the second server access relevant information j 7 to the printing apparatus 10 by controlling the first server communication unit 31 (step sb 6 ). as illustrated in the flowchart fa of fig. 4 , the printing apparatus control unit 20 of the printing apparatus 10 receives the second server access relevant information j 7 by controlling the printing apparatus network-communication unit 23 (step sa 5 ). next, the printing apparatus control unit 20 stores the received second server access relevant information j 7 in a predetermined storage area of the printing apparatus storage unit 21 (step sa 6 ). in a case where stored second server access relevant information j 7 already exists in the printing apparatus storage unit 21 , in step sa 6 , the printing apparatus control unit 20 overwrites the existing second server access relevant information j 7 with the received second server access relevant information j 7 , and stores the overwritten second server access relevant information j 7 . as described above, when the power is on, the printing apparatus 10 accesses the printing apparatus control server 2 a , receives the second server access relevant information j 7 from the printing apparatus control server 2 a , and stores the received information. next, operations of the printing apparatus 10 , the management server 2 b , and the file providing server 2 c during a period for which the printing apparatus 10 is started up and is operated, will be described. figs. 5a and 5b are flowcharts illustrating operations of the printing apparatus 10 , the management server 2 b , and the file providing server 2 c during an operation period of the printing apparatus 10 . in figs. 5a and 5b , a flowchart fd illustrates operations of the printing apparatus 10 , a flowchart fe illustrates operations of the management server 2 b , and a flowchart ff illustrates operations of the file providing server 2 c. here, the operation period of the printing apparatus 10 refers to, for example, a period from a time when the printing apparatus 10 is powered on and is started up to a time when the printing apparatus 10 is powered off and is stopped. as illustrated in the flowchart fd of figs. 5a and 5b , the printing apparatus control unit 20 of the printing apparatus 10 monitors whether or not it is time to transmit periodic printing apparatus information j 9 to be described later to the management server 2 b (step sd 1 ). here, during the operation period, the printing apparatus 10 periodically transmits the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 to be described later, to the management server 2 b at a predetermined time interval (for example, one hour). in step sd 1 , in a case where it is detected that the predetermined time interval elapses after previous transmission of the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 , the printing apparatus control unit 20 determines that it is time to transmit the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 . when the printing apparatus 10 is powered on, the printing apparatus control unit 20 receives the second server access relevant information j 7 from the printing apparatus control server 2 a . at this time, in response to the reception of the second server access relevant information j 7 , the printing apparatus control unit 20 transmits the first periodic printing apparatus information j 9 . information indicating the predetermined time interval at which the printing apparatus 10 transmits the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 is registered in advance in the printing apparatus 10 , and is stored in a predetermined storage area of the printing apparatus storage unit 21 . in step sd 1 , in a case where it is determined that it is time to transmit the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 (yes in step sd 1 ), the printing apparatus control unit 20 generates the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 (step sd 2 ). the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 is information including at least the printing apparatus identification information j 3 , the second server access password information j 5 , first firmware version information j 10 , second firmware version information j 11 , and printing apparatus model information j 12 . the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 corresponds to “printing apparatus information”. in step sd 2 , the printing apparatus control unit 20 refers to the second server access relevant information j 7 which is stored in the predetermined storage area of the printing apparatus storage unit 21 in step sa 6 of the flowchart fa of fig. 4 , acquires the second server access password information j 5 included in the second server access relevant information j 7 , and includes the acquired second server access password information j 5 into the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 . the first firmware version information j 10 is information indicating a version of the first firmware 21 a . the first firmware version information j 10 is described in a data portion of the first firmware 21 a . in step sd 2 , the printing apparatus control unit 20 refers to the data portion of the first firmware 21 a , acquires the first firmware version information j 10 , and includes the acquired first firmware version information j 10 into the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 . the second firmware version information j 11 is information indicating a version of the second firmware 21 b . the second firmware version information j 11 is described in a data portion of the second firmware 21 b . in step sd 2 , the printing apparatus control unit 20 refers to the data portion of the second firmware 21 b , acquires the second firmware version information j 11 , and includes the acquired second firmware version information j 11 into the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 . the printing apparatus model information j 12 is information indicating a model of the printing apparatus 10 . the printing apparatus model information j 12 is registered in advance in the printing apparatus 10 , and is stored in a predetermined storage area of the printing apparatus storage unit 21 . after generating the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 in step sd 2 , the printing apparatus control unit 20 executes the following processing (step sd 3 ). that is, the printing apparatus control unit 20 refers to the second server access relevant information j 7 stored in the predetermined storage area of the printing apparatus storage unit 21 , and acquires the second server access address information j 8 included in the second server access relevant information j 7 . next, the printing apparatus control unit 20 transmits the generated periodic printing apparatus information j 9 , to a destination with an address indicated by the acquired second server access address information j 8 (address of the management server 2 b ), by controlling the printing apparatus network-communication unit 23 . in step sd 3 , according to a hypertext transfer protocol (http), the printing apparatus control unit 20 transmits the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 as an http request, to the management server 2 b. here, as described above, in the store system 3 , illegal access from the global network gn to the apparatus connected to the local network ln is prevented by functions of the firewall fw and the proxy server 13 provided in the dmz segment sg. for this reason, in a situation where connection is not established between the management server 2 b and a specific printing apparatus 10 provided in the store system 3 , the management server 2 b cannot transmit information directly to the specific printing apparatus 10 . based on this fact, between the printing apparatus 10 and the management server 2 b , information as an http request is transmitted from the printing apparatus 10 functioning as a client to the management server 2 b functioning as a sever, and information as an http response to the http request is transmitted from the management server 2 b to the printing apparatus 10 . thus, information is transmitted and received between the printing apparatus 10 and the management server 2 b. as illustrated in the flowchart fe of figs. 5a and 5b , the second server control unit 40 of the management server 2 b receives the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 by controlling the second server communication unit 41 (step se 1 ). next, the second server control unit 40 acquires the printing apparatus identification information j 3 and the second server access password information j 5 included in the received periodic printing apparatus information j 9 , and executes authentication processing based on the acquired information (step se 2 ). the authentication processing is processing of trying to authenticate the printing apparatus 10 as an access source and determining whether or not the authentication is successful. more specifically, in step se 2 , the second server control unit 40 refers to the printing apparatus authentication information management database db 2 a , and specifies the corresponding record in the records of the database. next, the second server control unit 40 determines whether or not a combination of a value of the printing apparatus identification information j 3 and a value of the second server access password information j 5 in the specified corresponding record matches with a combination of a value of the printing apparatus identification information j 3 and a value of the second server access password information j 5 included in the received periodic printing apparatus information j 9 . in a case where it is determined that the combinations match with each other, the second server control unit 40 determines that the authentication of the printing apparatus 10 is successful. in a case where it is determined that the combinations do not match with each other, the second server control unit 40 determines that the authentication of the printing apparatus 10 is failed. although a detailed description is omitted, in a case where the authentication of the printing apparatus 10 is failed, the second server control unit 40 executes processing corresponding to the failure of the authentication instead of executing step se 3 and subsequent processes. for example, the second server control unit 40 notifies a person having legitimate authority such as an operator of the management server 2 b that the authentication is failed, by using a predetermined method. in a case where it is determined that the authentication is successful in the authentication processing of step se 2 , the second server control unit 40 refers to a firmware version management database db 2 b (step se 3 ). the firmware version management database db 2 b is a database for managing the latest firmware version of each of the first firmware 21 a and the second firmware 21 b , for each model of the printing apparatus 10 . the firmware version management database db 2 b includes records for each model of the printing apparatus 10 . in the firmware version management database db 2 b , a record corresponding to one model includes the printing apparatus model information j 12 of the one model, the first firmware version information j 10 indicating a version of the “latest” first firmware 21 a that can be installed in the printing apparatus 10 of the one model, and the second firmware version information j 11 indicating a version of the “latest” second firmware 21 b that can be installed in the printing apparatus 10 of the one model. the contents of the firmware version management database db 2 b are updated at an appropriate timing by a predetermined method. next, the second server control unit 40 determines whether or not a first condition (predetermined condition) is satisfied (step se 4 ). the first condition is a condition for the first firmware 21 a or the second firmware 21 b in that there is a new version of the firmware that is newer than the version of the firmware currently installed in the printing apparatus 10 . “there is a new version of the firmware that is newer than the version of the firmware currently installed in the printing apparatus 10 ” means that the firmware version management database db 2 b manages a new version of the firmware which can be installed in the printing apparatus 10 and is newer than the version of the firmware currently installed in the printing apparatus 10 . for example, in a case where the first firmware version information j 10 is stored in the firmware version management database db 2 b in correlation with the printing apparatus model information j 12 indicating one model, the first firmware version information j 10 indicating a new version of the first firmware 21 a that is newer than the version of the first firmware 21 a currently installed in one printing apparatus 10 of the one model, there is a new version of the first firmware 21 a that is newer than the version of the first firmware 21 a currently installed in the one printing apparatus 10 . processing of step se 4 will be described in detail. the second server control unit 40 acquires the printing apparatus model information j 12 included in the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 which is received in step se 1 . next, the second server control unit 40 specifies a record which includes printing apparatus model information j 12 having the same value as a value of the acquired printing apparatus model information j 12 . next, the second server control unit 40 compares a value of the first firmware version information j 10 in the specified record with a value of the first firmware version information j 10 included in the received periodic printing apparatus information j 9 , and based on the comparison result, determines whether or not there is a new version of the first firmware 21 a that is newer than the version of the first firmware 21 a currently installed in the printing apparatus 10 . similarly, the second server control unit 40 compares a value of the second firmware version information j 11 in the specified record with a value of the second firmware version information j 11 included in the received periodic printing apparatus information j 9 , and based on the comparison result, determines whether or not there is a new version of the second firmware 21 b that is newer than the version of the second firmware 21 b currently installed in the printing apparatus 10 . for both of the first firmware 21 a and the second firmware 21 b , in a case where there is not a new version of the firmware that is newer than the version of the firmware currently installed in the printing apparatus 10 , the second server control unit 40 determines that the first condition is not satisfied. otherwise, the second server control unit 40 determines that the first condition is satisfied. in step se 4 , in a case where it is determined that the first condition is not satisfied (no in step se 4 ), the second server control unit 40 generates non-execution instruction information j 13 including information for instructing non-execution of update of the firmware (step se 5 ). next, the second server control unit 40 transmits the non-execution instruction information j 13 as an http response to the printing apparatus 10 , by controlling the second server communication unit 41 (step se 6 ). in step se 4 , in a case where it is determined that the first condition is satisfied (yes in step se 4 ), the second server control unit 40 refers to update management database db 2 c stored in the second server storage unit 42 (step se 7 ). the update management database db 2 c includes records for each printing apparatus 10 . in the update management database db 2 c , a record corresponding to one printing apparatus 10 includes the printing apparatus identification information j 3 of the one printing apparatus 10 , update permission information j 14 for the one printing apparatus 10 , and update-executable time period information j 15 for the one printing apparatus 10 . the update permission information j 14 is information indicating whether or not update to a new version of the firmware is permitted in a case where there is a new version of the firmware that is newer than the version of the firmware currently installed in the printing apparatus 10 . the update permission information j 14 has a value indicating that the update is permitted, or a value indicating that the update is not permitted. in the following description, the first firmware 21 a , which is installed in the printing apparatus 10 when the printing apparatus control unit 20 transmits the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 in step sd 3 , is appropriately referred to as “existing first firmware”. also, at that time, the second firmware 21 b , which is installed in the printing apparatus 10 , is appropriately referred to as “existing second firmware”. the existing first firmware and the existing second firmware are collectively referred to as “existing firmware” in a case where it is not necessary to distinguish the firmware. in addition, a new version of the first firmware 21 a that is newer than the version of the existing first firmware, is appropriately referred to as “new first firmware”. also, a new version of the second firmware 21 b that is newer than the version of the existing second firmware, is appropriately referred to as “new second firmware”. the new first firmware and the new second firmware are collectively referred to as “new firmware” in a case where it is not necessary to distinguish the firmware. in a case of update of the existing first firmware, the printing apparatus 10 overwrites the existing first firmware with the new first firmware. similarly, in a case of update of the existing second firmware, the printing apparatus 10 overwrites the existing second firmware with the new second firmware. here, even in a case where there is new firmware that can be installed in the printing apparatus 10 , update of the existing firmware to the new firmware may not be permitted in some cases. for example, in a case where an operation test of the new firmware is not completed or a result of the operation test is not normal, it is not appropriate to update the existing firmware with the new firmware. also, for example, in some cases, there is a contract between users in that the existing firmware of one printing apparatus 10 cannot be updated with the new firmware. further, for example, there is a case where a user does not want to update the existing firmware with the new firmware. in a case where it is not permitted to update the existing firmware with the new firmware for one printing apparatus 10 , a value of the update permission information j 14 of the one printing apparatus 10 is set to a value indicating that update is not permitted. on the other hand, in a case where it is permitted to update the existing firmware with the new firmware for one printing apparatus 10 , a value of the update permission information j 14 of the one printing apparatus 10 is set to a value indicating that update is permitted. the update-executable time period information j 15 is information indicating a time period during which the printing apparatus 10 can execute processing of updating the existing firmware with the new firmware. here, as described above, the printing apparatus 10 is provided at a checkout counter of a store, and issues a receipt according to accounting performed at the checkout counter. thus, since a time period from an opening time of the store to a closing time of the store affects work to be performed at the store, during the time period, the printing apparatus 10 cannot execute the processing of updating the existing firmware with the new firmware. in addition, in some stores, the printing apparatus 10 may be used for another purpose other than issuing of a receipt. in this case, the time period during which the printing apparatus 10 is used for another purpose is a time period during which the printing apparatus 10 cannot execute the processing of updating the existing firmware with the new firmware. as described above, for each printing apparatus 10 , there is a time period during which the printing apparatus 10 can execute printing and a time period during which the printing apparatus 10 cannot execute printing excluding the time period. for one printing apparatus 10 , the update-executable time period information j 15 of the one printing apparatus 10 is information indicating a time period during which the one printing apparatus 10 does not execute printing and the one printing apparatus 10 can execute the processing of updating the existing firmware with the new firmware. in this embodiment, although a case where the printing apparatus 10 is provided at a store and is used for issuing of a receipt is described as an example, a location at which the printing apparatus 10 is provided is not limited to a store, and the use of the printing apparatus 10 is also not limited to issuing of a receipt. based on this fact, a time period indicated by the update-executable time period information j 15 is appropriately determined according to an environment at which the printing apparatus 10 is provided and the use of the printing apparatus 10 . the contents of the update management database db 2 c are updated at an appropriate timing by a predetermined method. after referring to the update management database db 2 c in step se 7 , the second server control unit 40 determines whether or not a second condition (predetermined condition) is satisfied (step se 8 ). the second condition is that the existing firmware of the printing apparatus 10 is permitted to be updated with the new firmware. in step se 8 , the second server control unit 40 specifies, from records of the update management database db 2 c referenced in step se 7 , a record which includes printing apparatus identification information j 3 having the same value as a value of the printing apparatus identification information j 3 included in the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 received in step se 1 . next, the second server control unit 40 refers to the update permission information j 14 included in the specified record. in a case where a value of the update permission information j 14 is a value indicating that update is permitted, the second server control unit 40 determines that the second condition is satisfied. on the other hand, in a case where a value of the update permission information j 14 is a value indicating that update is not permitted, the second server control unit 40 determines that the second condition is not satisfied. in step se 8 , in a case where it is determined that the second condition is not satisfied (no in step se 8 ), the second server control unit 40 executes processing of step se 5 and processing of step se 6 . on the other hand, in step se 8 , in a case where it is determined that the second condition is satisfied (yes in step se 8 ), the second server control unit 40 determines whether or not a third condition is satisfied (step se 9 ). the third condition is that the printing apparatus 10 is in the time period during which the printing apparatus 10 can execute the processing of updating the existing firmware with the new firmware. in step se 9 , the second server control unit 40 specifies, from records of the update management database db 2 c referenced in step se 7 , a record which includes printing apparatus identification information j 3 having the same value as a value of the printing apparatus identification information j 3 included in the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 received in step se 1 . next, the second server control unit 40 refers to the update-executable time period information j 15 included in the specified record. in a case where the printing apparatus 10 is in the time period indicated by the update-executable time period information j 15 , the second server control unit 40 determines that the third condition is satisfied. on the other hand, in a case where the printing apparatus 10 is not in the time period indicated by the update-executable time period information j 15 , the second server control unit 40 determines that the third condition is not satisfied. in step se 9 , in a case where it is determined that the third condition is not satisfied (no in step se 9 ), as illustrated in the flowchart fe of figs. 5a and 5b , the second server control unit 40 executes processing of step se 5 and processing of step se 6 . in a case where all of the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition are satisfied, the second server control unit 40 determines that the existing firmware can be updated with the new firmware. in step se 9 , in a case where it is determined that the third condition is satisfied (yes in step se 9 ), as illustrated in the flowchart fe of figs. 5a and 5b , the second server control unit 40 generates random url information j 16 (step se 10 ). the random url information j 16 is information indicating a url (address) of the file providing server 2 c which is accessed when the printing apparatus 10 downloads the new firmware from the file providing server 2 c. the random url information j 16 corresponds to “an address which designates a storage location of overwriting firmware”. a value of the random url information j 16 is not a fixed value but a variable value which changes each time the information is generated. in step se 10 , the second server control unit 40 executes, for example, the following processing. that is, the second server control unit 40 sets a host name and a path name of a url indicated by the random url information j 16 , to predetermined values. in addition, the second server control unit 40 randomly generates a value, and adds the generated value to the url indicated by the random url information j 16 , as a parameter. next, the second server control unit 40 executes the following processing (step se 11 ). that is, the second server control unit 40 refers to the firmware version management database db 2 b , and generates new firmware version notification information j 23 . the new firmware version notification information j 23 is information that includes new firmware identification information for identifying the new firmware and new firmware version information indicating a version of the new firmware. processing of step se 11 will be described in detail. the second server control unit 40 refers to the firmware version management database db 2 b . in a case of updating the existing first firmware with the new first firmware, the second server control unit 40 includes a combination of the new first firmware identification information j 17 for identifying the new first firmware and the new first firmware version information j 18 indicating the version of the new first firmware, into the new firmware version notification information j 23 . in addition, the second server control unit 40 refers to the firmware version management database db 2 b . in a case of updating the existing second firmware with the new second firmware, the second server control unit 40 includes a combination of the new second firmware identification information j 20 for identifying the new second firmware and the new second firmware version information j 21 indicating the version of the new second firmware, into the new firmware version notification information j 23 . next, the second server control unit 40 generates update relevant information j 24 (step se 12 ). the update relevant information j 24 is information including at least the generated random url information j 16 and the generated new firmware version notification information j 23 . next, the second server control unit 40 transmits the update relevant information j 24 to the file providing server 2 c by controlling the second server communication unit 41 (step se 13 ). as illustrated in the flowchart ff of figs. 5a and 5b , the third server control unit 50 of the file providing server 2 c receives the update relevant information j 24 (step sf 1 ). next, the third server control unit 50 stores the update relevant information j 24 in a predetermined storage area of the third server storage unit 52 (step sf 2 ). the update relevant information j 24 is cumulatively stored in the third server storage unit 52 . as illustrated in the flowchart fe of figs. 5a and 5b , the second server control unit 40 of the management server 2 b generates update instruction information j 25 (step se 14 ). the update instruction information j 25 is information including at least information for instructing update of the firmware and the generated random url information j 16 . next, the second server control unit 40 transmits the generated update instruction information j 25 as an http response to the printing apparatus 10 , by controlling the second server communication unit 41 . as illustrated in the flowchart fd of figs. 5a and 5b , the printing apparatus control unit 20 of the printing apparatus 10 receives the non-execution instruction information j 13 transmitted by the management server 2 b in step se 6 , or the update instruction information j 25 transmitted by the management server 2 b in se 15 , by controlling the printing apparatus network-communication unit 23 (step sd 4 ). next, the printing apparatus control unit 20 determines whether or not the received information is non-execution instruction information j 13 (step sd 5 ). in a case where the received information is the non-execution instruction information j 13 (yes in step sd 5 ), the processing procedure of the printing apparatus control unit 20 transitions to step sd 1 . in this case, the firmware is not updated. in a case where the received information is not the non-execution instruction information j 13 (no in step sd 5 ), in other words, in a case where the received information is the update instruction information j 25 , the printing apparatus control unit 20 executes firmware update processing (step sd 6 ). hereinafter, the firmware update processing will be described in detail. fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating operations of the printing apparatus 10 , the management server 2 b , and the file providing server 2 c when the printing apparatus 10 executes the firmware update processing. in fig. 6 , a flowchart fg illustrates operations of the printing apparatus 10 , a flowchart fh illustrates operations of the management server 2 b , and a flowchart fi illustrates operations of the file providing server 2 c. processing of the flowchart fg corresponds to the firmware update processing. in the following description, updating of the existing firmware with the new firmware is expressed as “updating of the firmware” as appropriate. processing of updating the firmware corresponds to processing of overwriting the firmware. as illustrated in the flowchart fg of fig. 6 , the printing apparatus control unit 20 of the printing apparatus 10 determines whether or not it is possible to execute processing related to updating of the firmware (step sg 1 ). for example, in a case where printing is being executed, in a case where a cover provided on a housing of the printing apparatus 10 is opened, or in a case where an error occurs in the printing apparatus 10 and thus processing related to updating of the firmware cannot be executed, the printing apparatus control unit 20 determines that the processing related to updating of the firmware cannot be executed. in a case where the processing related to updating of the firmware cannot be executed (no in step sg 1 ), the printing apparatus control unit 20 executes corresponding processing (step sg 2 ). for example, in a situation where the printing apparatus control unit 20 transitions from a waiting state to a state in which the processing related to updating of the firmware can be executed, in step sg 2 , the printing apparatus control unit 20 waits until transition to the state in which the processing related to updating of the firmware can be executed, and then transitions to step sg 3 . in addition, for example, in a situation where it is uncertain whether or not the printing apparatus control unit 20 transitions from a waiting state to a state in which the processing related to updating of the firmware can be executed, in step sg 2 , the printing apparatus control unit 20 notifies the management server 2 b and other apparatuses of the fact, and notifies a user of the fact by a predetermined method. in step sg 1 , in a case where it is determined that the processing related to updating of the firmware can be executed (yes in step sg 1 ), an operation mode of the printing apparatus control unit 20 transitions to a firmware update mode (step sg 3 ). during a period for which the operation mode is the firmware update mode, the printing apparatus control unit 20 prohibits execution of processing that may affect the processing related to updating of the firmware, such as processing related to printing. next, the printing apparatus control unit 20 prints information indicating start of firmware update on the roll paper by controlling the printing unit 22 (step sg 4 ). fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of information printed on the roll paper in step sg 4 . as illustrated in fig. 7 , information indicating that updating of the firmware is started, that a user will be notified when updating of the firmware is completed, and that it is not allowed to turn off the printing apparatus 10 until updating of the firmware is completed, is printed on the roll paper. by visually confirming the information printed on the roll paper, a user can accurately recognize start of firmware update and cautions. in a case where the printing apparatus 10 does not include a display panel such as a liquid crystal display panel and thus the size of the printing apparatus 10 can be reduced, by performing processing of step sg 4 using a printing function of the printing apparatus 10 effectively, it is possible to notify a user of necessary information. in addition, in a case where the printing apparatus 10 includes a display panel such as a liquid crystal display panel, the information may be displayed on the display panel. next, the printing apparatus control unit 20 notifies the management server 2 b of information indicating a state in which firmware update can be executed, as an http request, by controlling the printing apparatus network-communication unit 23 (step sg 5 ). as illustrated in the flowchart fh of fig. 6 , the second server control unit 40 of the management server 2 b receives the information transmitted by the printing apparatus 10 in step sg 5 by controlling the second server communication unit 41 (step sh 1 ). next, the second server control unit 40 refers to a hash value management database db 2 d stored in the second server storage unit 42 (step sh 2 ). the hash value management database db 2 d is a database for managing a hash value of each version of firmware for each firmware. the hash value of firmware is a hash value which is obtained from file data of the firmware by using a predetermined hash function. for each version of each firmware, the hash value management database db 2 d stores identification information for identifying each version of each firmware, identification information for identifying each version, and the hash value of each version of each firmware, in correlation with each other. next, the second server control unit 40 acquires a hash value of the new firmware for updating the existing firmware based on the hash value management database db 2 d (step sh 3 ). in step sh 3 , in a case of updating the existing first firmware with the new first firmware, the second server control unit 40 acquires a hash value of the new first firmware, based on the new first firmware identification information j 17 and the new first firmware version information j 18 . more specifically, the second server control unit 40 acquires the new first firmware identification information j 17 of the new first firmware that is included in the new firmware version notification information j 23 generated in step se 11 of the flowchart fe of figs. 5a and 5b , and acquires the new first firmware version information j 18 of the new first firmware based on the firmware version management database db 2 b . next, the second server control unit 40 acquires, from the hash value management database db 2 d , a hash value which is correlated with a combination of identification information for identifying firmware having the same value as a value of the acquired new first firmware identification information j 17 and identification information for identifying a version having the same value as a value of the acquired first firmware version information j 18 . in a case where there is new second firmware for updating the existing second firmware, the second server control unit 40 acquires a hash value of the new second firmware based on the new second firmware identification information j 20 and the new second firmware version information j 21 . the second server control unit 40 acquires the hash value of the new second firmware by the same method as a method of acquiring the hash value of the new first firmware. next, the second server control unit 40 acquires a private key (step sh 4 ). the private key is an encryption key corresponding to a public key encryption method. the private key is registered in advance in the management server 2 b , and is stored in a predetermined storage area of the second server storage unit 42 . as will be described later, a public key corresponding to the private key stored by the management server 2 b is stored in the printing apparatus 10 . next, the second server control unit 40 generates signature information j 26 by encrypting the hash value obtained in step sh 3 with the private key (step sh 5 ). in a case where two hash values of the hash value of the new first firmware and the hash value of the new second firmware are acquired in step sh 3 , in step sh 5 , the second server control unit 40 generates two pieces of signature information j 26 based on each of the hash values. next, the second server control unit 40 transmits the one or two pieces of signature information j 26 generated in step sh 5 , as an http response, to the printing apparatus 10 , by controlling the second server communication unit 41 (step sh 6 ). as illustrated in the flowchart fg of fig. 6 , the printing apparatus control unit 20 of the printing apparatus 10 receives the signature information j 26 by controlling the printing apparatus network-communication unit 23 (step sg 6 ). next, the printing apparatus control unit 20 acquires the public key (step sg 7 ). the public key is a decryption key corresponding to the public key encryption method. here, the public key is described in the data portion of the first firmware 21 a . in step sg 7 , the printing apparatus control unit 20 acquires the public key by referring to the data portion of the first firmware 21 a. next, the printing apparatus control unit 20 generates a hash value by decrypting the signature information j 26 received in step sg 6 with the public key acquired in step sg 7 (step sg 8 ). in step sg 8 , in a case of receiving the two pieces of signature information j 26 , the printing apparatus control unit 20 generates a hash value by decrypting each of the two pieces of signature information j 26 . next, the printing apparatus control unit 20 transmits information for requesting transmission of the firmware, as an http request, to the file providing server 2 c with a destination address (url) indicated by the random url information j 16 included in the update instruction information j 25 received in step sd 4 (step sg 9 ). as illustrated in the flowchart fi of fig. 6 , the third server control unit 50 of the file providing server 2 c receives the information transmitted by the printing apparatus 10 in step sg 9 by controlling the third server communication unit 51 (step si 1 ). next, the third server control unit 50 acquires update relevant information j 24 corresponding to the url accessed by the printing apparatus 10 , from the update relevant information j 24 stored in the predetermined storage area of the third server storage unit 52 (step si 2 ). as described above, the update relevant information j 24 is information including the random url information j 16 and the new firmware version notification information j 23 . in step si 2 , the third server control unit 50 acquires update relevant information j 24 which includes random url information j 16 having the same value as a value of the url accessed by the printing apparatus 10 . as described above, the random url information j 16 is not a fixed value but a variable value which is randomly generated. the random url information j 16 is generated by the management server 2 b , and is notified to the printing apparatus 10 and the file providing server 2 c . the printing apparatus 10 accesses the file providing server 2 c based on the random url information j 16 , and thus validity of the printing apparatus 10 as an access source can be ensured. next, the third server control unit 50 refers to a file management database db 3 a stored in the third server storage unit 52 (step si 3 ). the file management database db 3 a is a database for storing file data of each version of firmware for each firmware. for each version of each firmware, the file management database db 3 a stores identification information for identifying each firmware, identification information for identifying each version, and file data of each version of each firmware, in correlation with each other. next, the third server control unit 50 acquires the file data of the new firmware, based on the new firmware version notification information j 23 included in the update relevant information j 24 acquired in step si 2 and the file management database db 3 a referred to in step si 3 (step si 4 ). as described above, the new firmware version notification information j 23 is information that includes new firmware identification information for identifying the new firmware and new firmware version information indicating a version of the new firmware. that is, the new firmware version notification information j 23 includes identification information of the new firmware which is used for updating of the existing firmware of the printing apparatus 10 , and information indicating a version of the new firmware. in step si 4 , in a case of updating the existing first firmware, the third server control unit 50 acquires file data of the new first firmware which is used for updating of the firmware. in a case of updating the existing second firmware, the third server control unit 50 acquires file data of the new second firmware which is used for updating of the firmware. in a case of updating both of the existing first firmware and the existing second firmware, the third server control unit 50 acquires file data of the new first firmware and file data of the new second firmware. next, the third server control unit 50 transmits the file data of the new firmware that is acquired in step si 4 , to the printing apparatus 10 , by controlling the third server communication unit 51 (step si 5 ). the file data of the new firmware that is transmitted in step si 5 corresponds to “overwriting firmware”. as illustrated in the flowchart fg of fig. 6 , the printing apparatus control unit 20 of the printing apparatus 10 receives the file data of the new firmware by controlling the printing apparatus network-communication unit 23 (step sg 10 ). next, the printing apparatus control unit 20 generates a hash value based on the file data of the new firmware by using a predetermined hash function (step sg 11 ). in step sg 11 , in a case where there are two pieces of file data, the printing apparatus control unit 20 generates a hash value for each of the two pieces of file data by using a predetermined hash function. the predetermined hash function used in step sg 11 is the same as the hash function used when generating the hash value stored in the management server 2 b . the predetermined hash function is registered in advance in the printing apparatus 10 , and is stored in a predetermined storage area of the printing apparatus storage unit 21 . next, the printing apparatus control unit 20 compares the hash value which is generated by using the public key in step sg 8 with the hash value which is generated by using the predetermined hash function in step sg 11 (step sg 12 ). in a case where the hash value which is generated by using the public key in step sg 8 is the same as the hash value which is generated by using the predetermined hash function in step sg 11 , it means that the file data of the new firmware received by the printing apparatus 10 from the file providing server 2 c is not tampered with (the file data has validity). processing of step sg 12 corresponds to processing of determining the validity of the file data of the new firmware (overwriting firmware). in particular, in this embodiment, an apparatus as a transmission source of the file data of the new firmware (file providing server 2 c ) is configured to be separated from an apparatus as a transmission source of the signature information j 26 which is used for determining the validity of the file data (management server 2 b ). with this configuration, as compared with a configuration in which the same apparatus transmits the file data of the new firmware and the signature information j 26 to the printing apparatus 10 , it is possible to effectively reduce a possibility that a third party may acquire both of the file data and the signature information j 26 . accordingly, it is possible to effectively reduce a possibility that a third party decrypts a private key by using both of the file data and the signature information j 26 . therefore, the validity of the file data can be accurately determined, and thus it is possible to prevent tampering with the file data. next, the printing apparatus control unit 20 determines whether or not the hash value which is generated by using the public key in step sg 8 is the same as the hash value which is generated by using the predetermined hash function in step sg 11 (step sg 13 ). in a case where the hash values are not the same (no in step sg 13 ), the printing apparatus control unit 20 executes corresponding processing, instead of performing firmware update (step sg 14 ). in processing of step sg 14 , the printing apparatus control unit 20 executes at least the following processing. that is, the printing apparatus control unit 20 prints information indicating that the received file data of the new firmware may be tampered with, on the roll paper, by controlling the printing unit 22 . by referring to the information printed on the roll paper, a user can accurately recognize that the file data of the new firmware may be tampered with. in addition, the printing apparatus control unit 20 may notify the management server 2 b and other apparatuses that the received file data of the new firmware may be tampered with. further, in a case where the printing apparatus 10 includes a display panel such as a liquid crystal display panel, the printing apparatus control unit 20 may display information indicating that the received file data of the new firmware may be tampered with, on the display panel. on the other hand, in a case where the hash values are the same (yes in step sg 13 ), the printing apparatus control unit 20 updates the existing firmware with the file data of the new firmware that is received in step sg 10 (step sg 15 ). in step sg 15 , in a case of receiving the file data of the new first firmware and the file data of the new second firmware, the printing apparatus control unit 20 updates the existing first firmware with the file data of the new first firmware, and updates the existing second firmware with the file data of the new second firmware. in addition, in a case of receiving either one of the file data of the new first firmware and the file data of the new second firmware, the printing apparatus control unit 20 updates the corresponding existing firmware with the received file data. here, the printing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment stores two pieces of firmware of the first firmware 21 a and the second firmware 21 b . as described above, in a situation where updating of one piece of firmware is necessary, only the file data of the one piece of firmware is transmitted from the file providing server 2 c to the printing apparatus 10 . with this configuration, a data amount of data to be transmitted from the file providing server 2 c to the printing apparatus 10 can be reduced. thus, since the data amount is reduced, it is possible to improve communication efficiency and improve processing efficiency of the firmware update processing in the printing apparatus 10 . next, the printing apparatus control unit 20 prints information indicating completion of firmware update on the roll paper by controlling the printing unit 22 (step sg 16 ). fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of information printed on the roll paper in step sg 16 . as illustrated in fig. 8 , information indicating completion of firmware update and information prompting restart of the printing apparatus are printed on the roll paper. by visually confirming the information printed on the roll paper, a user can accurately recognize completion of firmware update and restart of the printing apparatus. in addition, in a case where the printing apparatus 10 includes a display panel such as a liquid crystal display panel, the information may be displayed on the display panel. next, the operation mode of the printing apparatus control unit 20 transitions to a normal mode from the firmware update mode (step sg 17 ). next, another processing of the printing apparatus 10 will be described. as described above, the public key which is used for decryption of the signature information j 26 is described in the data portion of the first firmware 21 a . the printing apparatus control unit 20 permits the public key to be modified by updating of the first firmware 21 a , and on the other hand, prohibits the public key from being modified by a method other than updating of the first firmware 21 a . therefore, an external apparatus which is allowed to communicate with the printing apparatus 10 cannot modify the public key by transmitting a control command to the printing apparatus 10 . accordingly, the following effects are obtained. that is, in this embodiment, when performing firmware update, the validity of the file data of the new firmware can be determined. thus, it is possible to prevent updating of the existing firmware with tampered file data of new firmware. therefore, the public key modified by firmware update can be regarded as a valid public key. based on this fact, by permitting the public key to be modified by updating of the first firmware 21 a , and on the other hand, prohibiting the public key from being modified by a method other than the updating of the first firmware 21 a , it is possible to prevent the public key from being illegally modified. as described above, the printing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment can be connected to the printing apparatus control server 2 a , the management server 2 b , and the file providing server 2 c of the server unit 2 (server). the printing apparatus 10 includes the printing apparatus network-communication unit 23 that transmits the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 (printing apparatus information) to the management server 2 b and receives an address which designates a storage location of the file data of the new firmware (overwriting firmware) from the management server 2 b in a case where a predetermined condition is satisfied, and the printing apparatus control unit 20 that receives the file data of the new firmware from the file providing server 2 c based on the address received by the printing apparatus network-communication unit 23 and executes overwriting (updating) of the firmware. with this configuration, in a case where the management server 2 b determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied, the printing apparatus 10 receives the address which designates the storage location of the file data of the new firmware, receives the file data of the new firmware based on the address, and performs overwriting of the firmware. thus, in a case where the predetermined condition is not satisfied, it is possible to prevent the printing apparatus 10 from acquiring the address which designates the storage location of the file data of the new firmware. in addition, the management server 2 b can control whether or not to permit overwriting of the firmware of the printing apparatus 10 , and control an execution timing of processing related to overwriting. that is, according to this embodiment, in the printing apparatus 10 that executes overwriting of the firmware by communication with the server unit 2 , overwriting of the firmware can be performed by an appropriate method based on communication with the server unit 2 . in addition, in this embodiment, the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 includes the printing apparatus model information j 12 (model information indicating a model of a printing apparatus main body), the first firmware version information j 10 , and the second firmware version information j 11 (version information indicating a version of the firmware). whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied is determined by the management server 2 b based on the information transmitted by the printing apparatus 10 . with this configuration, since the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 transmitted by the printing apparatus 10 includes the printing apparatus model information j 12 , the first firmware version information j 10 , and the second firmware version information j 11 , the management server 2 b can appropriately determine whether or not overwriting of the firmware of the printing apparatus 10 is necessary, based on the model of the printing apparatus 10 and the version of the existing firmware. in addition, in this embodiment, the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 includes the printing apparatus identification information j 3 (identification information of the printing apparatus main body). whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied is determined by the management server 2 b based on the printing apparatus identification information j 3 transmitted by the printing apparatus network-communication unit 23 . with this configuration, since the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 transmitted by the printing apparatus 10 includes the printing apparatus identification information j 3 , by using the printing apparatus identification information j 3 of the printing apparatus, the management server 2 b can appropriately determine whether or not overwriting of the firmware of the printing apparatus 10 is necessary, based on specific circumstances of the printing apparatus 10 . in this embodiment, whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied is determined by the management server 2 b , based on whether or not overwriting of the firmware by the printing apparatus 10 is permitted. with this configuration, the management server 2 b can appropriately determine whether or not overwriting of the firmware is necessary in the printing apparatus 10 , based on whether or not overwriting of the firmware by the printing apparatus 10 is permitted. in addition, in this embodiment, whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied is determined, based on whether or not the printing apparatus 10 is in a time period during which overwriting of the firmware can be performed. with this configuration, the printing apparatus 10 can execute processing related to overwriting of the firmware in the time period during which overwriting of the firmware can be performed. in addition, in this embodiment, the time period during which overwriting of the firmware can be performed is a time period during which the printing unit 22 does not execute printing on the roll paper (printing medium). with this configuration, the printing apparatus 10 can execute the processing related to overwriting of the firmware in the time period during which the printing unit 22 does not execute printing on the roll paper. in addition, in this embodiment, the printing apparatus control unit 20 receives the file data of the new firmware from the file providing server 2 c , and determines the validity of the file data, before executing overwriting of the firmware. with this configuration, in a case where the file data of the new firmware has validity, by performing overwriting of the firmware, for example, it is possible to prevent the firmware from being overwritten with tampered file data. in addition, in this embodiment, in a case where it is determined that the file data of the new firmware is valid, the printing apparatus control unit 20 executes overwriting of the firmware with the file data. on the other hand, in a case where it is determined that the file data of the new firmware is not valid, the printing apparatus control unit 20 does not execute overwriting of the firmware with the file data. with this configuration, it is possible to prevent the firmware stored in the printing apparatus 10 from being overwritten with firmware which may be tampered with. in addition, as described above, in this embodiment, the network system 1 is configured to include the printing apparatus 10 and the server unit 2 (server) that can be connected to the printing apparatus 10 . the server unit 2 is configured to include the printing apparatus control server 2 a , the management server 2 b , and the file providing server 2 c . the management server 2 b of the server unit 2 receives the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 (printing apparatus information) from the printing apparatus 10 , and in a case where the predetermined condition is satisfied, transmits the address which designates the storage location of the file data of the new firmware (overwriting firmware) to the printing apparatus 10 . in a case where a request which requests transmission of the file data of the new firmware based on the address is received from the printing apparatus 10 , the file providing server 2 c of the server unit 2 transmits the file data of the new firmware to the printing apparatus 10 . with this configuration, in a case where the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the server unit 2 can prevent the printing apparatus 10 from acquiring the address which designates the storage location of the file data of the new firmware. in addition, the server unit 2 can control whether or not to permit overwriting of the firmware of the printing apparatus 10 , and control an execution timing of processing related to overwriting. that is, according to this embodiment, in the network system 1 , the server unit 2 transmits the overwriting firmware of the firmware to the printing apparatus 10 , by communicating with the printing apparatus 10 . thus, the server unit 2 can transmit the overwriting firmware to the printing apparatus 10 by using an appropriate method based on communication with the printing apparatus 10 . in addition, in this embodiment, the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 includes the printing apparatus model information j 12 (model information indicating a model of the printing apparatus 10 ), the first firmware version information j 10 , and the second firmware version information j 11 (version information indicating a version of the firmware). the management server 2 b of the server unit 2 determines whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied, based on the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 received from the printing apparatus 10 , and the printing apparatus model information j 12 , the first firmware version information j 10 , and the second firmware version information j 11 , which are stored in the firmware version management database db 2 b in correlation with each other. with this configuration, the management server 2 b can appropriately determine whether or not overwriting of the firmware is necessary in the printing apparatus 10 , based on the model of the printing apparatus 10 and the version of the existing firmware. in addition, in this embodiment, the periodic printing apparatus information j 9 includes the printing apparatus identification information j 3 (identification information for identifying the printing apparatus 10 ). the management server 2 b of the server unit 2 determines whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied, based on the printing apparatus identification information j 3 received from the printing apparatus 10 . with this configuration, the management server 2 b can appropriately determine whether or not overwriting of the firmware is necessary in the printing apparatus 10 , based on specific circumstances of the printing apparatus 10 , using the printing apparatus identification information j 3 of the printing apparatus 10 . in addition, in this embodiment, the management server 2 b determines whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied, based on whether or not the printing apparatus 10 is in a time period during which overwriting of the firmware can be performed. with this configuration, the management server 2 b can cause the printing apparatus 10 to execute processing related to overwriting of the firmware in the time period during which overwriting of the firmware can be performed. in addition, in this embodiment, the time period during which the printing apparatus 10 can execute overwriting of the firmware is a time period during which the printing apparatus 10 does not execute printing. with this configuration, the management server 2 b can cause the printing apparatus 10 to execute processing related to overwriting of the firmware in the time period during which the printing apparatus 10 does not execute printing. in addition, in this embodiment, the server unit 2 is configured to include the printing apparatus control server 2 a (first server), the management server 2 b (second server), and the file providing server 2 c (third server). the printing apparatus control server 2 a transmits an address of the management server 2 b according to the access from the printing apparatus 10 . in a case where the predetermined condition is satisfied, the management server 2 b transmits the random url information j 16 (an address which designates the storage location of the overwriting firmware in the file providing server 2 c ), based on the access from the printing apparatus 10 . the file providing server 2 c transmits the file data of the new firmware to the printing apparatus 10 , based on the access from the printing apparatus 10 . with this configuration, based on the fact that the server unit 2 is configured to include the printing apparatus control server 2 a , the management server 2 b , and the file providing server 2 c , by allocating functions to each server, it is possible to distribute the load of each server and reduce the data amount of data stored in each server. in addition, in this embodiment, the printing apparatus control server 2 a generates the second server access password information j 5 (password used when the printing apparatus 10 accesses the management server 2 b ), and transmits the generated information to the printing apparatus 10 and the management server 2 b. with this configuration, the management server 2 b can authenticate the printing apparatus 10 , based on the second server access password information j 5 generated by the printing apparatus control server 2 a. in addition, in this embodiment, the management server 2 b randomly generates the url of the file providing server 2 c that is indicated by the random url information j 16 (address which designates the storage location of the overwriting firmware), and transmits the generated url to the printing apparatus 10 and the file providing server 2 c. with this configuration, it is possible to prevent an apparatus other than the valid printing apparatus 10 that receives the random url information j 16 , from accessing the file providing server 2 c and acquiring the file data of the new firmware. as described above, the network system 1 according to this embodiment is configured to include the printing apparatus 10 , the management server 2 b that can communicate with the printing apparatus 10 , and the file providing server 2 c that can communicate with the printing apparatus 10 . the printing apparatus 10 includes the printing apparatus storage unit 21 that stores firmware to which a public key is added, the public key being information related to a public key encryption method. the printing apparatus 10 includes the printing apparatus network-communication unit 23 (printing apparatus communication unit) that receives the signature information j 26 obtained by encrypting the hash value of the file data of the new firmware with the private key corresponding to the public key, from the management server 2 b , and that receives the file data from the file providing server 2 c . the printing apparatus 10 includes the printing apparatus control unit 20 which determines the validity of the file data by comparing the hash value generated by decrypting the signature information j 26 , which is received from the management server 2 b by the printing apparatus network-communication unit 23 , with the public key stored in the printing apparatus storage unit 21 , and the hash value of the file data of the new firmware that is received from the file providing server 2 c by the printing apparatus network-communication unit 23 . with this configuration, an apparatus as a transmission source of the file data of the new firmware (file providing server 2 c ) is different from an apparatus as a transmission source of the signature information j 26 which is used for determining the validity of the file data (management server 2 b ). accordingly, a possibility that a third party acquires both of the file data and the signature information j 26 , can be effectively reduced. thus, it is possible to effectively reduce a possibility that a third party decrypts the private key by using both of the file data and the signature information j 26 . therefore, the printing apparatus 10 can accurately determine the validity of the file data. that is, with this configuration, in the network system 1 including the printing apparatus 10 which executes overwriting of the firmware with the file data of the new firmware that is received from the server, the printing apparatus 10 can accurately determine the validity of the file data of the new firmware by using characteristics of the configuration of the server which communicates with the printing apparatus 10 . in addition, in this embodiment, in a case where it is determined that the file data of the new firmware has validity, the printing apparatus control unit 20 executes overwriting of the firmware with the file data, and in a case where it is determined that the file data of the new firmware does not have validity, the printing apparatus control unit 20 does not execute overwriting of the firmware with the file data. with this configuration, it is possible to prevent the firmware stored in the printing apparatus 10 from being overwritten with firmware which may be tampered with. in addition, in this embodiment, the printing apparatus control unit 20 determines that the file data has validity, in a case where the hash value generated by decrypting the signature information j 26 , which is received from the management server 2 b by the printing apparatus network-communication unit 23 , with the public key stored in the printing apparatus storage unit 21 , and the hash value of the file data of the new firmware that is received from the file providing server 2 c by the printing apparatus network-communication unit 23 , are the same. with this configuration, the printing apparatus 10 can accurately determine the validity of the file data of the new firmware. in addition, in this embodiment, in a case where it is determined that the file data of the new firmware does not have validity, the printing apparatus control unit 20 prints information indicating that the file data may be tampered with, on the roll paper (printing medium), by controlling the printing unit 22 . with this configuration, by visually confirming the information printed on the roll paper, a user can accurately recognize that the file data of the new firmware may be tampered with. in addition, in this embodiment, for the public key stored in the printing apparatus storage unit 21 , the printing apparatus control unit 20 permits modification of the public key by overwriting of the firmware, and on the other hand, prohibits modification of the public key by another method. with this configuration, it is possible to prevent the public key from being illegally modified. the above-described embodiment has been presented by way of example of the aspect of the invention, and can be arbitrarily modified and applied within the scope of the invention. for example, in the above-described embodiment, although a case where the printing apparatus 10 is applied to a store is described as an example, a facility to which the store system 3 is applied is not limited to a store. in addition, each functional block described with reference to the drawings can be arbitrarily realized by hardware and software, and does not suggest a specific hardware configuration. the entire disclosure of japanese patent application no. 2016-191719, filed sep. 29, 2016 is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
|
174-816-842-089-737
|
US
|
[
"CN",
"EP",
"US",
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C10M107/24,A61Q9/02,A61K8/60,A61K8/86,A61Q19/00,C08L23/02,C10M105/42,C10M109/02,C10N20/00,C10N20/04,C10N30/06,C11D3/20,C10M107/32,C10M145/04,C10M145/14,C10M145/28,C10M145/40,C10M149/10,C10M149/18
| 2016-07-08T00:00:00 |
2016
|
[
"C10",
"A61",
"C08",
"C11"
] |
lubricating member for razor cartridges comprising metathesized unsaturated polyols
|
the invention relates to a lubricating member for a razor cartridge comprising a metathesized unsaturated polyol ester for improved lubrication.
|
1. a lubricating member for use on a hair removal device, said lubricating member comprising a lubricating material comprising from 1% to 99% by weight of metathesized unsaturated polyol ester, said metathesized unsaturated polyol ester having a free hydrocarbon content, based on total weight of said metathesized unsaturated polyol ester, of from about 0.1% to about 3% and one or more of the following properties: (i) a weight average molecular weight of from about 5,000 daltons to about 50,000 daltons; (ii) an oligomer index from greater than 0 to 1; and (iii) an iodine value of from about 30 to about 200; wherein said lubricating member is manufactured using one of an extrusion, injection molding, compression, or hot melt process, wherein: said extrusion process comprises heating to between 150° c. and 200° c.; said injection molding process comprises heating to between 165° c. and 250° c.; said compression process comprises applying a compression force of at least one kn; and said hot melt process comprises heating to between 55° c. and 85° c. and applying a pressure. 2. a lubricating member for use on a hair removal device, said lubricating member comprising a lubricating material comprising from 1% to 99% by weight of a composition comprising: a) a metathesized unsaturated polyol ester, said metathesized unsaturated polyol ester having a weight average molecular weight of from about 2,000 daltons to about 50,000 daltons and a free hydrocarbon content, based on total weight of said metathesized unsaturated polyol ester, of from about 0.1% to about 5% and one or more of the following properties: (i) an oligomer index from greater than 0 to 1; and (ii) an iodine value of from about 8 to about 200 wherein said lubricating member is manufactured using one of an extrusion, injection molding, compression, or hot melt process, wherein: said extrusion process comprises heating said composition to between 150° c. and 200° c.; said injection molding process comprises said composition heating to between 165° c. and 250° c.; said compression process comprises applying a compression force of at least one kn to said composition; and said hot melt process comprises heating said composition to between 55° c. and 85° c. and applying a pressure. 3. the lubricating member according to claim 2 , wherein said metathesized unsaturated polyol ester has an iodine value of from about 10 to about 200. 4. the lubricating member according to claim 2 , wherein said metathesized unsaturated polyol ester has an oligomer index from about 0.001 to 1. 5. the lubricating member according to claim 1 , wherein said lubricating material comprises from about 0.1% to about 50% by weight of said metathesized unsaturated polyol ester. 6. the lubricating member according to claim 1 , wherein the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester is metathesized at least once. 7. the lubricating member according to claim 1 , wherein said metathesized unsaturated polyol ester is derived from a natural polyol ester and/or a synthetic polyol ester. 8. the lubricating member according to claim 1 , wherein said metathesized unsaturated polyol ester is selected from the group consisting of metathesized abyssinian oil, metathesized almond oil, metathesized apricot oil, metathesized apricot kernel oil, metathesized argan oil, metathesized avocado oil, metathesized babassu oil, metathesized baobab oil, metathesized black cumin oil, metathesized black currant oil, metathesized borage oil, metathesized camelina oil, metathesized carinata oil, metathesized canola oil, metathesized castor oil, metathesized cherry kernel oil, metathesized coconut oil, metathesized corn oil, metathesized cottonseed oil, metathesized echium oil, metathesized evening primrose oil, metathesized flax seed oil, metathesized grape seed oil, metathesized grapefruit seed oil, metathesized hazelnut oil, metathesized hemp seed oil, metathesized jatropha oil, metathesized jojoba oil, metathesized kukui nut oil, metathesized linseed oil, metathesized macadamia nut oil, metathesized meadowfoam seed oil, metathesized moringa oil, metathesized neem oil, metathesized olive oil, metathesized palm oil, metathesized palm kernel oil, metathesized peach kernel oil, metathesized peanut oil, metathesized pecan oil, metathesized pennycress oil, metathesized perilla seed oil, metathesized pistachio oil, metathesized pomegranate seed oil, metathesized pongamia oil, metathesized pumpkin seed oil, metathesized raspberry oil, metathesized red palm olein, metathesized rice bran oil, metathesized rosehip oil, metathesized safflower oil, metathesized seabuckthorn fruit oil, metathesized sesame seed oil, metathesized shea olein, metathesized sunflower oil, metathesized soybean oil, metathesized tonka bean oil, metathesized tung oil, metathesized walnut oil, metathesized wheat germ oil, metathesized high oleoyl soybean oil, metathesized high oleoyl sunflower oil, metathesized high oleoyl safflower oil, metathesized high erucic acid rapeseed oil, and mixtures thereof. 9. the lubricating member according to claim 1 , further comprising a water soluble polymer. 10. the lubricating member according to claim 9 , wherein said water soluble polymer is selected from polyethylene oxide, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyacrylamide, polyhydroxymethacrylate, polyvinyl imidazoline, polyethylene glycol, polyvinyl alcohol, polyhydroxyethymethacrylate, guars, cellulose, modified cellulose, and mixtures thereof. 11. the lubricating member according to claim 9 , wherein said water soluble polymer is polyethylene oxide having an average molecular weight of at least 300000. 12. the lubricating member according to claim 9 , wherein said water soluble polymer further comprises from 0.01% to 50% by weight of the lubricating material of a copolymer of polyethylene oxide and polypropylene oxide. 13. the lubricating member according to claim 9 , wherein said water soluble polymer comprises a polyethylene oxide polymer that is present at a level of from 15% to 70% by weight of the lubricating material. 14. the lubricating member according to claim 1 , wherein said lubricating member further comprises from 1% to 50% by weight of a water insoluble material, selected from polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, high impact polystyrene, butadiene styrene copolymer, polyacetal, acrylonitrile-butadiene styrene copolymer, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, and mixtures thereof. 15. the lubricating member according to claim 2 , wherein said free hydrocarbon content is from about 0.1% to about 3%. 16. the lubricating member according to claim 1 , wherein said metathesized unsaturated polyol ester has a weight average molecular weight of from about 5,000 daltons to about 50,000 daltons.
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field of the invention the invention relates to a lubricating member for razor cartridges comprising a metathesized unsaturated polyol ester exhibiting improved lubricating properties. background of the invention the use of shaving aids in combination with razor blades to provide lubrication benefits during the shave is known, see for example u.s. pat. nos. 7,121,754; 6,298,558; 5,711,076; 5,134,775; 6,301,785; u.s. 2009/0223057; u.s. 2006/0225285; wo2007/031793; u.s. 2104/0323374 and gb1299089. such shaving aids typically comprise a water-insoluble matrix material to provide structural integrity and a water-soluble polymer, such as polyethylene oxide (polyox), in order to provide lubrication during the shave once the water-soluble polymer forms a solution with the water present during shaving. since the introduction of polyox as a shaving lubricant, little development has been made in the field, even though polyethylene oxide polymers are not without limitations. for example, utilizing polyethylene oxide polymers having low molecular weights or high molecular weights may improve and provide a means to improve lubrication, but may also result in trade off with regards to residue and/or stringiness or other aspects of the aqueous solution typically formed in-use. the resultant viscosity in aqueous solution may also increase, leading to negatively perceived attributes, for example concerning the feeling of the shave for the user, particularly in respect of the lubricant. the prior art also describes the use of combinations of high and low molecular weight polyethylene oxide polymers in order to balance these performance attributes. nevertheless, such combinations are also limited in their ability to improve performance and/or suffer from other negative performance attributes. the art further describes the incorporation of additional materials to further improve the lubrication performance. for example, u.s. pat. no. 6,442,839; u.s. 2007/0110703 and u.s. 2009/0223057 describe the use of low levels of mineral and essential oils, butters, waxes and silicones. the use of mineral oil to enhance the glide performance is described in u.s. 2008/0060201. however, the art also discloses a reduction of the swelling and solubility of the water soluble shaving aid contained in the water insoluble polymer matrix. the ability of the shaving aid to swell in contact with water is however believed to be the key mechanism by which the lubrication benefit is delivered to the skin. hence this is not desirable, as it will negatively impact the overall performance. consequently, there is still a need to provide a lubricating member for razor cartridges comprising a water soluble polymer exhibiting improved lubricating properties which can be readily manufactured without impacting performance. metathesized unsaturated polyol esters have been described in the literature to improve the performance of foaming composition as described for example in u.s. 2013/0280174. it is now found that these materials have utility in lubricating members. it is recognized that the problems with commercially available metathesized unsaturated polyol esters lay in the rheology of such materials as such rheology resulted in a range of spreading that was insufficient with a first class of materials and excessive spreading with a second class of materials. thus, both classes of commercially available materials exhibited insufficient spreading leading to poor lubrication and feel during the shaving process. versions of metathesized unsaturated polyol esters are disclosed that have the correct rheology. such species of metathesized unsaturated polyol esters provide unexpectedly improved skin conditioning benefits after the shave and lubrication during the shave. additionally, these materials are tolerant to the wide range of conditions experienced during the shave such as the high ph from shaving gels and foams and provide synergistic benefits in the presence of cationic polymeric materials. summary of the invention one aspect of the invention relates to a lubricating member for use on a hair removal device, said lubricating member comprising a lubricating material comprising from 1 to 99% by weight of a metathesized unsaturated polyol esters. detailed description of the invention definitions the terms “natural oils,” “natural feedstocks,” or “natural oil feedstocks” may refer to oils derived from plants or animal sources. the term “natural oil” includes natural oil derivatives, unless otherwise indicated. the terms also include modified plant or animal sources (e.g., genetically modified plant or animal sources), unless indicated otherwise. examples of natural oils include, but are not limited to, vegetable oils, algae oils, fish oils, animal fats, tall oils, derivatives of these oils, combinations of any of these oils, and the like. representative non-limiting examples of vegetable oils include canola oil, rapeseed oil, coconut oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, olive oil, palm oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, sesame oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, linseed oil, palm kernel oil, tung oil, jatropha oil, mustard oil, pennycress oil, camelina oil, and castor oil. representative non-limiting examples of animal fats include lard, tallow, poultry fat, yellow grease, and fish oil. tall oils are by-products of wood pulp manufacture. the term “natural oil derivatives” refers to derivatives thereof derived from natural oil. the methods used to form these natural oil derivatives may include one or more of addition, neutralization, overbasing, saponification, transesterification, esterification, amidification, hydrogenation, isomerization, oxidation, alkylation, acylation, sulfurization, sulfonation, rearrangement, reduction, fermentation, pyrolysis, hydrolysis, liquefaction, anaerobic digestion, hydrothermal processing, gasification or a combination of two or more thereof. examples of natural derivatives thereof may include carboxylic acids, gums, phospholipids, soapstock, acidulated soapstock, distillate or distillate sludge, fatty acids, fatty acid esters, as well as hydroxy substituted variations thereof, including unsaturated polyol esters. in some embodiments, the natural oil derivative may comprise an unsaturated carboxylic acid having from about 5 to about 30 carbon atoms, having one or more carbon-carbon double bonds in the hydrocarbon (alkene) chain. the natural oil derivative may also comprise an unsaturated fatty acid alkyl (e.g., methyl) ester derived from a glyceride of natural oil. for example, the natural oil derivative may be a fatty acid methyl ester (“fame”) derived from the glyceride of the natural oil. in some embodiments, a feedstock includes canola or soybean oil, as a non-limiting example, refined, bleached, and deodorized soybean oil (i.e., rbd soybean oil). the term “free hydrocarbon” refers to any one or combination of unsaturated or saturated straight, branched, or cyclic hydrocarbons in the c 2 to c 22 range. the term “metathesis monomer” refers to a single entity that is the product of a metathesis reaction which comprises a molecule of a compound with one or more carbon-carbon double bonds which has undergone an alkylidene unit interchange via one or more of the carbon-carbon double bonds either within the same molecule (intramolecular metathesis) and/or with a molecule of another compound containing one or more carbon-carbon double bonds such as an olefin (intermolecular metathesis). the term “metathesis dimer” refers to the product of a metathesis reaction wherein two reactant compounds, which can be the same or different and each with one or more carbon-carbon double bonds, are bonded together via one or more of the carbon-carbon double bonds in each of the reactant compounds as a result of the metathesis reaction. the term “metathesis trimer” refers to the product of one or more metathesis reactions wherein three molecules of two or more reactant compounds, which can be the same or different and each with one or more carbon-carbon double bonds, are bonded together via one or more of the carbon-carbon double bonds in each of the reactant compounds as a result of the one or more metathesis reactions, the trimer containing three bonded groups derived from the reactant compounds. the term “metathesis tetramer” refers to the product of one or more metathesis reactions wherein four molecules of two or more reactant compounds, which can be the same or different and each with one or more carbon-carbon double bonds, are bonded together via one or more of the carbon-carbon double bonds in each of the reactant compounds as a result of the one or more metathesis reactions, the tetramer containing four bonded groups derived from the reactant compounds. the term “metathesis pentamer” refers to the product of one or more metathesis reactions wherein five molecules of two or more reactant compounds, which can be the same or different and each with one or more carbon-carbon double bonds, are bonded together via one or more of the carbon-carbon double bonds in each of the reactant compounds as a result of the one or more metathesis reactions, the pentamer containing five bonded groups derived from the reactant compounds. the term “metathesis hexamer” refers to the product of one or more metathesis reactions wherein six molecules of two or more reactant compounds, which can be the same or different and each with one or more carbon-carbon double bonds, are bonded together via one or more of the carbon-carbon double bonds in each of the reactant compounds as a result of the one or more metathesis reactions, the hexamer containing six bonded groups derived from the reactant compounds. the term “metathesis heptamer” refers to the product of one or more metathesis reactions wherein seven molecules of two or more reactant compounds, which can be the same or different and each with one or more carbon-carbon double bonds, are bonded together via one or more of the carbon-carbon double bonds in each of the reactant compounds as a result of the one or more metathesis reactions, the heptamer containing seven bonded groups derived from the reactant compounds. the term “metathesis octamer” refers to the product of one or more metathesis reactions wherein eight molecules of two or more reactant compounds, which can be the same or different and each with one or more carbon-carbon double bonds, are bonded together via one or more of the carbon-carbon double bonds in each of the reactant compounds as a result of the one or more metathesis reactions, the octamer containing eight bonded groups derived from the reactant compounds. the term “metathesis nonamer” refers to the product of one or more metathesis reactions wherein nine molecules of two or more reactant compounds, which can be the same or different and each with one or more carbon-carbon double bonds, are bonded together via one or more of the carbon-carbon double bonds in each of the reactant compounds as a result of the one or more metathesis reactions, the nonamer containing nine bonded groups derived from the reactant compounds. the term “metathesis decamer” refers to the product of one or more metathesis reactions wherein ten molecules of two or more reactant compounds, which can be the same or different and each with one or more carbon-carbon double bonds, are bonded together via one or more of the carbon-carbon double bonds in each of the reactant compounds as a result of the one or more metathesis reactions, the decamer containing ten bonded groups derived from the reactant compounds. the term “metathesis oligomer” refers to the product of one or more metathesis reactions wherein two or more molecules (e.g., 2 to about 10, or 2 to about 4) of two or more reactant compounds, which can be the same or different and each with one or more carbon-carbon double bonds, are bonded together via one or more of the carbon-carbon double bonds in each of the reactant compounds as a result of the one or more metathesis reactions, the oligomer containing a few (e.g., 2 to about 10, or 2 to about 4) bonded groups derived from the reactant compounds. in some embodiments, the term “metathesis oligomer” may include metathesis reactions wherein greater than ten molecules of two or more reactant compounds, which can be the same or different and each with one or more carbon-carbon double bonds, are bonded together via one or more of the carbon-carbon double bonds in each of the reactant compounds as a result of the one or more metathesis reactions, the oligomer containing greater than ten bonded groups derived from the reactant compounds. as used herein, the terms “metathesize” and “metathesizing” may refer to the reacting of a unsaturated polyol ester feedstock in the presence of a metathesis catalyst to form a metathesized unsaturated polyol ester product comprising a new olefinic compound and/or esters. metathesizing may refer to cross-metathesis (a.k.a. co-metathesis), self-metathesis, ring-opening metathesis, ring-opening metathesis polymerizations (“romp”), ring-closing metathesis (“rcm”), and acyclic diene metathesis (“admet”). as a non-limiting example, metathesizing may refer to reacting two triglycerides present in a natural feedstock (self-metathesis) in the presence of a metathesis catalyst, wherein each triglyceride has an unsaturated carbon-carbon double bond, thereby forming an oligomer having a new mixture of olefins and esters that may comprise one or more of: metathesis monomers, metathesis dimers, metathesis trimers, metathesis tetramers, metathesis pentamers, and higher order metathesis oligomers (e.g., metathesis hexamers, metathesis, metathesis heptamers, metathesis octamers, metathesis nonamers, metathesis decamers, and higher than metathesis decamers and above). as used herein, the term “polyol” means an organic material comprising at least two hydroxy moieties. as used herein, the articles including “a” and “an” when used in a claim, are understood to mean one or more of what is claimed or described. as used herein, the terms “include”, “includes” and “including” are meant to be non-limiting. unless otherwise noted, all component or composition levels are in reference to the active portion of that component or composition, and are exclusive of impurities, for example, residual solvents or by-products, which may be present in commercially available sources of such components or compositions. all percentages and ratios are calculated by weight unless otherwise indicated. all percentages and ratios are calculated based on the total composition unless otherwise indicated. it should be understood that every maximum numerical limitation given throughout this specification includes every lower numerical limitation, as if such lower numerical limitations were expressly written herein. every minimum numerical limitation given throughout this specification will include every higher numerical limitation, as if such higher numerical limitations were expressly written herein. every numerical range given throughout this specification will include every narrower numerical range that falls within such broader numerical range, as if such narrower numerical ranges were all expressly written herein. compositions, articles, methods of use and treated articles table 1compositionscomp.no.composition1a composition comprising,a) a metathesized unsaturated polyol ester, said metathesizedunsaturated polyol ester having one or more of the followingproperties:(i) a weight average molecular weight of from about 5,000daltons to about 50,000 daltons, from about 5,500 daltons toabout 50,000 daltons, from about 5,500 daltons to about40,000 daltons, or from about 6,000 daltons to about 30,000daltons;(ii) an oligomer index from greater than 0 to 1, from 0.001 to1, 0.01 to 1, or from 0.05 to 1;(iii) an iodine value of from about 30 to about 200, fromabout 30 to about 150, from about 30 to about 120, or fromabout 50 to about 110.2in one aspect of said composition 1 of table 1, saidmetathesized unsaturated polyol ester has the weight averagemolecular weight property from a)(i) above.3in one aspect of said composition 1 of table 1, saidmetathesized unsaturated polyol ester has the oligomer indexproperty from a)(ii) above.4in one aspect of said composition 1 of table 1, saidmetathesized unsaturated polyol ester has the iodine valueproperty from a)(iii) above.5in one aspect of said composition 1 of table 1, saidmetathesized unsaturated polyol ester has the property froma)(i) and from a)(ii) above.6in one aspect of said composition 1 of table 1, saidmetathesized unsaturated polyol ester has the properties froma)(i) and from a)(iii) above.7in one aspect of said composition 1 of table 1, saidmetathesized unsaturated polyol ester has the properties froma)(ii) and from a)(iii) above.8in one aspect of said composition 1 of table 1, saidmetathesized unsaturated polyol ester has the properties froma)(i), a)(ii) and from a)(iii) above.9in one aspect, of compositions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 of table1, said metathesized unsaturated polyol ester has a freehydrocarbon content, based on total weight of metathesizedunsaturated polyol ester, of from about 0% to about 5%, fromabout 0.1% to about 5%, from about 0.1% to about 4%, or fromabout 0.1 to about 3%.10in one aspect of table 1 compositions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and9 the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester is metathesized atleast once.11in one aspect, of compositions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 oftable 1, said composition comprises, based on totalcomposition weight, from about 0.1% to about 50%, from about0.5% to about 30%, or from about 1% to about 20% of saidmetathesized unsaturated polyol ester. table 2compositionscomp.no.composition1a composition comprising:a) a metathesized unsaturated polyol ester, said metathesizedunsaturated polyol ester having a weight average molecularweight of from about 2,000 daltons to about 50,000 daltons,from about 2,500 daltons to about 50,000 daltons, from about3,000 daltons to about 40,000 daltons, from about 3,000daltons to about 30,000 daltons; and one or more of thefollowing properties:(i) a free hydrocarbon content, based on total weight ofmetathesized unsaturated polyol ester, of from about 0% toabout 5%, from about 0.1% to about 5%, from about 0.1% toabout 4%, or from about 0.1 to about 3%;(ii) an oligomer index from greater than 0 to 1, from 0.001 to1, 0.01 to 1, or from 0.05 to 1;(iii) an iodine value of from about 8 to about 200, from about10 to about 200, from about 20 to about 150, from about 30 toabout 120.2in one aspect of said composition 1 of table 2, saidmetathesized unsaturated polyol ester has the free hydrocarboncontent property from a)(i) above.3in one aspect of said composition 1 of table 2, saidmetathesized unsaturated polyol ester has the oligomer indexproperty from a)(ii) above.4in one aspect of said composition 1 of table 2, saidmetathesized unsaturated polyol ester has the iodine valueproperty from a)(iii) above.5in one aspect of said composition 1 of table 2, saidmetathesized unsaturated polyol ester has the property froma)(i) and from a)(ii) above.6in one aspect of said composition 1 of table 2, saidmetathesized unsaturated polyol ester has the properties froma)(i) and from a)(iii) above.7in one aspect of said composition 1 of table 2, saidmetathesized unsaturated polyol ester has the properties froma)(ii) and from a)(iii) above.8in one aspect of said composition 1 of table 2, saidmetathesized unsaturated polyol ester has the properties froma)(i), a)(ii) and from a)(iii) above.9in one aspect of table 2 compositions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester is metathesized atleast once.10in one aspect, of compositions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9 of table2, said composition comprises, based on total compositionweight, from about 0.1% to about 50%, from about 0.5% toabout 30% or from about 1% to about 20% of said metathesizedunsaturated polyol ester. in one aspect, table 1 compositions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11; and table 2 compositions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester is derived from a natural polyol ester and/or a synthetic polyol ester, in one aspect, said natural polyol ester is selected from the group consisting of a vegetable oil, an animal fat, an algae oil and mixtures thereof; and said synthetic polyol ester is derived from a material selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, glycerol, polyglycerol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, poly(tetramethylene ether) glycol, pentaerythritol, dipentaerythritol, tripentaerythritol, trimethylolpropane, neopentyl glycol, a sugar, in one aspect, sucrose, and mixtures thereof. in one aspect, table 1 compositions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11; and table 2 compositions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester is selected from the group consisting of metathesized abyssinian oil, metathesized almond oil, metathesized apricot oil, metathesized apricot kernel oil, metathesized argan oil, metathesized avocado oil, metathesized babassu oil, metathesized baobab oil, metathesized black cumin oil, metathesized black currant oil, metathesized borage oil, metathesized camelina oil, metathesized carinata oil, metathesized canola oil, metathesized castor oil, metathesized cherry kernel oil, metathesized coconut oil, metathesized corn oil, metathesized cottonseed oil, metathesized echium oil, metathesized evening primrose oil, metathesized flax seed oil, metathesized grape seed oil, metathesized grapefruit seed oil, metathesized hazelnut oil, metathesized hemp seed oil, metathesized jatropha oil, metathesized jojoba oil, metathesized kukui nut oil, metathesized linseed oil, metathesized macadamia nut oil, metathesized meadowfoam seed oil, metathesized moringa oil, metathesized neem oil, metathesized olive oil, metathesized palm oil, metathesized palm kernel oil, metathesized peach kernel oil, metathesized peanut oil, metathesized pecan oil, metathesized pennycress oil, metathesized perilla seed oil, metathesized pistachio oil, metathesized pomegranate seed oil, metathesized pongamia oil, metathesized pumpkin seed oil, metathesized raspberry oil, metathesized red palm olein, metathesized rice bran oil, metathesized rosehip oil, metathesized safflower oil, metathesized seabuckthorn fruit oil, metathesized sesame seed oil, metathesized shea olein, metathesized sunflower oil, metathesized soybean oil, metathesized tonka bean oil, metathesized tung oil, metathesized walnut oil, metathesized wheat germ oil, metathesized high oleoyl soybean oil, metathesized high oleoyl sunflower oil, metathesized high oleoyl safflower oil, metathesized high erucic acid rapeseed oil, and mixtures thereof. methods of making compositions the compositions of the present invention can be formulated into any suitable form and prepared by any process chosen by the formulator, non-limiting examples of which are described in u.s. pat. no. 5,879,584 which is incorporated herein by reference. for example, the metathesized unsaturated polyol esters can be combined directly with the composition's other ingredients without pre-emulsification and/or pre-mixing to form the finished products. alternatively, the metathesized unsaturated polyol esters can be combined with surfactants or emulsifiers, solvents, suitable adjuncts, and/or any other suitable ingredients to prepare emulsions prior to compounding the finished products. suitable equipment for use in the processes disclosed herein may include continuous stirred tank reactors, homogenizers, turbine agitators, recirculating pumps, paddle mixers, plough shear mixers, ribbon blenders, vertical axis granulators and drum mixers, both in batch and, where available, in continuous process configurations, spray dryers, and extruders. such equipment can be obtained from lodige gmbh (paderborn, germany), littleford day, inc. (florence, ky., u.s.a.), forberg as (larvik, norway), glatt ingenieurtechnik gmbh (weimar, germany), niro (soeborg, denmark), hosokawa bepex corp. (minneapolis, minn., u.s.a.), arde barinco (n.j., u.s.a.). metathesized unsaturated polyol ester exemplary metathesized unsaturated polyol esters and their starting materials are set forth in u.s. patent applications u.s. 2009/0220443 a1, u.s. 2013/0344012 a1 and us 2014/0357714 a1, which are incorporated herein by reference. a metathesized unsaturated polyol ester refers to the product obtained when one or more unsaturated polyol ester ingredient(s) are subjected to a metathesis reaction. metathesis is a catalytic reaction that involves the interchange of alkylidene units among compounds containing one or more double bonds (i.e., olefinic compounds) via the formation and cleavage of the carbon-carbon double bonds. metathesis may occur between two of the same molecules (often referred to as self-metathesis) and/or it may occur between two different molecules (often referred to as cross-metathesis). self-metathesis may be represented schematically as shown in equation i. r 1 —ch═ch—r 2 +r 1 —ch═ch—r 2 r 1 —ch═ch—r 1 +r 2 —ch═ch—r 2 (i) where r 1 and r 2 are organic groups. r 1 —ch═ch—r 2 +r 3 —ch═ch—r 4 r 1 —ch═ch—r 3 +r 1 —ch═ch—r 4 +r 2 —ch═ch—r 3 +r 2 —ch═ch—r 4 +r 1 —ch═ch—r 1 +r 2 —ch═ch—r 2 +r 3 —ch═ch—r 3 +r 4 —ch═ch—r 4 (ii) cross-metathesis may be represented schematically as shown in equation ii. where r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , and r 4 are organic groups. when a polyol ester comprises molecules having more than one carbon-carbon double bond, self-metathesis may result in oligomerization or polymerization of the unsaturates in the starting material. for example, equation c depicts metathesis oligomerization of a representative species (e.g., a polyol ester) having more than one carbon-carbon double bond. in equation c, the self-metathesis reaction results in the formation of metathesis dimers, metathesis trimers, and metathesis tetramers. although not shown, higher order oligomers such as metathesis pentamers, hexamers, heptamers, octamers, nonamers, decamers, and higher than decamers, and mixtures of two or more thereof, may also be formed. the number of metathesis repeating units or groups in the metathesized natural oil may range from 1 to about 100, or from 2 to about 50, or from 2 to about 30, or from 2 to about 10, or from 2 to about 4. the molecular weight of the metathesis dimer may be greater than the molecular weight of the unsaturated polyol ester from which the dimer is formed. each of the bonded polyol ester molecules may be referred to as a “repeating unit or group.” typically, a metathesis trimer may be formed by the cross-metathesis of a metathesis dimer with an unsaturated polyol ester. typically, a metathesis tetramer may be formed by the cross-metathesis of a metathesis trimer with an unsaturated polyol ester or formed by the cross-metathesis of two metathesis dimers. r 1 —hc═ch—r 2 —hc═ch—r 3 +r 1 —hc═ch—r 2 —hc═ch—r 3 r 1 —hc═ch—r 2 —hc═ch—r 2 —hc═ch—r 3 +(other products) (metathesis dimer) r 1 —r 2 —hc═ch—r 2 —hc═ch—r 3 +r 1 —hc═ch—r 2 —hc═ch—r 3 r 1 —hc═ch—r 2 —hc═ch—r 2 —hc═ch—r 2 —hc═ch—r 3 +(other products) (metathesis trimer) r 1 —hc═ch—r 2 —hc═ch—r 2 —hc═ch—r 2 —hc═ch—r 3 +r 1 —hc═ch—r 2 hc═ch—r 3 r 1 —hc═ch—r 2 —hc═ch—r 2 —hc═ch—r 2 —hc═ch—r 2 —hc═ch—r 3 +(other products) (metathsis tetramer) equation c where r 1 , r 2 , and r 3 are organic groups. as a starting material, metathesized unsaturated polyol esters are prepared from one or more unsaturated polyol esters. as used herein, the term “unsaturated polyol ester” refers to a compound having two or more hydroxyl groups wherein at least one of the hydroxyl groups is in the form of an ester and wherein the ester has an organic group including at least one carbon-carbon double bond. in many embodiments, the unsaturated polyol ester can be represented by the general structure (i): where n≥1; m°0; p≥0; (n+m+p)≥2; r is an organic group; r′ is an organic group having at least one carbon-carbon double bond; and r″ is a saturated organic group. in many embodiments of the invention, the unsaturated polyol ester is an unsaturated polyol ester of glycerol. unsaturated polyol esters of glycerol have the general structure (ii): where —x, —y, and —z are independently selected from the group consisting of: —oh; —(o—c(═o)—r′); and —(o—c(═o)—r″); where —r′ is an organic group having at least one carbon-carbon double bond and —r″ is a saturated organic group. in structure (ii), at least one of —x, —y, and —z is —(o—c(═o)—r′). in some embodiments, r′ is a straight or branched chain hydrocarbon having about 50 or less carbon atoms (e.g., about 36 or less carbon atoms or about 26 or less carbon atoms) and at least one carbon-carbon double bond in its chain. in some embodiments, r′ is a straight or branched chain hydrocarbon having about 6 carbon atoms or greater (e.g., about 10 carbon atoms or greater or about 12 carbon atoms or greater) and at least one carbon-carbon double bond in its chain. in some embodiments, r′ may have two or more carbon-carbon double bonds in its chain. in other embodiments, r′ may have three or more double bonds in its chain. in exemplary embodiments, r′ has 17 carbon atoms and 1 to 3 carbon-carbon double bonds in its chain. representative examples of r′ include: —(ch 2 ) 7 ch═ch—(ch 2 ) 7 —ch 3 ; —(ch 2 ) 7 ch═ch—ch 2 —ch═ch—(ch 2 ) 4 —ch 3 ; and —(ch 2 ) 7 ch═ch—ch 2 —ch═—ch 2 —ch═ch—ch—ch 2 ch 3 . in some embodiments, r″ is a saturated straight or branched chain hydrocarbon having about 50 or less carbon atoms (e.g., about 36 or less carbon atoms or about 26 or less carbon atoms). in some embodiments, r″ is a saturated straight or branched chain hydrocarbon having about 6 carbon atoms or greater (e.g., about 10 carbon atoms or greater or about 12 carbon atoms or greater. in exemplary embodiments, r″ has 15 carbon atoms or 17 carbon atoms. sources of unsaturated polyol esters of glycerol include synthesized oils, natural oils (e.g., vegetable oils, algae oils, bacterial derived oils, and animal fats), combinations of these, and the like. recycled used vegetable oils may also be used. representative non-limiting examples of vegetable oils include abyssinian oil, almond oil, apricot oil, apricot kernel oil, argan oil, avocado oil, babassu oil, baobab oil, black cumin oil, black currant oil, borage oil, camelina oil, carinata oil, canola oil, castor oil, cherry kernel oil, coconut oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, echium oil, evening primrose oil, flax seed oil, grape seed oil, grapefruit seed oil, hazelnut oil, hemp seed oil, jatropha oil, jojoba oil, kukui nut oil, linseed oil, macadamia nut oil, meadowfoam seed oil, moringa oil, neem oil, olive oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, peach kernel oil, peanut oil, pecan oil, pennycress oil, perilla seed oil, pistachio oil, pomegranate seed oil, pongamia oil, pumpkin seed oil, raspberry oil, red palm olein, rice bran oil, rosehip oil, safflower oil, seabuckthorn fruit oil, sesame seed oil, shea olein, sunflower oil, soybean oil, tonka bean oil, tung oil, walnut oil, wheat germ oil, high oleoyl soybean oil, high oleoyl sunflower oil, high oleoyl safflower oil, high erucic acid rapeseed oil, combinations of these, and the like. representative non-limiting examples of animal fats include lard, tallow, chicken fat, yellow grease, fish oil, emu oil, combinations of these, and the like. a representative non-limiting example of a synthesized oil includes tall oil, which is a byproduct of wood pulp manufacture. in some embodiments, the natural oil is refined, bleached, and/or deodorized. other examples of unsaturated polyol esters include esters such as those derived from ethylene glycol or propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, or poly(tetramethylene ether) glycol, esters such as those derived from pentaerythritol, dipentaerythritol, tripentaerythritol, trimethylolpropane, or neopentyl glycol, or sugar esters such as sefose®. sugar esters such as sefose® include one or more types of sucrose polyesters, with up to eight ester groups that could undergo a metathesis exchange reaction. sucrose polyesters are derived from a natural resource and therefore, the use of sucrose polyesters can result in a positive environmental impact. sucrose polyesters are polyester materials, having multiple substitution positions around the sucrose backbone coupled with the chain length, saturation, and derivation variables of the fatty chains. such sucrose polyesters can have an esterification (“ibar”) of greater than about 5. in one embodiment the sucrose polyester may have an ibar of from about 5 to about 8. in another embodiment the sucrose polyester has an ibar of about 5-7, and in another embodiment the sucrose polyester has an ibar of about 6. in yet another embodiment the sucrose polyester has an ibar of about 8. as sucrose polyesters are derived from a natural resource, a distribution in the ibar and chain length may exist. for example, a sucrose polyester having an ibar of 6, may contain a mixture of mostly ibar of about 6, with some ibar of about 5 and some ibar of about 7. additionally, such sucrose polyesters may have a saturation or iodine value (“iv”) of about 3 to about 140. in another embodiment the sucrose polyester may have an iv of about 10 to about 120. in yet another embodiment the sucrose polyester may have an iv of about 20 to 100. further, such sucrose polyesters have a chain length of about c 12 to c 20 but are not limited to these chain lengths. non-limiting examples of sucrose polyesters suitable for use include sefose® 1618s, sefose® 1618u, sefose® 1618h, sefa soyate imf 40, sefa soyate lp426, sefose® 2275, sefose® c1695, sefose® c18:0 95, sefose® c1495, sefose® 1618h b6, sefose® 1618s b6, sefose® 1618u b6, sefa cottonate, sefose® c1295, sefa c895, sefa c1095, sefose® 1618s b4.5, all available from the procter & gamble company of cincinnati, ohio. other examples of suitable polyol esters may include but not be limited to sorbitol esters, maltitol esters, sorbitan esters, maltodextrin derived esters, xylitol esters, polyglycerol esters, and other sugar derived esters. natural oils of the type described herein typically are composed of triglycerides of fatty acids. these fatty acids may be either saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated and contain varying chain lengths ranging from c 8 to c 30 . the most common fatty acids include saturated fatty acids such as lauric acid (dodecanoic acid), myristic acid (tetradecanoic acid), palmitic acid (hexadecanoic acid), stearic acid (octadecanoic acid), arachidic acid (eicosanoic acid), and lignoceric acid (tetracosanoic acid); unsaturated acids include such fatty acids as palmitoleic (a c 16 acid), and oleic acid (a c 18 acid); polyunsaturated acids include such fatty acids as linoleic acid (a di-unsaturated c 18 acid), linolenic acid (a tri-unsaturated c 18 acid), and arachidonic acid (a tetra-unsubstituted c 20 acid). the natural oils are further comprised of esters of these fatty acids in random placement onto the three sites of the trifunctional glycerine molecule. different natural oils will have different ratios of these fatty acids, and within a given natural oil there is a range of these acids as well depending on such factors as where a vegetable or crop is grown, maturity of the vegetable or crop, the weather during the growing season, etc. thus, it is difficult to have a specific or unique structure for any given natural oil, but rather a structure is typically based on some statistical average. for example, soybean oil contains a mixture of stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid in the ratio of 15:24:50:11, and an average number of double bonds of 4.4-4.7 per triglyceride. one method of quantifying the number of double bonds is the iodine value (iv) which is defined as the number of grams of iodine that will react with 100 grams of oil. therefore, for soybean oil, the average iodine value range is from 120-140. soybean oil may comprise about 95% by weight or greater (e.g., 99% weight or greater) triglycerides of fatty acids. major fatty acids in the polyol esters of soybean oil include saturated fatty acids, as a non-limiting example, palmitic acid (hexadecanoic acid) and stearic acid (octadecanoic acid), and unsaturated fatty acids, as a non-limiting example, oleic acid (9-octadecenoic acid), linoleic acid (9,12octadecadienoic acid), and linolenic acid (9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid). in an exemplary embodiment, the vegetable oil is canola oil, for example, refined, bleached, and deodorized canola oil (i.e., rbd canola oil). canola oil is an unsaturated polyol ester of glycerol that typically comprises about 95% weight or greater (e.g., 99% weight or greater) triglycerides of fatty acids. major fatty acids in the polyol esters of canola oil include saturated fatty acids, for example, palmitic acid (hexadecanoic acid) and stearic acid (octadecanoic acid), and unsaturated fatty acids, for example, oleic acid (9-octadecenoic acid), linoleic acid (9,12-octadecadienoic acid), and linolenic acid (9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid). canola oil is a highly unsaturated vegetable oil with many of the triglyceride molecules having at least two unsaturated fatty acids (i.e., a polyunsaturated triglyceride). in exemplary embodiments, an unsaturated polyol ester is self-metathesized in the presence of a metathesis catalyst to form a metathesized composition. typically, after metathesis has occurred, the metathesis catalyst is removed from the resulting product. one method of removing the catalyst is treatment of the metathesized product with clay. in many embodiments, the metathesized composition comprises one or more of: metathesis monomers, metathesis dimers, metathesis trimers, metathesis tetramers, metathesis pentamers, and higher order metathesis oligomers (e.g., metathesis hexamers). a metathesis dimer refers to a compound formed when two unsaturated polyol ester molecules are covalently bonded to one another by a self-metathesis reaction. in many embodiments, the molecular weight of the metathesis dimer is greater than the molecular weight of the individual unsaturated polyol ester molecules from which the dimer is formed. a metathesis trimer refers to a compound formed when three unsaturated polyol ester molecules are covalently bonded together by metathesis reactions. in many embodiments, a metathesis trimer is formed by the cross-metathesis of a metathesis dimer with an unsaturated polyol ester. a metathesis tetramer refers to a compound formed when four unsaturated polyol ester molecules are covalently bonded together by metathesis reactions. in many embodiments, a metathesis tetramer is formed by the cross-metathesis of a metathesis trimer with an unsaturated polyol ester. metathesis tetramers may also be formed, for example, by the cross-metathesis of two metathesis dimers. higher order metathesis products may also be formed. for example, metathesis pentamers and metathesis hexamers may also be formed. the self-metathesis reaction also results in the formation of internal olefin compounds that may be linear or cyclic. if the metathesized polyol ester is fully or partially hydrogenated, the linear and cyclic olefins would typically be fully or partially converted to the corresponding saturated linear and cyclic hydrocarbons. the linear/cyclic olefins and saturated linear/cyclic hydrocarbons may remain in the metathesized polyol ester or they may be removed or partially removed from the metathesized polyol ester using one or more known stripping techniques, including but not limited to wipe film evaporation, falling film evaporation, rotary evaporation, steam stripping, vacuum distillation, etc. in some embodiments, the unsaturated polyol ester is partially hydrogenated before being metathesized. for example, in some embodiments, the unsaturated polyol ester is partially hydrogenated to achieve an iodine value (iv) of about 120 or less before subjecting the partially hydrogenated polyol ester to metathesis. in some embodiments, the unsaturated polyol ester may be hydrogenated (e.g., fully or partially hydrogenated) in order to improve the stability of the oil or to modify its viscosity or other properties. representative techniques for hydrogenating unsaturated polyol esters are known in the art and are discussed herein. in some embodiments, the natural oil is winterized. winterization refers to the process of: (1) removing waxes and other non-triglyceride constituents, (2) removing naturally occurring high-melting triglycerides, and (3) removing high-melting triglycerides formed during partial hydrogenation. winterization may be accomplished by known methods including, for example, cooling the oil at a controlled rate in order to cause crystallization of the higher melting components that are to be removed from the oil. the crystallized high melting components are then removed from the oil by filtration resulting in winterized oil. winterized soybean oil is commercially available from cargill, incorporated (minneapolis, minn.). in other embodiments, the metathesized unsaturated polyol esters can be used as a blend with one or more fabric care benefit agents and/or fabric softening actives. method of making metathesized unsaturated polyol ester the self-metathesis of unsaturated polyol esters is typically conducted in the presence of a catalytically effective amount of a metathesis catalyst. the term “metathesis catalyst” includes any catalyst or catalyst system that catalyzes a metathesis reaction. any known or future-developed metathesis catalyst may be used, alone or in combination with one or more additional catalysts. suitable homogeneous metathesis catalysts include combinations of a transition metal halide or oxo-halide (e.g., wocl 4 or wcl 6 ) with an alkylating cocatalyst (e.g., me 4 sn), or alkylidene (or carbene) complexes of transition metals, particularly ru or w. these include first and second-generation grubbs catalysts, grubbs-hoveyda catalysts, and the like. suitable alkylidene catalysts have the general structure: m[x 1 x 2 l 1 l 2 (l 3 ) n ]═c m ═c(r 1 )r 2 where m is a group 8 transition metal, l 1 , l 2 , and l 3 are neutral electron donor ligands, n is 0 (such that l 3 may not be present) or 1, m is 0, 1, or 2, x 1 and x 2 are anionic ligands, and r 1 and r 2 are independently selected from h, hydrocarbyl, substituted hydrocarbyl, heteroatom-containing hydrocarbyl, substituted heteroatom-containing hydrocarbyl, and functional groups. any two or more of x 1 , x 2 , l 1 , l 2 , l 3 , r 1 and r 2 can form a cyclic group and any one of those groups can be attached to a support. first-generation grubbs catalysts fall into this category where m=n=0 and particular selections are made for n, x 1 , x 2 , l 1 , l 2 , l 3 , r 1 and r 2 as described in u.s. pat. appl. publ. no. 2010/0145086, the teachings of which related to all metathesis catalysts are incorporated herein by reference. second-generation grubbs catalysts also have the general formula described above, but l 1 is a carbene ligand where the carbene carbon is flanked by n, o, s, or p atoms, preferably by two n atoms. usually, the carbene ligand is part of a cyclic group. examples of suitable second-generation grubbs catalysts also appear in the '086 publication. in another class of suitable alkylidene catalysts, l 1 is a strongly coordinating neutral electron donor as in first- and second-generation grubbs catalysts, and l 2 and l 3 are weakly coordinating neutral electron donor ligands in the form of optionally substituted heterocyclic groups. thus, l 2 and l 3 are pyridine, pyrimidine, pyrrole, quinoline, thiophene, or the like. in yet another class of suitable alkylidene catalysts, a pair of substituents is used to form a bi- or tridentate ligand, such as a biphosphine, dialkoxide, or alkyldiketonate. grubbs-hoveyda catalysts are a subset of this type of catalyst in which l 2 and r 2 are linked. typically, a neutral oxygen or nitrogen coordinates to the metal while also being bonded to a carbon that is α-, β-, or γ- with respect to the carbene carbon to provide the bidentate ligand. examples of suitable grubbs-hoveyda catalysts appear in the '086 publication. the structures below provide just a few illustrations of suitable catalysts that may be used: an immobilized catalyst can be used for the metathesis process. an immobilized catalyst is a system comprising a catalyst and a support, the catalyst associated with the support. exemplary associations between the catalyst and the support may occur by way of chemical bonds or weak interactions (e.g. hydrogen bonds, donor acceptor interactions) between the catalyst, or any portions thereof, and the support or any portions thereof. support is intended to include any material suitable to support the catalyst. typically, immobilized catalysts are solid phase catalysts that act on liquid or gas phase reactants and products. exemplary supports are polymers, silica or alumina. such an immobilized catalyst may be used in a flow process. an immobilized catalyst can simplify purification of products and recovery of the catalyst so that recycling the catalyst may be more convenient. in certain embodiments, prior to the metathesis reaction, the unsaturated polyol ester feedstock may be treated to render the natural oil more suitable for the subsequent metathesis reaction. in one embodiment, the treatment of the unsaturated polyol ester involves the removal of catalyst poisons, such as peroxides, which may potentially diminish the activity of the metathesis catalyst. non-limiting examples of unsaturated polyol ester feedstock treatment methods to diminish catalyst poisons include those described in pct/us2008/09604; pct/us2008/09635; and u.s. patent application ser. nos. 12/672,651 and 12/672,652, herein incorporated by reference in their entireties. in certain embodiments, the unsaturated polyol ester feedstock is thermally treated by heating the feedstock to a temperature greater than 100° c. in the absence of oxygen and held at the temperature for a time sufficient to diminish catalyst poisons in the feedstock. in other embodiments, the temperature is between approximately 100° c. and 300° c., between approximately 120° c. and 250° c., between approximately 150° c. and 210° c., or approximately between 190 and 200° c. in one embodiment, the absence of oxygen is achieved by sparging the unsaturated polyol ester feedstock with nitrogen, wherein the nitrogen gas is pumped into the feedstock treatment vessel at a pressure of approximately 10 atm (150 psig). in certain embodiments, the unsaturated polyol ester feedstock is chemically treated under conditions sufficient to diminish the catalyst poisons in the feedstock through a chemical reaction of the catalyst poisons. in certain embodiments, the feedstock is treated with a reducing agent or a cation-inorganic base composition. non-limiting examples of reducing agents include bisulfate, borohydride, phosphine, thiosulfate, and combinations thereof. in certain embodiments, the unsaturated polyol ester feedstock is treated with an adsorbent to remove catalyst poisons. in one embodiment, the feedstock is treated with a combination of thermal and adsorbent methods. in another embodiment, the feedstock is treated with a combination of chemical and adsorbent methods. in another embodiment, the treatment involves a partial hydrogenation treatment to modify the unsaturated polyol ester feedstock's reactivity with the metathesis catalyst. additional non-limiting examples of feedstock treatment are also described below when discussing the various metathesis catalysts. in certain embodiments, a ligand may be added to the metathesis reaction mixture. in many embodiments using a ligand, the ligand is selected to be a molecule that stabilizes the catalyst, and may thus provide an increased turnover number for the catalyst. in some cases the ligand can alter reaction selectivity and product distribution. examples of ligands that can be used include lewis base ligands, such as, without limitation, trialkylphosphines, for example tricyclohexylphosphine and tributyl phosphine; triarylphosphines, such as triphenylphosphine; diarylalkylphosphines, such as, diphenylcyclohexylphosphine; pyridines, such as 2,6-dimethylpyridine, 2,4,6-trimethylpyridine; as well as other lewis basic ligands, such as phosphine oxides and phosphinites. additives may also be present during metathesis that increase catalyst lifetime. any useful amount of the selected metathesis catalyst can be used in the process. for example, the molar ratio of the unsaturated polyol ester to catalyst may range from about 5:1 to about 10,000,000:1 or from about 50:1 to 500,000:1. in some embodiments, an amount of about 1 to about 10 ppm, or about 2 ppm to about 5 ppm, of the metathesis catalyst per double bond of the starting composition (i.e., on a mole/mole basis) is used. in some embodiments, the metathesis reaction is catalyzed by a system containing both a transition and a non-transition metal component. the most active and largest number of catalyst systems are derived from group vi a transition metals, for example, tungsten and molybdenum. multiple, sequential metathesis reaction steps may be employed. for example, the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester product may be made by reacting an unsaturated polyol ester in the presence of a metathesis catalyst to form a first metathesized unsaturated polyol ester product. the first metathesized unsaturated polyol ester product may then be reacted in a self-metathesis reaction to form another metathesized unsaturated polyol ester product. alternatively, the first metathesized unsaturated polyol ester product may be reacted in a cross-metathesis reaction with a unsaturated polyol ester to form another metathesized unsaturated polyol ester product. also in the alternative, the transesterified products, the olefins and/or esters may be further metathesized in the presence of a metathesis catalyst. such multiple and/or sequential metathesis reactions can be performed as many times as needed, and at least one or more times, depending on the processing/compositional requirements as understood by a person skilled in the art. as used herein, a “metathesized unsaturated polyol ester product” may include products that have been once metathesized and/or multiply metathesized. these procedures may be used to form metathesis dimers, metathesis trimers, metathesis tetramers, metathesis pentamers, and higher order metathesis oligomers (e.g., metathesis hexamers, metathesis heptamers, metathesis octamers, metathesis nonamers, metathesis decamers, and higher than metathesis decamers). these procedures can be repeated as many times as desired (for example, from 2 to about 50 times, or from 2 to about 30 times, or from 2 to about 10 times, or from 2 to about 5 times, or from 2 to about 4 times, or 2 or 3 times) to provide the desired metathesis oligomer or polymer which may comprise, for example, from 2 to about 100 bonded groups, or from 2 to about 50, or from 2 to about 30, or from 2 to about 10, or from 2 to about 8, or from 2 to about 6 bonded groups, or from 2 to about 4 bonded groups, or from 2 to about 3 bonded groups. in certain embodiments, it may be desirable to use the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester products produced by cross metathesis of an unsaturated polyol ester, or blend of unsaturated polyol esters, with a c2-c100 olefin, as the reactant in a self-metathesis reaction to produce another metathesized unsaturated polyol ester product. alternatively, metathesized products produced by cross metathesis of an unsaturated polyol ester, or blend of unsaturated polyol esters, with a c2-c100 olefin can be combined with an unsaturated polyol ester, or blend of unsaturated polyol esters, and further metathesized to produce another metathesized unsaturated polyol ester product. the metathesis process can be conducted under any conditions adequate to produce the desired metathesis products. for example, stoichiometry, atmosphere, solvent, temperature, and pressure can be selected by one skilled in the art to produce a desired product and to minimize undesirable byproducts. the metathesis process may be conducted under an inert atmosphere. similarly, if a reagent is supplied as a gas, an inert gaseous diluent can be used. the inert atmosphere or inert gaseous diluent typically is an inert gas, meaning that the gas does not interact with the metathesis catalyst to substantially impede catalysis. for example, particular inert gases are selected from the group consisting of helium, neon, argon, nitrogen, individually or in combinations thereof. in certain embodiments, the metathesis catalyst is dissolved in a solvent prior to conducting the metathesis reaction. in certain embodiments, the solvent chosen may be selected to be substantially inert with respect to the metathesis catalyst. for example, substantially inert solvents include, without limitation, aromatic hydrocarbons, such as benzene, toluene, xylenes, etc.; halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons, such as chlorobenzene and dichlorobenzene; aliphatic solvents, including pentane, hexane, heptane, cyclohexane, etc.; and chlorinated alkanes, such as dichloromethane, chloroform, dichloroethane, etc. in one particular embodiment, the solvent comprises toluene. the metathesis reaction temperature may be a rate-controlling variable where the temperature is selected to provide a desired product at an acceptable rate. in certain embodiments, the metathesis reaction temperature is greater than about −40° c., greater than about −20° c., greater than about 0° c., or greater than about 10° c. in certain embodiments, the metathesis reaction temperature is less than about 150° c., or less than about 120° c. in one embodiment, the metathesis reaction temperature is between about 10° c. and about 120° c. the metathesis reaction can be run under any desired pressure. typically, it will be desirable to maintain a total pressure that is high enough to keep the cross-metathesis reagent in solution. therefore, as the molecular weight of the cross-metathesis reagent increases, the lower pressure range typically decreases since the boiling point of the cross-metathesis reagent increases. the total pressure may be selected to be greater than about 0.1 atm (10 kpa), in some embodiments greater than about 0.3 atm (30 kpa), or greater than about 1 atm (100 kpa). typically, the reaction pressure is no more than about 70 atm (7000 kpa), in some embodiments no more than about 30 atm (3000 kpa). a non-limiting exemplary pressure range for the metathesis reaction is from about 1 atm (100 kpa) to about 30 atm (3000 kpa). in certain embodiments, it may be desirable to run the metathesis reactions under an atmosphere of reduced pressure. conditions of reduced pressure or vacuum may be used to remove olefins as they are generated in a metathesis reaction, thereby driving the metathesis equilibrium towards the formation of less volatile products. in the case of a self-metathesis of a natural oil, reduced pressure can be used to remove c 12 or lighter olefins including, but not limited to, hexene, nonene, and dodecene, as well as byproducts including, but not limited to cyclohexa-diene and benzene as the metathesis reaction proceeds. the removal of these species can be used as a means to drive the reaction towards the formation of diester groups and cross linked triglycerides. hydrogenation: in some embodiments, the unsaturated polyol ester is partially hydrogenated before it is subjected to the metathesis reaction. partial hydrogenation of the unsaturated polyol ester reduces the number of double bonds that are available for in the subsequent metathesis reaction. in some embodiments, the unsaturated polyol ester is metathesized to form a metathesized unsaturated polyol ester, and the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester is then hydrogenated (e.g., partially or fully hydrogenated) to form a hydrogenated metathesized unsaturated polyol ester. hydrogenation may be conducted according to any known method for hydrogenating double bond-containing compounds such as vegetable oils. in some embodiments, the unsaturated polyol ester or metathesized unsaturated polyol ester is hydrogenated in the presence of a nickel catalyst that has been chemically reduced with hydrogen to an active state. commercial examples of supported nickel hydrogenation catalysts include those available under the trade designations “nysofact”, “nysosel”, and “ni 5248 d” (from englehard corporation, iselin, n.h.). additional supported nickel hydrogenation catalysts include those commercially available under the trade designations “pricat 9910”, “pricat 9920”, “pricat 9908”, “pricat 9936” (from johnson matthey catalysts, ward hill, mass.). in some embodiments, the hydrogenation catalyst comprising, for example, nickel, copper, palladium, platinum, molybdenum, iron, ruthenium, osmium, rhodium, or iridium. combinations of metals may also be used. useful catalyst may be heterogeneous or homogeneous. in some embodiments, the catalysts are supported nickel or sponge nickel type catalysts. in some embodiments, the hydrogenation catalyst comprises nickel that has been chemically reduced with hydrogen to an active state (i.e., reduced nickel) provided on a support. in some embodiments, the support comprises porous silica (e.g., kieselguhr, infusorial, diatomaceous, or siliceous earth) or alumina. the catalysts are characterized by a high nickel surface area per gram of nickel. in some embodiments, the particles of supported nickel catalyst are dispersed in a protective medium comprising hardened triacylglyceride, edible oil, or tallow. in an exemplary embodiment, the supported nickel catalyst is dispersed in the protective medium at a level of about 22 wt. % nickel. hydrogenation may be carried out in a batch or in a continuous process and may be partial hydrogenation or complete hydrogenation. in a representative batch process, a vacuum is pulled on the headspace of a stirred reaction vessel and the reaction vessel is charged with the material to be hydrogenated (e.g., rbd soybean oil or metathesized rbd soybean oil). the material is then heated to a desired temperature. typically, the temperature ranges from about 50 deg. c. to 350 deg. c., for example, about 100 deg. c. to 300 deg. c. or about 150 deg. c. to 250 deg. c. the desired temperature may vary, for example, with hydrogen gas pressure. typically, a higher gas pressure will require a lower temperature. in a separate container, the hydrogenation catalyst is weighed into a mixing vessel and is slurried in a small amount of the material to be hydrogenated (e.g., rbd soybean oil or metathesized rbd soybean oil). when the material to be hydrogenated reaches the desired temperature, the slurry of hydrogenation catalyst is added to the reaction vessel. hydrogen gas is then pumped into the reaction vessel to achieve a desired pressure of h2 gas. typically, the h2 gas pressure ranges from about 15 to 3000 psig, for example, about 15 psig to 90 psig. as the gas pressure increases, more specialized high-pressure processing equipment may be required. under these conditions the hydrogenation reaction begins and the temperature is allowed to increase to the desired hydrogenation temperature (e.g., about 120 deg. c. to 200 deg. c.) where it is maintained by cooling the reaction mass, for example, with cooling coils. when the desired degree of hydrogenation is reached, the reaction mass is cooled to the desired filtration temperature. the amount of hydrogenation catalysts is typically selected in view of a number of factors including, for example, the type of hydrogenation catalyst used, the amount of hydrogenation catalyst used, the degree of unsaturation in the material to be hydrogenated, the desired rate of hydrogenation, the desired degree of hydrogenation (e.g., as measure by iodine value (iv)), the purity of the reagent, and the h2 gas pressure. in some embodiments, the hydrogenation catalyst is used in an amount of about 10 wt. % or less, for example, about 5 wt. % or less or about 1 wt. % or less. after hydrogenation, the hydrogenation catalyst may be removed from the hydrogenated product using known techniques, for example, by filtration. in some embodiments, the hydrogenation catalyst is removed using a plate and frame filter such as those commercially available from sparkler filters, inc., conroe tex. in some embodiments, the filtration is performed with the assistance of pressure or a vacuum. in order to improve filtering performance, a filter aid may be used. a filter aid may be added to the metathesized product directly or it may be applied to the filter. representative examples of filtering aids include diatomaceous earth, silica, alumina, and carbon. typically, the filtering aid is used in an amount of about 10 wt. % or less, for example, about 5 wt. % or less or about 1 wt. % or less. other filtering techniques and filtering aids may also be employed to remove the used hydrogenation catalyst. in other embodiments the hydrogenation catalyst is removed using centrifugation followed by decantation of the product. lubricating material: water soluble polymer according to the present invention, the lubricating member may comprise a lubricating material comprising from about 1% to about 99% by weight of water soluble polymer, preferably at least about 15%, more preferably at least about 20%, most preferably at least about 25%, and up to about 70%, preferably up to about 60% by weight of the lubricating member. the term water soluble polymer does not include the silicone polyether block copolymer as defined hereinafter. examples of suitable water soluble polymers include polyethylene oxide, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyacrylamide, polyhydroxymethacrylate, polyvinyl imidazoline, polyethylene glycol, polyvinyl alcohol, polyhydroxyethymethacrylate, copolymers of polyethylene oxide (peo) and polypropylene oxide (ppo), guars, celluloses, modified celluloses and mixtures thereof. in some embodiments, said water soluble polymer is selected from high and or low molecular weight polyethylene oxides referred to in the industry as polyethylene oxide and polyethylene glycol respectively. preferably the water soluble polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene oxide, polyethylene glycol, copolymers of polyethylene oxide and polypropylene oxide and mixtures thereof. the preferred water soluble polymers are the polyethylene oxides generally known as polyox (available from union carbide corporation) or alkox (available from meisei chemical works, kyoto, japan). the water soluble polymer, (especially these polyethylene oxides), may have average molecular weights of at least about 20,000, preferably at least about 50,000, more preferably at least about 100,000 or from about 100,000 to about 8 million, preferably about 300,000 to about 8 million, more preferably from about 1 million to about 5 million, even more preferably about 2 to 3 million. a particularly preferred polyethylene oxide comprises a blend of about 40% to 80% of polyethylene oxide having an average molecular weight of about 5 million (e.g. polyox coagulant) and about 60% to 20% of polyethylene oxide having an average molecular weight of about 300,000 (e.g. polyox wsr-n-750). the polyethylene oxide blend may also advantageously contain up to about 10% (for example about 5%) by weight of a low molecular weight (i.e. mw<10,000) polyethylene glycol such as peg-100. suitable peo/ppo copolymers may have an average molecular weight of at least 5,000, preferably in the range of from 10,000 to 20,000, more preferably from 11,000 to 15,000, even more preferably from 12,000 to 13,000 and even more preferably still from 12,250 to 12,750. without wishing to be bound by theory, the inclusion of a peo/ppo copolymer of sufficient molecular weight is thought to further improve the lubrication properties of the lubricating member in aqueous conditions, especially in combination with a further water soluble polymer (particularly polyethylene oxide), and thus prevent an undesirable feeling in use. the peo/ppo copolymer may advantageously be a block copolymer, preferably a tri-block copolymer having the sequence: peo-ppo-peo, the later commercially available under tradenames such as pluracare from basf and pluronic from sigma-aldrich. the peo/ppo copolymer may have a weight ratio of peo to ppo (i.e. of ethylene oxide repeat units to propylene oxide repeat units), of from 1000:1 to 1:1000 or from 100:1 to 1:100. the peo/ppo copolymer is typically present at an amount of from 0.01% to 50%, preferably from 0.01% to 50%, more preferably from 2% to 40%, even more preferably from 3% to 25%, even more preferably still from 4% to 20% and most preferably from 5% to 10% by weight of the lubricating material or by weight of the lubricating member. the lubricating member and or water soluble polymer preferably comprises less than 5%, preferably less than 1% by weight and more preferably is/are substantially free of lathering soaps (i.e. salts of fatty c4 to c30 acids) and lathering surfactants. a lathering surfactant is defined as a surfactant which when combined with water and mechanically agitated, generate a foam or lather. lathering surfactants include anionic and amphoteric lathering surfactants and mixtures thereof. anionic lathering surfactants include sarcosinates, sulfates, sulfonate, isethionate, taurates, phosphates, lactylates, glutamates, alkali metal salts of fatty acids (i.e. soaps) having from 8 to 24 carbons, and mixtures thereof. lubricating material: silicone polyether copolymer according to the invention, the lubricating material may comprise from about 0.1% to about 70%, preferably from about 1% to about 20%, more preferably from about 1% to 15%, even more preferably from about 1% to about 5% or alternatively from about 40% to about 60%, more preferably from about 45% to about 55%, or alternatively from about 10% to about 60%, preferably from about 20% to about 40% by weight of a silicone polyether copolymer or mixtures thereof. the silicone polyether copolymer comprises from about 1% to 50%, by weight of polyethylene oxide, from about 20% to about 90% by weight of polypropylene oxide and from about 1% to about 20% by weight of silicone. preferably the silicone polyether copolymer comprises at least about 40%, more preferably at least about 50%, most preferably at least about 60% by weight of polypropylene oxide. in addition, the silicone polyether copolymer preferably comprises at least about 10%, more preferably from at least about 15%, most preferably from about 15% to 30% by weight of polyethylene oxide. furthermore, the silicone polyether block copolymer comprises from 1% to 20%, preferably 10% to 20%, more preferably about 15% by weight of silicone. while silicone polyether block copolymers are known in the art to provide a number of benefits such as foaming, defoaming, wetting, deaeration and lubricity, it has been now been surprisingly found that the selection of silicone block copolymers having from 20% to 90% by weight of polypropylene oxide and from 1% to 50% of polyethylene oxide unexpectedly provide improved lubrication while ensuring the required level of water dispersion and or solubility verses silicone polyether block copolymers having less or no polypropylene oxide and more polyethylene oxide. moreover, the use of such silicone block copolymers provides improved adhesion to the skin verses alternative materials such as copolymers of polyethylene oxide and polypropylene oxide. furthermore, the inclusion of 1% to 20% of silicone by weight of the silicone polyether block copolymer surprisingly provides desirable levels of lubrication despite being present at low levels in the polymer. the copolymers are block copolymers and may preferably have a pendant graft structure. the silicone polyether block copolymer comprises from 1% to 50%, preferably from 10% to 20%, more preferably about 20% by weight of polyethylene oxide. the silicone polyether block copolymer comprises from 20% to 90%, preferably from 40% to 90%, more preferably from 50% to 80%, most preferably about 65% by weight of polypropylene oxide. the silicone polyether block copolymer comprises from 1% to 20%, preferably 10% to 20%, more preferably about 15% by weight of silicone. the silicone polyether block copolymer preferably has a ratio of polyethylene oxide units to polypropylene oxide units of from 3.0 to 0.1, preferably from 2.0 to 0.1, more preferably from 0.6 to 0.25. the silicone polyether block copolymer preferably has a ratio of polyethylene oxide units to polypropylene oxide units to silicone units of from 20:65:15. the silicone polyether copolymer may have a molecular weight of from about 10000 to about 19000, more preferably from about 10000 to 15000. in a preferred embodiment the silicone polyether copolymers suitable for use herein only contain repeating units of silicone, polyethylene oxide and polypropylene oxide. silicone polyether copolymers comprising additional alkyl chains are preferably excluded. suitable silicone polyether copolymers are available from momentive under the silwets trademark products including l7210. preferably the silicone polyether block copolymer is liquid at 25° c., so that it can be provided in a liquid form for spray coating manufacturing methods. the melting point is determined according to astm d5440-93. preferably the silicone polyether block copolymer is sparingly soluble, preferably soluble or more preferably freely soluble in water according to the united states' pharmacopeia (usp) definition in 31/nf 26 vol. 2 general notices, page xvii. according to that definition, sparingly soluble means 30 to 1000 parts of water are needed to dissolve 1 part solute, soluble means that 10 to 30 parts of water are needed to dissolve 1 part solute and freely soluble means than from 1 to 10 parts of water are needed to dissolve 1 part of solute. in one embodiment the lubricating member comprises silicone polyether block copolymer and a water soluble polymer, preferably polyethylene oxide at a weight ratio of from 1:8 to 8:1, preferably from 1:5 to 5:1, more preferably from 1:3 to 3:1 and even more preferably from 1:2 to 2:1. lubricating mmaterial: optional hydrophobic compound according to the invention the lubricating member may further comprise a hydrophobic compound or mixtures thereof. in one embodiment the lubricating member comprises from 1% to 40%, preferably from 5% to 40%, more preferably from about 10% to about 40%, even preferably from about 12% to about 30% by weight of a hydrophobic compound and/or mixtures thereof. suitable hydrophobic compounds include natural oils and/or waxes and/or fats; synthetic waxes or oils; triglycerides; skin active agents, sensates, fragrance oils, silicones and mixtures thereof. the hydrophobic material can provide a number of in use benefits such as lubrication, skin feel and cooling sensation. the hydrophobic compound may comprise skin active agents such as, but not limited to oil soluble vitamins, such as vitamin e derivatives, including vitamin e acetate and tocopherol nicotinate; oil-soluble vitamin a derivatives, such as retinyl palmitate; lanolin; ceramides; sterols and sterol esters; salicylic acid; camphor; eucalyptol; essential oils; peppermint oil, iso e super [(1-(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-octahydro-2,3,8,8-tetramethyl-2-naphthalenyl)ethanone]; and mixtures thereof. in some embodiments, the hydrophobic compound comprises one or more sensates. a large number of coolant compounds of natural or synthetic origin are known. the most well known is peppermint oil. among synthetic coolants, many are derivatives of or are structurally related to menthol, i.e., containing the cyclohexane moiety, and derivatized with functional groups including carboxamide, ketal, ester, ether and alcohol. non-limiting examples include methyl emthylamido oxalate, (under the tradename frescolat x-cool available from symrise), menthyl lactate (such as frescolate ml natural available from symrise), and menthyl pyrrolidone carboxylate also known as menthyl pca (under the tradename questices available from givaudan). hydrophobic compounds may be selected from capric and/or caprylic triglycerides, grape seed oil, olive oil, micro-crystalline wax, shea butter, cocoa butter, lanolin, essential oil, peppermint oil, isohexadecane, petrolatum, silicone polymers including waxes and oils (selected from dimethicones, phenylated silicones and mixtures thereof) and mixtures thereof. optional ingredients: hydrophobic binders the lubricating member may also further comprise a water-insoluble material such as hydrophobic binders. such components may enhance the life of the lubricating material by reducing its tendency to be mechanically eroded. advantageously, the hydrophobic binder is solid at standard temperature and pressure. suitable hydrophobic binders include divalent metal cation stearate, preferably magnesium stearate, calcium stearate, zinc stearate, or mixtures thereof, more preferably magnesium separate; ethyl cellulose; polycaprolactone; polyethylene; polypropylene; polystyrene; butadiene-styrene copolymer (e.g. medium and high impact polystyrene); polyacetal; acrylonitrilebutadiene-styrene copolymer; ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer and blends such as polypropylene/polystyrene blend; and mixtures thereof. preferred water insoluble materials are polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene; butadiene-styrene copolymer including medium and high impact polystyrene, polyacetal, acrylonitrilebutadiene-styrene copolymer, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer and mixtures thereof. the lubricating material may comprise from about 1 to about 50%, preferably from about 10% to about 40% more preferably from about 20% to about 40% by weight of hydrophobic binder. the hydrophobic binder may fall under the definition of hydrophobic compound as used herein and in such a case should be included for purposes of determining the amount by weight of the hydrophobic compound or mixture. in some embodiments, the lubricating material may comprise any other ingredients commonly found in commercially available shaving aid members. the lubricating member may therefore contain other conventional shaving aid ingredients, such as low molecular weight water-soluble release enhancing agents such as polyethylene glycol (mw<10,000, e.g., 1-10% by weight peg-100), water-swellable release enhancing agents such as cross-linked polyacrylics (e.g., 2-7% by weight), colorants, skin feel/care actives such as water soluble cationic polymers, surfactants, soaps (including interrupted soaps), antioxidants, preservatives, emollients, beard softeners, astringents, medicinal agents, plasticizers, additional lubricants, depilatories/keratolytic materials, tackifiers, skin-soothing agents, fragrances, compatibilisers, anti-inflammatory agents, antipruritic/counterirritant materials etc and mixture thereof. these ingredients may fall under the definition of hydrophobic compounds as used herein and should be included as such in determining the amounts of hydrophobic compounds. the lubricating member comprising the combination of water soluble polymer and silicone polyether block copolymer as defined in claim 1 and preferably comprising any optional components present, may have a coefficient of friction as defined according to the method described herein below of 0.0300 or less, preferably of 0.0275 or less, more preferably of 0.0250 or less in order to improve lubrication. method of manufacture/processing the lubricating member may be formed using any method known in the art such as injection molding, pressing, impregnation, spray-coating, calendaring and extrusion. all of the components of the lubricating member can be blended prior to molding or extrusion. for best results, it is preferred that the components are dry. in summary, the method comprises the steps of providing a feed comprising the water soluble polymer and silicone polyether block copolymer, and molding, pressing, impregnating, spray-coating, calendaring and/or extruding said feed to form a solid lubricating member. additional optional steps may be included depending on the process of manufacture which is utilized for example heating said feed to a temperature of from about 120° c. to about 200° c. for example, the blended components may be extruded through a haake system 90, ¾ inch diameter extruder with a barrel pressure of about 1000-2000 psi, a rotor speed of about 10 to 50 rpm, and a temperature of about 150°-185° c. and a die temperature of about 170°-185° c. alternatively, a 1¼ inch single screw extruder may be employed with a processing temperature of 175°-200° c., preferably 185°-190° c., a screw speed of 20 to 50 rpm, preferably 25 to 35 rpm, and an extrusion pressure of 1800 to 5000 psi, preferably 2000 to 3500 psi. the extruded member is air cooled to about 25° c. to injection mold the lubricating member it is preferred to first extrude the powder blend into pellets. this can be done on a 1¼ or 1½ inch single screw extruder at a temperature of 120°-180° c., preferably 140°-150° c., with a screw speed of 20 to 100 rpm, preferably 45 to 70 rpm. the pellets are then molded in either a single material molding or multi-material molding machine, which may be single cavity or multi-cavity, optionally equipped with a hot-runner system. the process temperature can be from 165° to 250° c., preferably from 180° to 225° c. the injection pressure should be sufficient to fill the part completely without flashing. depending on the cavity size, configuration and quantity, the injection pressure can range from 300 to 2500 psi. the cycle time is dependent on the same parameters and can range from 3 to 30 seconds, with the optimum generally being about 6 to 15 seconds. the lubricating member may be manufactured using a hot melt process. in such processes the waxes are melted in a water bath to a temperature of 85° c. stirred until completely melted. the liquid silicone polyether block copolymer is then added and stirred. the temperature is then reduced to about 55° c. when the remaining components are added while stirring. the molten material is then poured into a mold and pressure applied. the member is removed from the mold upon cooling. in another embodiment, the lubricating member may alternatively be provided in the form of a compressed powder. for such embodiments, the lubricating member may be manufactured whereby the water soluble polymer and other solid dry components are provided as particulates and mixed. the particulate material(s) is solid at 25° c. and preferably has a melting point of 30° c. or more. the lubricating member thus may comprise from 10% to 90% by weight of a particulate material(s) of a water soluble polymer or mixtures thereof. the silicone polyether block copolymer is, if necessary, liquefied and then spray coated onto at least a portion of the water soluble polymer particulate and other dry components if present. preferably at least 95%, more preferably at least 98% and even more preferably substantially 100% of the water soluble polymer and preferably any other dry particulate material components present are spray coated with the silicone polyether block copolymer. hydrophobic compounds if present may also be spray coated as a mixture with the silicone polyether block copolymer or in a separate spray coating step. the resulting mixture is then compression compacted to form a tablet. the term compression and/or compression molding or compression compaction as used herein refers to a process by which the bulk density of a particulate or powder is reduced to form a solid tablet by the application of pressure. typically, this is performed without the application of external shear force or heat. preferably the compression compaction is conducted below the melting point of at least one, preferably all the particulate components, preferably at ambient temperature of 25° c. as such the particulates retain their integrity after the compression process and are typically visible by the naked eye after the compression process is completed. in certain embodiments, additional energy sources such as heat may be applied during or post compression to increase inter-particulate bonding and increase the rigidity of the resulting lubricating member but which preferably does not result in any substantial melting of the particulate material. preferably however this method does not require an extrusion or injection molding step or the application of energy sources such as heat. the lubricating member may thus be provided in the form of a compressed powder from particulates. preferably the particulates have an average particle size distribution of from about 50 to 1250 microns and preferably from about 300 to 1250 microns, more preferably about 1000 microns. alternatively, the particulate size is such that 90% of particles pass through a 20 mesh screen; i.e. 90% of particles are less than 841 micron in diameter. the lubricating member is compressed preferably directly into a preform or container with a compression force of typically greater than 1 kn. this may be achieved using any method and equipment known in the art such as a die press. the bulk density of the particulate material prior to compression is typically about 300 to 600 kg/m 3 and increases to about 1000 to 1200 kg/m 3 following compression. bulk density thus may be increased by about 200% to about 400% after the compression. while not bound by theory, it has been found that the use of particulate compression manufacturing, preferably cold particulate compression (i.e. at 25° c. or less) to form the lubricating member enables highly lubricous components to be incorporated therein while not negatively impacting the water solubility and swelling performance of the water soluble polymer. this also allows flexibility in the size of the resulting lubricating member to be used for multiple razor cartridges while enabling the effective delivery of the silicone polymer to the skin of the consumer in use. hair removal head according to some embodiments of the invention, the lubricating member finds particular application for hair removal devices. hair removal devices generally comprise a hair removal head and a handle or grip portion, upon which the hair removal head is mounted. the hair removal device can be manual or power driven and can be used for wet and/or dry application. the hair removal head can include a wide scraping surface such as where the hair removal device is used with a depilatory, or be a razor cartridge or foil where the device is a shaving razor. the hair removal head may be replaceable and/or pivotally connected to a cartridge connecting structure and in turn or independently (e.g. permanently fixed) to a handle. in some embodiments, the cartridge connecting structure includes at least one arm to releasably engage the hair removal head. the hair removal head typically comprises one or more elongated edges usually positioned between a first and second end, said one or more elongated edges comprising a tip extending towards said first end. where the hair removal head is a razor cartridge the one or more elongated edges can include blades. for example, u.s. pat. no. 7,168,173 generally describes a fusion® razor that is commercially available from the gillette company and which includes a razor cartridge with multiple blades. additionally, the razor cartridge may include a guard as well as a skin engaging member. a variety of razor cartridges can be used in accordance with the present invention. non limiting examples of suitable razor cartridges, with and without fins, guards, and/or shave aids, include those marketed by the gillette company under the fusion®, venus® product lines as well as those disclosed in u.s. pat. nos. 7,197,825; 6,449,849; 6,442,839; 6,301,785; 6,298,558; 6,161,288; and u.s. patent publ. 2008/060201. those skilled in the art will understand that the lubricating member can be used with any currently marketed system or disposable razor, including those having 2, 3, 4 or 5 blades. in such a case, the hair removal device is a razor, the hair removal head is a razor cartridge and the one or more elongated edges are blades. another example of a hair removal device is a scraping tool for use with a hair removal composition, i.e. a depilatory. in some embodiments, said at least one lubricating member is located on the portion of the cartridge that contacts skin during the hair removal process, forward and/or aft of the blades. a feature “forward” of the one or more elongated edges, for example, is positioned so that the surface to be treated by the hair removal device encounters the feature before it encounters the elongated edges. a feature “aft” of the elongated edge is positioned so that the surface to be treated by the hair removal device encounters the feature after it encounters the elongated edges. where more than one lubricating member is provided on the hair removal device, they can be the same (identical) or different, in terms of physical shape/structure and/or chemical composition, and one or more of them may comprise the spray coated particulate. in some particular embodiments, a plurality (e.g. 2, a first and second) of lubricating members may be provided on the hair removal head, with the first skin engaging member comprising the same composition or different. these lubricating members may be placed collectively (for example adjacent to one another) ahead of or behind the elongated edges (e.g. blades on a razor cartridge), including side by side, or separately with one ahead of the elongated edges and the other behind. the lubricating member may be free standing utilizing a suitable attachment means such as adhesive or may be contained at least partially within a container. the container typically has a base and at least one side wall extending vertically preferably perpendicular from said base and a skin contacting surface. in a preferred embodiment said container comprises a base and at least 2 side walls, more preferably at least 4 side walls, preferably said walls completely enclosing the base. typically, each pair of walls are substantially parallel and preferably one pair of walls is substantially parallel to the at least two blades. alternatively, the base may be enclosed by a one piece single wall. the container may form any shape including substantially rectangular, or oval. the container typically has a front wall adjacent the blades and a rear wall, preferably substantially parallel thereto and furthest from said blades. the container is preferably further provided with at least one dispensing orifice for dispensing the lubricating member onto the skin during use. in one embodiment the container is provided with a top extending substantially perpendicular from the side wall (s). the container would in such an embodiment typically have a receiving region for receiving the lubricating member. the top may be substantially parallel to the base or it may be at an angle such that the distance of the top from the blade plane increases or decreases as the distance of the container from the blades increases. in one embodiment the height of the top of the container increases in distance from the blade plane as the container distance from the blades increases. in an alternative embodiment the height of the top of the container decreases in distance from the blade plane as the container distance from the blade increases. the orifice may be of any shape and may, for example, have a cross sectional area of from about 0.00324 to about 1.613 cm 2 . small orifices can also be provided with a cross sectional area of from about 0.0324 to about 0.324 cm 2 , or from about 0.0645 to about 0.16135 cm 2 . larger orifices can have cross sectional areas of from about 0.324 to about 1.613 cm 2 , or from about 0.645 to about 1.29 cm 2 . the container may comprise a single orifice or multiple orifices which may be large and/or small. in one embodiment the container comprises at least two orifices. combinations of small and large orifices can also be provided on the same skin engaging member, or on separate members on the same cartridge, depending on the desired dispense rate and amount of exposure of the lubricating material to water. in one embodiment the top of the container is provide with one preferably two orifices, more preferably two substantially identical orifices adjacent one another. the skin engaging surface of the container which has a surface area, while the at least one orifice (i.e. the sum for all orifices if a plurality are present) has a cross sectional area such that the surface area and cross sectional area are in a ratio of from about 50:1 to about 1:1, or about 25:1 to about 2:1, or about 10:1 to about 3:1. in some embodiments, at least a portion of said container is not linear for example angled or curvilinear. curvilinear as defined herein means that at least a portion is curved such that it does not form a straight line. where at least two containers are provided, they can also be positioned relative to one another such that they do not form a straight line. alternatively, the curved or angled nature is such that it forms at least a partial ring. a partial ring, as defined herein, means that the structure has at least two curved or angled sections which are concave to form an inner region. the partial ring can also include a curved or angled portion which is positioned convex to said inner region. one or more of said containers may also be positioned relative to one another to form a full ring. the container can be formed of a variety of materials. the container may, preferably be for example, provided from a non-water soluble material such that it does not degrade or dissolve during normal use. the container typically has sufficient mechanical strength and rigidity to provide adequate mechanical strength to the entire skin engaging member, both as initially produced and after a significant amount of lubricating material has leached out of the container. alternatively, or in addition a further reinforcing member may also be utilized. in some embodiments, the container comprises a base and one or more side walls, forming a receiving region, or channel, onto or into which the lubricating material is placed. the side walls may or may not be the same height (as measured extending away from the base of the container). at least one of the side walls can have a height of about 0.1 cm to about 1 cm, preferably from about 0.2 cm to about 0.4 cm. the pair of side walls can be biased away from each other as the walls extend away from said base, or they can be biased towards each other. at least one wall extends vertically from the base and is preferably perpendicular to the blade plane (p). one or both ends of the container can be enclosed, e.g. as described in u.s. pat. no. 7,581,318. the term maximum height of at least one wall as used herein refers to the first front wall preferably substantially parallel to the at least two blades and closest thereto or it refers to the rear wall farthest from said at least two blades. in one embodiment the said at least one wall is closest to said at least two blades. in an alternative embodiment the at least one wall is farthest from said at least two walls. in one embodiment, the ratio of the height of the front wall to the rear wall is from 5:1 to 1:5, more preferably from 2:1 to 1:2 and more preferably the height of the front wall is greater than the rear wall. the walls have a thickness of from 0.1 cm to 1.0 cm, preferably from 0.3 to 0.5 cm. the container may be made of a water-insoluble polymer, particularly a thermoplastic resin. thermoplastic resins are those materials which can be extruded or molded into a shape and are resilient under normal environmental conditions such as contact with water, even up to normal household hot water temperatures (for example up to 125° c.); normal wear and tear by consumers during use; device assembly and shipping, etc. thermoplastic resins suitable for use in the carrier include polystyrene, high impact polystyrene (polystyrene-butadiene), polypropylene, filled polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon ethylene vinyl acetate, and blends such as 70% nylon/30% polyethylene oxide, 60% polystyrene/40% polyethylene oxide butadiene styrene copolymer, polyacetal, acrylonitrile-butadiene styrene copolymer, and mixtures thereof. the preferred resins are high impact polystyrene, polystyrene, ethylene vinyl acetate (eva), and mixtures thereof. in some embodiments, the cartridge comprises a guard comprising at least one elongated flexible protrusion to engage a user's skin. the at least one flexible protrusion may comprise flexible fins generally parallel to said one or more elongated edges. said at least one flexible protrusion may additionally or alternatively comprise flexible fins comprising at least one portion which is not generally parallel to said one or more elongated edges. non-limiting examples of suitable guards include those used in current razor blades and include those disclosed in u.s. pat. nos. 7,607,230 and 7,024,776; (disclosing elastomeric/flexible fin bars); 2008/0034590 (disclosing curved guard fins); 2009/0049695 a1 (disclosing an elastomeric guard having a guard forming at least one passage extending between an upper surface and a lower surface). in some embodiments, said lubricating member is positioned on the cartridge aft of the guard and forward of said elongated edge. in another embodiment, the lubricating member is positioned on the cartridge forward of the guard. this embodiment can be particularly useful to deliver the lubricating member prior to contact with the guard. test methods molecular weight distribution the weight average molecular weight (mw) is measured using gel permeation chromatography (gpc) and multi-angle laser light scattering (malls). the gpc/malls system used for the analysis is comprised of a waters alliance e2695 separations module, a waters 2414 interferometric refractometer, and a wyatt heleos ii 18 angle laser light scattering detector. the column set used for separation is purchased from tosoh biosciences llc, king of prussia, pa. and included: guard column tskgel g1000hx-gmhx1-l (cat #07113), tskgel g3000hx1 (cat #0016136), tskgel g2500hx1 (cat #0016135), and tskgel g2000hx1 (cat #0016134). wyatt astra 6 software was used for instrument operation and data analysis. the 90° light scattering detection angle is calibrated using filtered, anhydrous toluene. the remaining detection angles are normalized using an isotropic scatterer in thf. to verify instrument performance of the malls and ri (refractive index) detectors, a poly(styrene) standard with a known mw and known dn/dc (in the mobile phase) is run. acceptable performance of the malls and ri detectors gives a calculated mw within 5% of the reported mw of the poly(styrene) standard and a mass recovery between 95 and 105%. to complete the gpc/malls analysis, a value of dn/dc is needed. the value of dn/dc is measured as follows. the ri detector is thermostated to 35 degrees celsius. a series of five concentration standards of the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester in thf is prepared in the range 0.5 mg/ml to 5.5 mg/ml. a thf blank is injected directly into the refractive index detector, followed by each of the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester concentration standards, and ending with another thf blank. the volume of each sample injected is large enough to obtain a flat plateau region of constant differential refractive index versus time; a value of 1.0 ml is typically used. in the astra software, a baseline is constructed from the initial and final thf injections. for each sample, peak limits are defined and the concentrations entered to calculate dn/dc in the astra software. for the metathesized canola oil of example 2 in thf, a dn/dc value of 0.072 ml/g is obtained. for the gpc/malls analysis of a metathesized unsaturated polyol ester, a total of three samples are evaluated: the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester, a non-metathesized unsaturated polyol ester (glycerol trioleate [122-32-7], sigma-aldrich, milwaukee, wis.), and a representative olefin (1-octadecene, [112-88-9], sigma-aldrich, milwaukee, wis.). the gpc samples are dissolved in tetrahydrofuran (thf). concentrations for the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester are approximately 20 mg/ml, and concentrations for the non-metathesized unsaturated polyol ester and olefin are approximately 5 mg/ml. after all the material is dissolved, each solution is filtered by a 0.45 micron nylon filter disk into a gpc autosampler vial for analysis. the gpc column temperature is at room temperature, approximately 25 degrees celsius. hplc grade thf is used as the mobile phase and is delivered at a constant flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. the injection volume is 100 microliters and the run time is 40 minutes. baselines are constructed for all signals. peak elution limits include metathesized unsaturated polyol ester and non-metathesized unsaturated polyol ester, but exclude later eluting residual olefin. the retention times of the non-metathesized unsaturated polyol ester and olefin were determined from the separate injection runs of both the non-metathesized unsaturated polyol ester and olefin. baselines and scattering detectors are reviewed. oligomer index the oligomer index of the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester is calculated from data that is determined by supercritical fluid chromatography-fourier transform orbital trapping mass spectrometry (sfc-orbitrap ms). the sample to be analyzed is typically dissolved in methylene chloride or a methylene chloride—hexane mixture at a concentration of 1000 ppm (1 mg/ml). a further 25×-100× dilution is typically made into hexane (for a final concentration of 10-40 ppm). a volume of 2-7.5 μl is typically injected on to a sfc column (for example, a commercially available 3 mm i.d.×150 mm ethylpyridine column, 3 μm particle size). during the chromatography run, the mobile phase is typically programmed from 100% carbon dioxide with a gradient of one percent per minute methanol. the effluent from the column is directed to a mixing tee where an ionization solution is added. the ionization medium is typically 20 mm ammonium formate in methanol at a flow of 0.7 ml/min while the sfc flow is typically 1.6 ml/min into the tee. the effluent from the mixing tee enters the ionization source of the orbitrap mass spectrometer, which is operated in the heated electrospray ionization mode at 320° c. in one aspect, a hybrid linear ion trap—orbitrap mass spectrometer (i.e., the orbitrap elite from thermoelectron corp.) is calibrated and tuned according to the manufacturer's guidelines. a mass resolution (m/δm peak width at half height) from 100,000 to 250,000 is typically used. c,h,o compositions of eluting species (typically associated with various cations, e.g., nh 4 + , h 4 + , na + ) are obtained by accurate mass measurement (0.1-2 ppm) and are correlated to metathesis products. also, sub-structures may be probed by linear ion trap “ms” experiments with subsequent accurate-mass analysis in the orbitrap, as practiced typically in the art. the metathesis monomers, dimers, trimers, tetramers, pentamers, and higher order oligomers are fully separated by sfc. the chromatogram based on ion current from the orbitrap ms may be integrated, as typically practiced in the art, for each of the particular oligomer groups including metathesis monomers, metathesis dimers, metathesis trimers, metathesis pentamers, and each of the higher order oligomers. these raw areas may then be formulated into various relative expressions, based on normalization to 100%. the sum of the areas of metathesis trimers through the highest oligomer detected is divided by the sum of all metathesis species detected (metathesis monomers to the highest oligomer detected). this ratio is called the oligomer index. as used herein, the “oligomer index” is a relative measure of the fraction of the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester which is comprised of trimers, tetramers, pentamers, and higher order oligomers. iodine value another aspect of the invention provides a method to measure the iodine value of the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester. the iodine value is determined using aocs official method cd 1-25 with the following modifications: carbon tetrachloride solvent is replaced with chloroform (25 ml), an accuracy check sample (oleic acid 99%, sigma-aldrich; iv=89.86±2.00 cg/g) is added to the sample set, and the reported iv is corrected for minor contribution from olefins identified when determining the free hydrocarbon content of the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester. free hydrocarbon content another aspect of this invention provides a method to determine the free hydrocarbon content of the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester. the method combines gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (gc/ms) to confirm identity of the free hydrocarbon homologs and gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (gc/fid) to quantify the free hydrocarbon present. sample prep: the sample to be analyzed was typically trans-esterified by diluting (e.g. 400:1) in methanolic koh (e.g. 0.1n) and heating in a closed container until the reaction was complete (i.e. 90° c. for 30 min.) then cooled to room temperature. the sample solution could then be treated with 15% boron tri-fluoride in methanol and again heated in a closed vessel until the reaction was complete (i.e. at 60° c. for 30 min.) both to acidify (methyl orange—red) and to methylate any free acid present in the sample. after allowing to cool to room temperature, the reaction was quenched by addition of saturated nacl in water. an organic extraction solvent such as cyclohexane containing a known level internal standard (e.g. 150 ppm dimethyl adipate) was then added to the vial and mixed well. after the layers separated, a portion of the organic phase was transferred to a vial suitable for injection to the gas chromatograph. this sample extraction solution was analyzed by gc/ms to confirm identification of peaks matching hydrocarbon retention times by comparing to reference spectra and then by gc/fid to calculate concentration of hydrocarbons by comparison to standard fid response factors. a hydrocarbon standard of known concentrations, such as 50 ppm each, of typically observed hydrocarbon compounds (i.e. 1-dodecene, 1-tridecene, 1-tetradecene, 1-pentadecene, 1-hexadecene, 1-heptadecene, 1-octadecene, dodecane, tridecane, tetradecane, pentadecane, hexadecane, heptadecane and octadecane) was prepared by dilution in the same solvent containing internal standard as was used to extract the sample reaction mixture. this hydrocarbon standard was analyzed by gc/ms to generate retention times and reference spectra and then by gc/fid to generate retention times and response factors. gc/ms: an agilent 7890 gc equipped with a split/splitless injection port coupled with a waters quattromicrogc mass spectrometer set up in ei+ ionization mode was used to carry out qualitative identification of peaks observed. a non-polar db1-ht column (15 m×0.25 mm×0.1 um df) was installed with 1.4 ml/min helium carrier gas. in separate runs, 1 ul of the hydrocarbon standard and sample extract solution were injected to a 300° injection port with a split ratio of 25:1. the oven was held at 40° c. for 1 minute then ramped 15° c./minute to a final temperature of 325° c. which was held for 10 minutes resulting in a total run time of 30 minutes. the transfer line was kept at 330° c. and the temperature of the ei source was 230° c. the ionization energy was set at 70 ev and the scan range was 35-550 m/z. gc/fid: an agilent 7890 gc equipped with a split/splitless injection port and a flame ionization detector was used for quantitative analyses. a non-polar db1-ht column (5 m×0.25 mm×0.1 um df) was installed with 1.4 ml/min helium carrier gas. in separate runs, 1 ul of the hydrocarbon standard and sample extract solution was injected to a 330° injection port with a split ratio of 100:1. the oven was held at 40° c. for 0.5 minutes then ramped at 40° c./minute to a final temperature of 380° c. which was held for 3 minutes resulting in a total run time of 12 minutes. the fid was kept at 380° c. with 40 ml/minute hydrogen gas flow and 450 ml/min air flow. make up gas was helium at 25 ml/min. the hydrocarbon standard was used to create a calibration table in the chemstation data analysis software including known concentrations to generate response factors. these response factors were applied to the corresponding peaks in the sample chromatogram to calculate total amount of free hydrocarbon found in each sample. examples while particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. it is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention. non-limiting examples of product formulations disclosed in the present specification are summarized below. example 1 synthesis of metathesized canola oil prior to the metathesis reaction, the rbd (refined, bleached, and deodorized) canola oil is pre-treated by mixing the oil with 2% (by weight) bleaching clay (filtrol f-160, basf, florham park, n.j.) and heating to 120° c. with a nitrogen sweep for 1.5 hours. the oil is cooled to room temperature, filtered through a bed of celite® 545 diatomaceous earth (emd, billerica, mass.), and stored under inert gas until ready to use. to a round-bottomed flask, the oil is added and sub-surface sparged with inert gas while mixing and heating to 55° c. the catalyst is dissolved in 1,2-dichloroethane ([107-06-2], emd, billerica, mass.) that is stored over 4 å molecular sieves and sub-surface sparged with inert gas prior to use. after catalyst addition to the reaction flask, a vacuum is applied to remove volatile olefins that are generated. after ˜4 hours reaction time, the vacuum is broken and the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester is cooled to room temperature. the metathesized canola oil is diluted in hexanes ([110-54-3], emd, billerica, mass.). to the diluted material, 2% bleaching clay (filtrol f-160, basf, florham park, n.j.) is added and mixed for ˜6 hours. the oil is filtered through a bed of celite® 545 diatomaceous earth. the oil is treated a second time with 2% bleaching clay (filtrol f-160, basf, florham park, n.j.) for ˜6 hours. the oil is filtered through a bed of celite® 545 diatomaceous earth and then rotary evaporated to concentrate. the metathesized canola oil is then passed through a wipe film evaporator at 180° c. and <0.5 torr vacuum to remove olefins up to and including c-18 chain lengths. representative examples are summarized in the table below. pretreatedmaxmaxcanola oilcatalysttemperaturevacuumexample(g) acatalyst(g)(° c.)(torr)1a5001 b0.25617.91b5002 c0.25620.6a canola oil from j. edwards, braintree, ma.b tricyclohexylphosphine [4,5-dimethyl-1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene][2-thienylmethylene]ruthenium (ii) dichloride [1190427-50-9] available as catmetium rf-3 from evonik corporation, parsippany, nj.c tricyclohexylphosphine [1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene][2-thienylmethylene] ruthenium(ii) dichloride [1190427-49-6] available as catmetium rf-2 from evonik corporation, parsippany, nj. the samples 1a and 1b are analyzed for weight average molecular weight, iodine value, free hydrocarbon content and oligomer index, using methods described previously, and are found to approximately have the following values: freemwiodine valuehydrocarbonoligomerexample(g/mol)(cg/g)content (wt %)index1a5,400850.50.051b3,900850.50.04 example 2 remetathesis of metathesized unsaturated polyol ester metathesized canola oil, sufficiently stripped of residual olefins (176.28 g from example 1a) is blended with pretreated canola oil (350.96 g, pretreated as described in example 1) in a round-bottomed flask. the blend is sub-surface sparged with inert gas while mixing and heating to 55° c. the catalyst is dissolved in 1,2-dichloroethane ([107-06-2], emd, billerica, mass.) that is stored over 4 å molecular sieves and sub-surface sparged with inert gas prior to use. after catalyst addition to the reaction flask, a vacuum is applied to remove volatile olefins that are generated. after ˜4 hours reaction time, the vacuum is broken and the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester is cooled to room temperature. the metathesized canola oil is diluted in hexanes ([110-54-3], emd, billerica, mass.). to the diluted material, 2% bleaching clay (filtrol f-160, basf, florham park, n.j.) is added and mixed for ˜6 hours. the oil is filtered through a bed of celite® 545 diatomaceous earth. the oil is treated a second time with 2% bleaching clay (filtrol f-160, basf, florham park, n.j.) for ˜6 hours. the oil is filtered through a bed of celite® 545 diatomaceous earth and then rotary evaporated to concentrate. the remetathesized canola oil is then passed through a wipe film evaporator at 180° c. and <0.5 torr vacuum to remove olefins up to and including c-18 chain lengths. a representative example is summarized in the table below. maxmaxoil blendcatalyst atemperaturevacuumexample(g)(g)(° c.)(torr)25000.27650.2a tricyclohexylphosphine [4,5-dimethyl-1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene] [2-thienylmethylene]ruthenium (ii) dichloride [1190427-50-9] available as catmetium rf-3 from evonik corporation, parsippany, nj. the sample 2 is analyzed for weight average molecular weight, iodine value, free hydrocarbon content and oligomer index, using methods described previously, and is found to approximately have the following values: freehydrocarboniodine valuecontentoligomerexamplemw (g/mol)(cg/g)(wt %)index213,000800.50.07 example 3 synthesis of metathesized unsaturated polyol esters prior to the metathesis reaction, the rbd (refined, bleached, and deodorized) oil is pre-treated by mixing the oil with 2% (by weight) bleaching clay (filtrol f-160, basf, florham park, n.j.) and heating to 120° c. with a nitrogen sweep for 1.5 hours. the oil is cooled to room temperature, filtered through a bed of celite® 545 diatomaceous earth (emd, billerica, mass.), and stored under inert gas until ready to use. to a round-bottomed flask, the oil is added and sub-surface sparged with inert gas while mixing and heating to 55° c. the catalyst is dissolved in 1,2-dichloroethane ([107-06-2], emd, billerica, mass.) that is stored over 4 å molecular sieves and sub-surface sparged with inert gas prior to use. after catalyst addition to the reaction flask, a vacuum is applied to remove volatile olefins that are generated. after ˜4 hours reaction time, the vacuum is broken and the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester is cooled to room temperature. the metathesized oil is diluted in hexanes ([110-54-3], emd, billerica, mass.). to the diluted material, 2% bleaching clay (filtrol f-160, basf, florham park, n.j.) is added and mixed for ˜6 hours. the metathesized oil is filtered through a bed of celite® 545 diatomaceous earth. the metathesized oil is treated a second time with 2% bleaching clay (filtrol f-160, basf, florham park, n.j.) for ˜6 hours. the metathesized oil is filtered through a bed of celite® 545 diatomaceous earth and then rotary evaporated to concentrate. the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester is then passed through a wipe film evaporator at 180° c. and <0.5 torr vacuum to remove olefins up to and including c-18 chain lengths. representative examples are summarized in the table below. startingmaxmaxunsaturatedpretreatedcatalyst atemperaturevacuumexamplepolyol esteroil (g)(g)(° c.)(torr)3ahigh erucic5000.25617.9acidrapeseed oil3bblend of500 (250 g0.25617.9high erucichear oil andacid250 g canolarapeseed oiloil)and canolaoil, 50/50 byweight3chigh oleic5000.25617.9soybean oila tricyclohexylphosphine [4,5-dimethyl-1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene] [2-thienylmethylene]ruthenium (ii) dichloride [1190427-50-9] available as catmetium rf-3 from evonik corporation, parsippany, nj. example 4 hydrogenations are performed in a t316 stainless steel, 600 ml parr reactor (model number 4563) containing internal cooling coils and a stir shaft with 2 impellers comprised of 4 blades each. the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester (approximately 200 g) is dissolved in hexanes (120 ml, [110-54-3], emd, billerica mass.). to this solution is added a slurry of nickel on silica (20 g, [7440-02-0], catalog #28-1900, strem chemicals, inc., newburyport, mass.). the slurried mixtures is transferred via vacuum to the parr reactor. the mixture is degassed with several vacuum/nitrogen fill cycles. then with stirring (800-900 rpm), hydrogen gas (550-650 psig, [1333-74-0], uhp grade, wright brothers, inc., montgomery, ohio) is charged to the reactor. the reaction is heated at 150° c. and hydrogen gas pressure reduction monitored until constant (˜12 hours). the reaction is cooled to 60° c. and drained from the reactor. the reactor is rinsed with methyl tert-butyl ether ([1634-04-4], emd, billerica, mass.) and combined with the solid hydrogenated metathesized polyol ester. a hot filtration is then performed to remove the catalyst, followed by a vacuum to remove all residual solvent. fully hydrogenated materials are obtained using the method above. lower hydrogenation levels are obtained by decreasing the reaction temperature to 125 degrees celsius using 5 grams of catalyst and reducing the reaction time and hydrogen consumed. iodine value (iv) is measured, as described elsewhere. example 5 the metathesis monomers, dimers, trimers, tetramers, pentamers, and higher order oligomers from the product in example 2 are fully separated by sfc using the method described above. the individual sfc fractions are collected and trimers, tetramers, and higher order oligomers are combined. the oligomer index of this sample is about 1. exemplified compositions: formulation examples example 1example 2example 3ingredient(% w/w)(% w/w)(% w/w)polyox wsr coag—1020polyox n60k30——silwet l7210 *104520metathesized unsaturated polyol10510estersoftcat sl5 **——10nhance 3196 ***10—petrolatum——10dc200, 350 cst $20——cetyl alcohol302525multiwax 180 mh #—55total100100100suppliers: * momentive , ** dow chemicals, *** ashland, $ dow corning, # sonnenbornformulation examples 1-3 were prepared as follows:1. sanitize all equipment.2. turn on water bath/vessel jacket to 85° c.3. add waxy phase ingredients (cetyl alcohol, multiwax 180 mh) and stir with overhead stirrer until completely melted.4. add oil phase ingredients (petrolatum, dc200, silwet l7210, metathesized unsaturated polyol ester) and mix until fully liquid.5. reduce heat to 55° c. and add powder ingredients (polyox (wsr or n60k), nhance 3196 and softcat 5l5) until fully dispersed.6. pour mixture into a mold7. assemble part onto razor cartridge. i. formulation examples example 4example 5ingredients(% w/w)(% w/w)polyox wsr coag98.0—polyox n60k88.0metathesized unsaturated2.02.0polyol esterpluronic f127 *—10.0total100100suppliers: * basf the lubricating members were prepared by dry mixing the dry ingredients in the table above and then spray coating the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester onto the powder blend. an appropriate amount of the resulting mix was then compressed and compacted into a suitable container for attachment to a razor cartridge, using a die press at 2.2 kn for about 5 seconds. ii. formulation examples ingredientex. 6 (% (w/w)ex. 7 (% w/w)sodium stearate25.426.2propylene glycol14.213.5glycerin12.412.4aqua12.012.0sorbitol6.86.8sodium laureth sulfate6.86.8sodium myristate4.84.8squalane2.22.2olea europaea (olive) fruit oil1.62.0persea gratissima (avocado) oil1.62.0metathesized unsaturated polyol ester1.31.3polyethylene *1.31.3polybutene **1.31.3peg-90m1.21.2peg-45m1.21.2silwet l72101.01.0lauryl dimethicone/polyglycerin-31.11.1crosspolymer ***garcinia indica seed butter0.81.0parfum1.01.0peg-7m0.60.6stearic acid0.40.3total100.0100.0* suppliers: ** sensient, *** shin-etsu the above ingredients for examples 6 and 7 including the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester can be formed into a lubricating member according to the methods of making the molded shaving aid composition described in u.s. pat. no. 7,811,553 paragraphs [0059-0081], in either the poured soap base or process sensitive phase, as well as within a one-step batch process, or a continuous process. it is preferred to incorporate the polyethylene glycols into the process sensitive phase to minimize degradation. iii. formulation examples ingredientex. 1 (% w/w)ex. 2 (% w/w)ex. 3 (% w/w)hips ineos 541026.50—30.00elvax 660—26.50—polyox wsr coagulant33.5633.5638.75polyox n75022.6922.6925.00pcl capa 65065.005.00—colourant4.004.001.00irganox antiox b-2150.250.250.25metathesized3.003.003.00unsaturated polyol esterpeg 46005.005.005.00 example 1 the lubricating members were prepared by dry mixing the dry ingredients in the table above and then spray coating the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester onto the powder blend. the blended components may be extruded through a rondol 18, 18 mm diameter extruder with a barrel pressure of about 1000-2000 psi, a rotor speed of about 10 to 50 rpm, and a temperature of about 150° c.-185° c. and a die temperature of about 170° c.-185° c. alternatively, a 1½ inch single screw extruder may be employed with a processing temperature of 175°-200° c., preferably 185° c.-190° c., a 30 screw speed of 20 to 50 rpm, preferably 25 to 35 rpm, and an extrusion pressure of 1800 to 5000 psi, preferably 2000 to 3500 psi. the extruded strip is air cooled to about 25° c. to injection mold the strips it is preferred to first extrude the powder blend into pellets. this can be done on a 1¼ or 1½ inch single screw extruder at a temperature of 120° c.-180° c., preferably 140° c.-150° c., with a screw speed of 20 to 100 rpm, preferably 45 to 70 rpm. the pellets are then molded in either a single material molding or multi-material molding machine, which may be single cavity or multicavity, optionally equipped with a hot-runner system. the process temperature can be from 165° c. to 250° c., preferably from 180° c. to 225° c. the injection pressure should be sufficient to fill the part completely without flashing. depending on the cavity size, configuration and quantity, the injection pressure can range from 300 to 2500 psi. the cycle time is dependent on the same parameters and can range from 3 to 30 seconds, with the optimum generally being about 6 to 15 seconds. example 2 the lubricating members were prepared by dry mixing the dry ingredients in the table above and then spray coating the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester onto the powder blend. the blended components may be extruded through a rondol 18, 18 mm diameter extruder with a barrel pressure of about 500-1000 psi, a rotor speed of about 10 to 50 rpm, and a temperature of about 100°-160° c. and a die temperature of about 100° c.-160° c. alternatively, a 1½ inch single screw extruder may be employed with a processing temperature of 100° c.-160° c., preferably 110-130° c., a screw speed of 20 to 50 rpm, preferably 25 to 35 rpm, and an extrusion pressure of 1800 to 7500 psi, preferably 4000 to 6500 psi. the extruded strip is cooled to about 25° c. to injection mold the strips it is preferred to first extrude the powder blend into pellets. this can be done on a 1¼ or 1½ inch single screw extruder at a temperature of 100°-140° c., preferably 110°-130° c., with a screw speed of 20 to 100 rpm, preferably 45 to 70 rpm. the pellets are then molded in either a single material molding or multi-material molding machine, which may be single cavity or multi-cavity, optionally equipped with a hot-runner system. the process temperature can be from 100° c. to 185° c., preferably from 110° c. to 145° c. the injection pressure should be sufficient to fill the part completely without flashing. depending on the cavity size, configuration and quantity, the injection pressure can range from 300 to 2500 psi. the cycle time is dependent on the same parameters and can range from 3 to 30 seconds, with the optimum generally being about 6 to 15 seconds. in one embodiment, one or more feeds can be preheated or they can be fed in at ambient temperature. example 3 the lubricating members were made according to example 1 except that metathesized unsaturated polyol ester is added after formation of the lubricating member. the lubricating members are loaded into a low shear paddle mixer with the mixer running at sufficient speed to create a fluidized zone, metathesized unsaturated polyol ester was introduced into the mixing zone over 20 seconds, with continued mixing for an additional 10 seconds after metathesized unsaturated polyol ester addition was complete. alternatively, the lubricating member may be coated continuously via direct application (immersion, spray) or transfer from an applicator (roller, pad, etc.) to the surface of the member during extrusion and/or at product assembly. as used herein, molecular weights (mol. wt.s.) are provided in unified atomic mass units, daltons, or g/mol. it should be understood that every maximum numerical limitation given throughout this specification includes every lower numerical limitation, as if such lower numerical limitations were expressly written herein. every minimum numerical limitation given throughout this specification includes every higher numerical limitation, as if such higher numerical limitations were expressly written herein. every numerical range given throughout this specification includes every narrower numerical range that falls within such broader numerical range, as if such narrower numerical ranges were all expressly written herein. similarly, it should be understood that each feature of the specified embodiment of the invention may be independently applied to each other specified embodiment, as if all such combinations were expressly written herein, unless these combinations are specifically excluded or the relevant features are innately incompatible (e.g. the features are directly contradictory). all parts, ratios, and percentages herein, in the description, examples, and claims, are by weight of the lubricating member and all numerical limits are used with the normal degree of accuracy afforded by the art, unless otherwise specified. combinations: an example is below: a. a lubricating member for use on a hair removal device, said lubricating member comprising a lubricating material comprising a) from 1% to 99% by weight of methathesized unsaturated polyol ester methathesized unsaturated polyol ester, having one or more of the following properties: (i) a weight average molecular weight of from about 5,000 daltons to about 50,000 daltons;(ii) an oligomer index from greater than 0 to 1; and(iii) an iodine value of from about 30 to about 200.b. a device according to paragraph a, wherein said metathesized unsaturated polyol ester has a weight average molecular weight of from about 5,000 daltons to about 50,000 daltons.c. a device according to paragraph a wherein said metathesized unsaturated polyol ester has an iodine value of from about 30 to about 200.d. a lubricating member for use on a hair removal device, said lubricating member comprising a lubricating material comprising a) from 1% to 99% by weight of composition comprising: a) a metathesized unsaturated polyol ester, said metathesized unsaturated polyol ester having a weight average molecular weight of from about 2,000 daltons to about 50,000 daltons; and one or more of the following properties: (i) a free hydrocarbon content, based on total weight of metathesized unsaturated polyol ester of from about 0% to about 5%;(ii) an oligomer index from greater than 0 to 1; and(iii) an iodine value of from about 8 to about 200.e. a lubricating member according to paragraph d, wherein said metathesized unsaturated polyol ester has an iodine value of from about 10 to about 200.f. a lubricating member according to paragraph d, wherein said metathesized unsaturated polyol ester has an oligomer index from about 0.001 to 1.g. a lubricating member according to paragraph a, wherein said metathesized unsaturated polyol ester has a free hydrocarbon content, based on total weight of metathesized unsaturated polyol ester, of from about 0% to about 5%.h. a lubricating member according to paragraph a, said composition comprising, based on total composition weight, from about 0.1% to about 50% of said metathesized unsaturated polyol ester.i. a lubricating member according to paragraph a, wherein the metathesized unsaturated polyol ester is metathesized at least once.j. a lubricating member according to paragraph a, wherein said metathesized unsaturated polyol ester is derived from a natural polyol ester and/or a synthetic polyol ester, preferably said natural polyol ester is selected from the group consisting of a vegetable oil, an animal fat, an algae oil and mixtures thereof; and said synthetic polyol ester is derived from a material selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, glycerol, polyglycerol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, poly(tetramethylene ether) glycol, pentaerythritol, dipentaerythritol, tripentaerythritol, trimethylolpropane, neopentyl glycol, a sugar, preferably, sucrose, and mixtures thereof.k. a lubricating member according to paragraph a, wherein said metathesized unsaturated polyol ester is selected from the group consisting of metathesized abyssinian oil, metathesized almond oil, metathesized apricot oil, metathesized apricot kernel oil, metathesized argan oil, metathesized avocado oil, metathesized babassu oil, metathesized baobab oil, metathesized black cumin oil, metathesized black currant oil, metathesized borage oil, metathesized camelina oil, metathesized carinata oil, metathesized canola oil, metathesized castor oil, metathesized cherry kernel oil, metathesized coconut oil, metathesized corn oil, metathesized cottonseed oil, metathesized echium oil, metathesized evening primrose oil, metathesized flax seed oil, metathesized grape seed oil, metathesized grapefruit seed oil, metathesized hazelnut oil, metathesized hemp seed oil, metathesized jatropha oil, metathesized jojoba oil, metathesized kukui nut oil, metathesized linseed oil, metathesized macadamia nut oil, metathesized meadowfoam seed oil, metathesized moringa oil, metathesized neem oil, metathesized olive oil, metathesized palm oil, metathesized palm kernel oil, metathesized peach kernel oil, metathesized peanut oil, metathesized pecan oil, metathesized pennycress oil, metathesized perilla seed oil, metathesized pistachio oil, metathesized pomegranate seed oil, metathesized pongamia oil, metathesized pumpkin seed oil, metathesized raspberry oil, metathesized red palm olein, metathesized rice bran oil, metathesized rosehip oil, metathesized safflower oil, metathesized seabuckthorn fruit oil, metathesized sesame seed oil, metathesized shea olein, metathesized sunflower oil, metathesized soybean oil, metathesized tonka bean oil, metathesized tung oil, metathesized walnut oil, metathesized wheat germ oil, metathesized high oleoyl soybean oil, metathesized high oleoyl sunflower oil, metathesized high oleoyl safflower oil, metathesized high erucic acid rapeseed oil, and mixtures thereof.l. a lubricating member according to paragraph a or d, further comprising a water soluble polymer.m. the lubricating member according to paragraph l, wherein said water soluble polymer is selected from polyethylene oxide, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyacrylamide, polyhydroxymethacrylate, polyvinyl imidazoline, polyethylene glycol, polyvinyl alcohol, polyhydroxyethymethacrylate, guars, cellulose, modified cellulose and mixtures thereof.n. the lubricating member according to paragraph l, wherein said water soluble polymer is polyethylene oxide having an average molecular weight of at least 300000, preferably from 300,000 to 8 million, more preferably from 1 million to 5 million, most preferably from 2 to 3 million.o. the lubricating member according to paragraph l, wherein said water soluble polymer further comprises from 0.01% to 50%, preferably from 2% to 40%, by weight of the lubricating material of a copolymer of polyethylene oxide and polypropylene oxide.p. the lubricating member according to paragraph l, wherein said polyethylene oxide polymer is present at a level of from 15% to 70%, preferably from 20% to 60%, more preferably from 25% to 50% by weight of the lubricating material.q. the lubricating member according to paragraph a or d, wherein said lubricating member further comprises from 1% to 50% by weight of a water insoluble material, preferably selected from polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, high impact polystyrene, butadiene styrene copolymer, polyacetal, acrylonitrile-butadiene styrene copolymer, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer and mixtures thereof.r. a hair removal cartridge having a front end and an opposing rear end, the hair removal cartridge comprising: a. at least one hair removal member positioned between said front end and said rear end; andb. at least one lubricating member according to any one of the preceding claims.s. a hair removal device comprising: a. a hair removal cartridge according to paragraph a, andb. a handle permanently or removably attached to said hair removal cartridge. the dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. for example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean “about 40 mm.” every document cited herein, including any cross referenced or related patent or application and any patent application or patent to which this application claims priority or benefit thereof, is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. the citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect to any invention disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, or in any combination with any other reference or references, teaches, suggests or discloses any such invention. further, to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern. while particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. it is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.
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175-864-725-857-859
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DE
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G01J3/10,F21K9/61,F21K9/64,F21K9/68,F21K9/69,H01L33/50,G01J3/02,C09K11/00,G01J1/58,H05B33/14,G01N21/33
| 2017-09-21T00:00:00 |
2017
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broadband semiconductor-based uv light source for a spectral analysis device
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a semiconductor-based uv light source for a spectral analysis device is provided. the semiconductor-based uv light source includes a housing, in which at least one semiconductor-based emitter for emitting uv light is accommodated, and in which a beam path is formed between the semiconductor-based emitter and a beam exit point for a working beam. to provide a light source having a semiconductor-based emitter which is capable of covering at least a majority of the uv spectrum of 200 to 400 nm with its emission, the semiconductor-based emitter is designed to emit uv excitation light having an average wavelength in the range of 150 to 270 nm, and that a phosphor be provided in the beam path, which partially absorbs the uv excitation light and emits a phosphor radiation in such a way that uv excitation light and phosphor radiation are overlaid to form a working beam, which has a spectral bandwidth of at least 50 nm in the wavelength range of 200 to 400 nm.
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1 . a semiconductor-based uv light source for a spectral analysis device, the semiconductor-based uv light source comprising: a housing in which at least one semiconductor-based emitter for emitting uv light is accommodated, and in which a beam path is formed between the semiconductor-based emitter and a beam exit point for a working beam, wherein the semiconductor-based emitter is designed to emit excitation light having an average wavelength in the range of 150 to 270 nm, in that a phosphor is provided in the beam path, which partially absorbs the excitation light and emits a phosphor radiation in such a way that the excitation light and phosphor radiation are overlaid to form a working beam which has a spectral bandwidth of at least 50 nm in the wavelength range of 200 to 400 nm. 2 . the semiconductor-based uv light source according to claim 1 , wherein the working beam has a spectrum including at least the wavelength range of 260 to 310 nm. 3 . the semiconductor-based uv light source according to claim 1 wherein a spectral contribution of the excitation light to the spectral bandwidth of the working radiation is less than 50%. 4 . the semiconductor-based uv light source according to claim 1 wherein a quantity and distribution of phosphor in the beam path are set so that a fraction of the excitation light in a radiant flux of the working beam is less than 50%. 5 . the semiconductor-based uv light source according to claim 1 wherein one or more means for guiding the excitation light and/or the working beam are provided between the semiconductor-based emitter and the beam exit point. 6 . the semiconductor-based uv light source according to claim 1 wherein the phosphor is introduced into the beam path in the form of a phosphor-containing layer. 7 . the semiconductor-based uv light source according to claim 6 , wherein the phosphor-containing layer partially transmits the excitation light. 8 . the semiconductor-based uv light source according to claim 6 wherein the phosphor-containing layer has a layer thickness in the range of 5 to 100 μm. 9 . the semiconductor-based uv light source according to claim 6 wherein the semiconductor-based emitter includes an exit surface for the excitation light, and in that the phosphor-containing layer includes an entry surface for the excitation light, and in that the shortest distance between exit surface and entry surface is less than 5 mm. 10 . the semiconductor-based uv light source according to claim 6 wherein the semiconductor-based emitter is coated by the phosphor-containing layer and/or partially enclosed thereby. 11 . the semiconductor-based uv light source according to claim 6 wherein the semiconductor-based emitter includes an emitter housing having an exit window for the excitation light which is coated using the phosphor-containing layer. 12 . the semiconductor-based uv light source according to claim 6 wherein the beam exit point is formed as a light exit opening of the housing and is covered using a window made of a uv-transmissive material, which is coated using the phosphor-containing layer. 13 . the semiconductor-based uv light source according to claim 6 wherein the phosphor-containing layer applied to a carrier which is arranged between the semiconductor-based emitter and the beam exit point and is transmissive to the excitation light and to the working beam, preferably having an internal transmission of at least 70% mm −1 . 14 . the semiconductor-based uv light source according to claim 6 wherein the beam path extends at least partially through an optical fiber, and in that the phosphor-containing layer is applied to at least one of the end faces of the optical fiber. 15 . the semiconductor-based uv light source according to claim 1 wherein the semiconductor-based emitter includes an emitter housing into which the phosphor is introduced. 16 . the semiconductor-based uv light source according to claim 1 wherein the beam path extends at least partially through a cavity of a capillary or a hollow core fiber, and in that the phosphor is contained in the cavity. 17 . the semiconductor-based uv light source according to claim 1 wherein the phosphor is arranged in the beam path in such a way that excitation radiation is reflected and/or scattered thereon. 18 . the semiconductor-based uv light source according to claim 1 wherein the phosphor is a cerium-doped mixed oxide, which preferably contains strontium-magnesium aluminate, yttrium phosphate, and/or gadolinium phosphate. 19 . the semiconductor-based uv light source according to claim 1 wherein the semiconductor-based emitter is a light-emitting diode (led) or a laser, and is designed to emit the excitation light having an average wavelength in the range of 200 to 270 nm, and in that the working beam has a spectral bandwidth of at least 100 nm.
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cross reference to related applications this application is a u.s. national phase filing of international patent application number pct/ep2018/072602 filed aug. 22, 2018 that claims the priority of german patent application number 102017121889.0 filed sep. 21, 2017. the disclosures of these applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. the invention relates to a semiconductor-based uv light source for a spectral analysis device, having a housing, in which at least one semiconductor-based emitter for emitting uv light is accommodated, and in which a beam path is formed between the semiconductor-based emitter and a beam exit side for a working beam. background light sources, which have been established for decades, for spectral analyses in the uv range, such as xenon flash lamps and deuterium lamps, emit uv radiation in the range of approximately 200 nm to 400 nm. both lamp types require special ballast devices for ignition and operation, in order to generate the required voltages of up to several hundred volts. in particular in the case of deuterium lamps, as a result of its relatively low efficiency in the per thousand range during operation, nearly all of the input power of typically 30 w is to be dissipated in the form of heat. the typical operating temperature of deuterium lamps is therefore in the range of 250 to 300° c. lamps and electronics accordingly require a device size and power consumption which restrict the possible uses and mobility. in contrast thereto, semiconductor-based light sources, for example, light-emitting diodes (leds) and laser diodes, open up new, more flexible possible uses, for example, in portable and thus location-independent analysis devices, due to the small size, compact power supply, and higher efficiency thereof. leds have in the meantime become producible and commercially available, in addition to the near infrared (nir; typically 780 to 1100 nm) and visible (vis; 380 to 780 nm) range of the electromagnetic spectrum, also having various emission wavelengths between approximately 230 to 400 nm in the ultraviolet (uv) range. inter alia, this opens up the option of using them as light sources in uv-sensitive analysis and monitoring methods, for example, in high-performance liquid chromatography (hplc), uv/vis spectroscopy, environmental analysis, or also molecular spectroscopy. because of the limited spectral full width at half maximum thereof around the central emission wavelength thereof of typically between approximately 10 and 30 nm, individual leds in analytics applications are only suitable for detections and inspections within a correspondingly limited wavelength range. this is possibly sufficient if the analysis sample is exclusively to be tested in a targeted manner for specific, known compounds or properties. the led wavelength can then be selected a priori according to these known data. in the case of unknown samples or complex questions, however, only measurements over a significantly broader spectral range often supply the required items of information for a sample evaluation. leds of multiple wavelengths have heretofore been combined to generate a broader spectrum in the uv-a, uv-b, and uv-c range of 200 to 400 nm. thus, for example, in us 2011/0132077 a1, such a combination of leds of different wavelengths is described for generating a broadband spectrum for high-performance liquid chromatography, wherein the leds are arranged in such a way that the emitted light beams are incident at a specific angle on a diffraction grating arrangement in dependence on the wavelength thereof, and are diffracted therein to form a common output light beam. the output light beam can thus be generated or formed having a desired spectral composition or a desired spectral profile. another broadband uv-led light source based on eight leds having middle emission wavelengths from 250 to 355 nm (in intervals of 15 nm) is described in the paper: kraiczek et al., “ultra high flexible uv-vis radiation source and novel detection schemes for spectrophotometric hplc detection”, 17th international conference on miniaturized systems for chemistry and life sciences (27-31 oct. 2013), freiburg, germany. summary to continuously cover the wavelength range from approximately 250 to 400 nm, however, at least 10 leds are required (proceeding from a bandwidth of 15 nm). this not only increases the device costs, but rather additionally requires emission spectra adapted to one another and a complex device construction. since in general a point light source is required in spectral analysis devices, the individual spectra have to be combined in a beam path. in addition, the stability of the emission spectrum is to be ensured in different operating conditions over the device lifetime. so-called quantum dots represent a further known, but also complex technology for converting uv light into higher wavelength ranges. a light source having a semiconductor-based emitter, for example, a light-emitting diode, which is capable of covering at least a majority of the uv spectrum from 200 to 400 nm with its emission, would be desirable. it would combine the advantages of the leds with respect to size and operation with the broadband spectrum of a classic deuterium lamp. according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a semiconductor-based uv light source for a spectral analysis device is provided. the semiconductor-based uv light source includes a housing in which at least one semiconductor-based emitter for emitting uv light is accommodated, and in which a beam path is formed between the emitter and a beam exit point for a working beam. the semiconductor-based emitter is designed to emit excitation light having an average wavelength in the range of 150 to 270 nm, in that a phosphor is provided in the beam path, which partially absorbs the excitation light and emits a phosphor radiation in such a way that the excitation light and phosphor radiation are overlaid to form a working beam which has a spectral bandwidth of at least 50 nm in the wavelength range of 200 to 400 nm. brief description of the drawings the invention is best understood from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. it is emphasized that, according to common practice, the various features of the drawings are not to scale. on the contrary, the dimensions of the various features are arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. included in the drawings are the following figures: fig. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of a semiconductor-based uv light source having a phosphor applied to an led housing according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention; fig. 2 illustrates a second embodiment of a semiconductor-based uv light source having a phosphor contained in an led housing according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention; fig. 3 shows a third embodiment of a semiconductor-based uv light source having a phosphor applied to an end face of an optical fiber according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention; fig. 4 shows a fourth embodiment of a semiconductor-based uv light source having a phosphor applied to the inner wall of a capillary borehole according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention; fig. 5 shows a fifth embodiment of a semiconductor-based uv light source having a quartz glass substrate positioned in the beam path and phosphor applied thereon according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention; fig. 6 shows the emission spectrum of an led having a maximum of the emission at 256 nm according to the prior art; fig. 7 shows the emission spectrum of an led of fig. 6 upon use in a semiconductor-based uv light source as shown in fig. 1 and in combination with a first phosphor according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention; and fig. 8 shows the emission spectrum of an led of fig. 6 upon use in a semiconductor-based uv light source as shown in fig. 5 and in combination with a second phosphor according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. detailed description this object is achieved according to exemplary embodiments of the invention, proceeding from a semiconductor-based uv light source of the type mentioned at the outset, in that the semiconductor-based emitter is designed for emitting uv excitation light having an average wavelength in the range of 150 to 270 nm, a phosphor is provided in the beam path, which partially absorbs the uv excitation light and emits a phosphor radiation in this case, in such a way that uv excitation light and phosphor radiation are overlaid to form a working beam, which has a spectral bandwidth of at least 50 nm in the wavelength range of 200 to 400 nm. spectral bandwidth refers here and hereafter to the wavelength span, over which the radiation flux is at least 10% of the maximum value of the distribution. in the uv light source according to the invention, a semiconductor-based uv emitter is combined with one phosphor or with multiple different phosphors. the phosphor or the phosphors are contained, for example, in one layer or in multiple layers. instead of one uv emitter, multiple uv emitters can also be provided, which are embodied as a so-called “array”. the uv emitter is preferably a light-emitting diode (led) or a laser. the phosphor is capable of luminescence upon excitation by the uv excitation light of the semiconductor-based emitter, and the uv excitation light, at an average wavelength in the range of 150 to 270 nm, particularly preferably at an average wavelength in the range of 200 to 270 nm, is in the excitation wavelength range of the phosphor. it is arranged within the beam path, so that it is irradiated by the uv excitation light. a part of the shortwave uv excitation light from the wavelength range of 150 to 270 nm is absorbed in this case and converted by the phosphor into longer-wave phosphor radiation in the uv-a, uv-b, and/or uv-c-fuv. the wavelength range from 315 to 400 nm is typically defined as the uv-a range, the wavelength range from 280 to 315 nm as the uv-b range, and the wavelength range from 200 to 280 nm as the uv-c-fuv range. the quantity and distribution of the phosphor in the beam path are designed in such a way that the uv excitation light is not completely absorbed therein, so that a part of the uv excitation light passes through the beam path unchanged to the beam exit point. by way of the superposition of this uv light beam with the emitted phosphor radiation, a working beam is obtained, the overall spectrum of which in the uv wavelength range of 200 to 400 nm has a spectral bandwidth of at least 50 nm, preferably a spectral bandwidth of at least 100 nm, and thus covers a large part of the combined uv-a, uv-b, and uv-c-fuv range, and which preferably comprises at least the wavelength range from 260 to 310 nm. the uv excitation light is used for generating working radiation having broadband wavelength spectrum. the spectral contribution of the uv excitation light to the spectral bandwidth of the working radiation is comparatively small, however, and is preferably less than 50%. the ratio of the spectral bandwidth of the uv excitation light to the overall bandwidth of the working radiation is understood here as the “spectral contribution”. the term “spectral bandwidth” again refers to the width of the wavelength-dependent radiant flux curve at which the radiant flux has dropped to 1/10 of the maximum value. to generate the most broadband working radiation possible, a large-fraction energetic conversion of the uv excitation light into phosphor radiation is advantageous. an embodiment of the semiconductor-based uv light source is therefore preferred in which quantity and distribution of phosphor in the beam path are set in such a way that the fraction of the uv excitation light in the overall radiant flux of the working beam is less than 50% and is preferably in the range of 5 to 35%. the fraction of the uv excitation light which is absorbed by the phosphor is dependent on the type, quantity, and distribution of the phosphor in the beam path. the phosphor can be provided at one point or at multiple points in the beam path. the shortwave uv excitation light can be incident on the phosphor to bring it to luminescence and is partially transmitted by the phosphor. in one advantageous embodiment of the semiconductor-based uv light source according to the invention, in which the phosphor is introduced into the beam path in the form of a phosphor-containing layer, the uv excitation light is partially transmitted by the phosphor-containing layer. neglecting possible scattering or reflection fractions, the phosphor does not have a completely absorbing or scattering effect on the uv excitation light, depending on the layer thickness, so that the remaining fraction of non-absorbed uv excitation light can easily be predetermined via the setting of the phosphor layer thickness to be passed. the average phosphor layer thickness is typically in the range between 5 to 100 μm, the thickness range is particularly preferably between 5 and 30 μm. low layer thicknesses of the phosphor-containing layer ensure that the uv excitation light is not completely absorbed therein, but rather a part can pass the phosphor-containing layer unchanged. the semiconductor-based uv light source according to the invention is designed for use in a spectral analysis device. high-precision beam guiding having the least possible beam divergence and small fraction of directed or diffuse scattering is desired for this purpose. a particularly preferred embodiment of the uv light source is therefore distinguished in that one or more means for guiding the excitation light and/or the working beam are provided between the emitter and the beam exit side. in particular uv leds can have emission angles (at 50% of the maximum value) of 120° or more. with regard to a small widening of the beam diameter already at the beginning in the region between the uv light-emitting diode and the phosphor, an embodiment of the semiconductor-based uv light source is preferred in which the least possible distance lies between uv light-emitting diode and phosphor or in which means for beam guiding are arranged in the intermediate space of uv light-emitting diode and phosphor. in an embodiment which is particularly suitable in this aspect, the semiconductor-based emitter includes an exit surface for the uv excitation light, and the phosphor-containing layer includes an entry surface for the uv excitation light, wherein the shortest distance between exit surface and entry surface is less than 5 mm. in the simplest and most favorable case, the exit surface for the uv excitation light and the entry surface of the phosphor-containing layer directly adjoin one another. little to no widening of the uv excitation light beam thus results. advantageous and high-precision beam guiding is also achieved, however, if the exit surface is spaced apart from the entry surface, and the distance is less than 5 mm. as a result of scattering, the working beam emitted from the phosphor-containing layer can also have a certain angle distribution. with regard to this, it has proven itself if one or more means for guiding the working beam are provided between the phosphor-containing layer and the beam exit side. for example, optical lenses, reflectors, fibers, or capillaries are suitable as the means for guiding the working beam. the following embodiments of the semiconductor-based uv light source in combination with a phosphor-containing layer have proven to be advantageous: embodiments in which the semiconductor-based emitter includes an emitter housing having an exit window for the uv light beam, which is coated by a phosphor-containing layer.embodiments in which the semiconductor-based emitter includes an emitter housing into which the phosphor is introduced as a powder or as a casting material.embodiments in which the beam exit side is formed as an exit opening and is covered using a window made of a uv-transmissive material, which is coated by a phosphor-containing layer, wherein the window closing the beam exit side can be embodied here in particular as a condenser lens.embodiments in which the beam path is at least partially formed by an optical fiber, wherein the phosphor is applied to at least one of the end faces of the optical fiber. the optical fiber can begin at the beam exit side, for example: it can end there or it can be led out of the housing from the beam exit side. the optical fiber has a core and a jacket enclosing the core. the light guiding in the core is known to be based on total reflection on the jacket. the uv excitation light coupled into the core and/or the working radiation coupled into the core can be conducted with high precision to the beam exit point without noticeable losses due to damping and scattering as a result of the light guiding.embodiments in which a phosphor-containing layer is applied to a uv-transparent carrier, which is arranged between the semiconductor-based emitter and the beam exit point and is transmissive to the uv excitation light and to the working beam. the uv-transparent carrier is generally embodied as plate-shaped, wherein the phosphor-containing layer is formed on the plate surface facing toward the light-emitting diode and/or on the opposing plate surface. the material-specific transmissivity of the carrier, for example, a glass, for the uv excitation light and for the working beam is defined in this case as a transmittance of at least 70%/mm. in another advantageous embodiment of the uv light source according to the invention, the phosphor is arranged as a phosphor-containing layer in the beam path in such a way that uv excitation radiation is reflected and/or scattered. the phosphor-containing layer absorbs in this case a part of the uv excitation radiation which is reemitted as longer-wave radiation and it reflects a part of the uv excitation radiation either directly on its layer surface or on the surface of a substrate to which the phosphor-containing layer is applied. the fraction reemitted as longer-wave radiation and the reflected fraction of the uv excitation radiation form the working beam. in this embodiment of the semiconductor-based uv light source according to the invention, it has proven to be advantageous, for example, if the beam path extends at least partially through the cavity of a capillary or a hollow core fiber, wherein the phosphor is contained in the capillary or fiber cavity. the uv excitation beam extends in this case in the direction of the capillary or fiber longitudinal axis, wherein the phosphor can completely or partially fill up the capillary or fiber cavity or can only be provided on the cavity wall. the cavity wall can be used in this case as a substrate for the phosphor-containing layer, which reflects the uv excitation radiation. the phosphor-containing layer necessarily causes a certain scattering of the uv excitation radiation and the emitted longer-wave radiation. in this embodiment of the semiconductor-based uv light source, the scattered light fraction is guided in the capillary or fiber cavity to the light exit side, so that little useful light is lost. in particular for tanning lamps, phosphors emitting in the uv-a range and uv-b range are known, for example, lead-activated barium disilicate (basi 2 os:pb) having an emission maximum at 351 nm, and europium-activated strontium borate (srb 4 o 7 :eu) having an emission maximum at 371 nm, by means of which, in combination with other phosphors such as cemgal 11 o 9 , lapo 4 :ce, and (sr,ba)mgsi 2 o 7 :pb, the specification parameters of the tanning lamps are set in such a way that an approximation to a specific desired emission spectrum in the ultraviolet spectral range results. further known phosphors of this type are, for example, cerium-activated strontium-magnesium-aluminate (sr(al,mg) 12 o 19 :ce) having an emission maximum at 306 nm and cerium-activated yttrium phosphate (ypo 4 :ce). the coating of the radiator jacket, which is typically over a large area because of its intended use, with a phosphor and the correspondingly large emission surface make this radiator type unsuitable for analysis devices, however, in which in general point-like light sources are advantageous. the phosphors used in this case are fundamentally also suitable for the present application, however, if they can be excited by uv radiation in the wavelength range of 150 to 270 nm for emission in the wavelength range of 200 to 400 nm. moreover, a phosphor is preferably used in the semiconductor-based uv light source according to the invention, the excitation wavelength of which is in the range of 200 to 270 nm and which has the broadest possible emission spectrum. a phosphor has proven itself in regard thereto which is a cerium-doped mixed oxide, and which preferably contains strontium-magnesium aluminate, yttrium phosphate, and/or gadolinium phosphate. exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in greater detail hereafter on the basis of exemplary embodiments and drawings, including as shown in figs. 1-8 . the embodiment of the uv led light source according to the invention shown in a schematic illustration in fig. 1 includes a lamp housing 1 consisting of aluminum, into which an led 3 installed on a circuit board 2 is inserted. the led 3 emits uv light having a main emission line at a wavelength of 256 nm. it is enclosed by a cupola-shaped cover 4 made of quartz glass, on the outer surface of which a layer 5 made a phosphor having an average layer thickness of 15 μm is applied (the thickness is not to scale for reasons of illustration). the uv radiation 6 emitted by the led 3 passes the phosphor layer 5 , is partially absorbed in this case and converted into longer-wave radiation, and reaches, via a focusing reflector 7 , a beam exit window 8 of the housing 1 , which it leaves as emitted working radiation 9 . the working radiation 9 contains a first radiation fraction from the wavelength range of the uv excitation radiation 6 emitted by the led 3 and a second radiation fraction from the longer-wave wavelength range, which is emitted by the phosphor. the maximum distance “d” between the light exit surface of the led 3 and the phosphor-containing layer 5 is 2 mm. the focusing reflector 7 is used simultaneously as means for high-precision beam guiding. in a modification of the embodiment shown in fig. 1 , the phosphor layer 5 is applied having a layer thickness of 15 μm to the inner side of the light exit window 8 , additionally or alternatively to the layer on the cupola-shaped cover 4 . figs. 1-5 show various embodiments of the uv-led light source according to the invention. identical or equivalent components and component parts are each identified with the same reference signs in this case. in the embodiment of the uv-led light source according to the invention illustrated in fig. 2 , the led 3 installed on a circuit board 2 is enclosed by a housing 24 , which is filled using a potting material made of uv-transparent silicone and phosphor. the potting material forms a phosphor layer 25 in the meaning of the invention. the housing 24 has a planar outer side 22 , on which an optical fiber 27 is placed with one of its interfaces. the other end face of the optical fiber 27 forms the beam exit point 28 of the uv-led light source. the uv excitation radiation emitted by the led 3 is partially absorbed by the phosphor potting material 25 inside the housing 24 , converted in this case into longer wave radiation and reaches the beam exit point 28 via the optical fiber 27 . the working radiation 9 exiting there contains a first radiation fraction from the wavelength range of the uv excitation radiation emitted by the led 3 and a second radiation fraction from the longer wave wavelength range, which is emitted by the phosphor. the light exit surface of the led 3 directly adjoins the phosphor layer 25 in this case, so that the widening of the uv light beam emitted by the led 3 up to the entry into the phosphor layer 25 is minimized. the working beam exiting from the housing 24 is guided in the core of the optical fiber 27 up to the light exit point 28 . the optical fiber 27 is thus used as means for high-precision beam guiding after emission by the phosphor layer 25 . the distal end, protruding from the housing 1 , of an optical fiber 27 also forms the beam exit point 28 of the uv light source in the embodiment of the uv-led light source according to the invention according to fig. 3 . the proximal end, i.e., the end facing toward the led 3 upon intended use, of the optical fiber 27 is coated using a phosphor layer 35 having a thickness of 25 μm. the led is embodied as a so-called “packaged led”, i.e., having a housing, and is installed on a circuit board 2 . the emitted excitation radiation 36 is imaged by a converging lens 37 on the phosphor layer 35 and the working radiation 9 is conducted by the optical fiber 27 out of the housing 1 . the uv excitation radiation 36 emitted by the led 3 partially penetrates the phosphor layer 35 and is converted in the other part into longer-wave radiation. the overall radiation made up of a fraction of uninfluenced uv excitation radiation 36 and a fraction of radiation modified in the phosphor layer 35 exits as working radiation 9 from the beam exit point 28 . the converging lens 37 is used as the means for high-precision beam guiding of the uv excitation beam 36 before its entry into the phosphor layer 35 , and the optical fiber 27 is used as means for high-precision beam guiding of the working beam after exit from the phosphor layer 35 . in the embodiment of the uv led light source according to the invention illustrated in fig. 4 , circuit board 2 and led 3 installed thereon correspond to the embodiment of fig. 3 . the uv excitation radiation 46 is incident on the proximal end 44 , i.e., the end facing toward the uv led 3 upon intended use, of a capillary 47 . the capillary cavity is filled using a phosphor, which forms a phosphor layer 45 in the meaning of the invention. the excitation radiation 46 emitted by the uv led 3 reaches the capillary cavity directly, interacts with the phosphor fixed in the phosphor layer 45 , and exits as working radiation 9 from the beam exit side 48 , i.e., the distal end of the capillary 47 , out of the housing 1 . the working radiation 9 is made up of a fraction of uninfluenced uv excitation radiation 46 and a fraction of radiation modified in the phosphor layer 45 . the distance “d” between the light exit surface of the led 3 and the frontal end 44 of a capillary 47 (i.e., the phosphor layer 45 ) is 4 mm. the spectral conversion of the uv excitation radiation 46 into the working beam 9 takes place in the phosphor layer 45 inside the capillary 47 . it is used as means for high-precision beam guiding of both the uv excitation beam 46 and also the working beam to the light exit point 48 . in the embodiment of the uv-led light source according to the invention schematically illustrated in fig. 5 , circuit board 2 and led 3 installed thereon correspond to the embodiment of fig. 3 . the distal end of an optical fiber 27 protruding out of the housing 1 forms the beam exit point 28 of the uv light source. a substrate 57 made of quartz glass having phosphor-containing layer 55 deposited thereon having a thickness of 20 μm is located between the proximal end and the led 3 and in the beam path of the uv excitation radiation 56 . the uv excitation radiation 56 emitted by the led 3 penetrates the substrate 57 and is partially absorbed in the phosphor layer 55 and in the other part is converted into longer-wave radiation. the overall radiation made up of a fraction of uninfluenced working radiation 56 and a fraction of radiation modified in the phosphor layer 55 exits as working radiation 9 from the beam exit point 28 . the distance “d” between the light exit surface of the led 3 and the phosphor layer 55 is 4 mm. the working beam exiting from the phosphor layer 55 is guided in the core of the optical fiber 27 up to the light exit point 28 . the optical fiber 27 is thus used as means for beam guiding with pinpoint accuracy after emission by the phosphor layer 25 . in the emission spectra of figs. 6-8 , the emitted radiant flux p (in relative units), scaled to the maximum value, is plotted against the wavelength λ (in nm). fig. 6 shows the emission spectrum of the led 3 . the emission maximum is at 256 nm and the spectral width—the wavelength range up to one tenth of the maximum value—extends from 245 to 273 nm, i.e., over a wavelength range of 28 nm. in comparison thereto. fig. 7 shows the working radiation 9 emitted from the exit window 8 upon use of the led 3 in combination with a first uv phosphor 5 , which is embodied, as schematically shown in fig. 1 , as an external coating 5 of the cover 4 having an average layer thickness of 15 μm. the phosphor consists of cerium-doped strontium-magnesium aluminate having the molecular formula (sr,mg)al 12 o 19 . if one uses falling below 10% of the maximum value as the boundary of the spectral width, the total spectrum thus extends here from 245 to 390 nm, i.e., over a wavelength range of 145 nm. this corresponds to an increase in the bandwidth by more than five-fold in comparison to the emission spectrum of fig. 6 (28 nm). the spectral contribution of the excitation light to the spectral bandwidth of the working radiation 9 is thus approximately 19% and the fraction of the uv excitation light in the overall radiant flux of the working beam 9 is approximately 32%. fig. 8 shows the emitted working radiation 9 upon use of the led 3 in combination with a phosphor layer 55 made of another uv phosphor. as schematically shown in fig. 5 , it is embodied having an average layer thickness of 20 μm as a coating of a uv-transparent carrier made of quartz glass. the phosphor consists of a mixture of cerium-doped strontium-magnesium aluminate and barium-magnesium aluminate (bam) in the ratio 9:1. using this phosphor, which emits over a broader wavelength range, a working radiation 9 having a spectrum of 246 to 490 nm can be achieved, i.e., more than eight-fold the bandwidth (28 nm) of the original emission spectrum of the led 3 , as shown in fig. 6 . the spectral contribution of the excitation light to the spectral bandwidth of the working radiation 9 is only still approximately 10% here. the semiconductor-based uv light source according to the invention is therefore particularly suitable for use as a beam source in a spectral analysis device, for example, in liquid chromatography (hplc and uhplc), in capillary electrophoresis, and in thin-film chromatography.
|
176-119-220-089-563
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
E21B43/24,E21B43/18,E21B43/34
| 2005-04-28T00:00:00 |
2005
|
[
"E21"
] |
flue gas injection for heavy oil recovery
|
a variety of methods for thermal recovery of natural gas and bitumen from a formation containing the latter. in general, the methods incorporate a series of existing, but previously uncombined technologies. a modified flue gas from the steam generators conventionally used in a sagd recovery operation is injected into the formation to enhance recovery with the produced fluids, natural gas, bitumen, inter alia are further processed. the injection of the flue gas conveniently is disposed of and further acts to repressurize the formation which otherwise becomes depressurized when depleted of natural gas. accordingly, environmental and economic advantages are realized with the methodology.
|
1 . a method for recovering heavy and bitumen oil from a subterranean formation containing heavy oil and bitumen, comprising: providing a fuel; burning said fuel in a flue gas recirculation circuit to produce a flue gas for injection into said formation; and injecting said flue gas into said formation to displace said heavy oil and bitumen. 2 . the method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said fuel is a fossil fuel. 3 . the method as set forth in claim 2 , wherein said fuel is selected from the group consisting of natural gas, fuel oil, heavy oil, bitumen, residuum, emulsified fuel, multiphase superfine atomized residue, asphaltenes, petcoke, coal and combinations thereof. 4 . the method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said fuel is combusted in a steam generator with oxygen and air. 5 . the method as set forth in claim 1 , further including the step of modifying said flue gas prior to injection into said formation. 6 . the method as set forth in claim 5 , including removing byproduct gas generated during said step of modifying. 7 . the method as set forth in claim 6 , wherein said byproduct gas includes at least one of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, nitrogen, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and carbon dioxide. 8 . the method as set forth in claim 5 , including removing particulate ash. 9 . the method as set forth in claim 5 , wherein said step of modifying said flue gas comprises unit operations including departiculation, quenching, compression and dehydration. 10 . the method as set forth in claim 5 , wherein modified flue gas is injected into said formation for repressurizing said formation and releasing natural gas within said formation. 11 . the method as set forth in claim 10 , wherein heavy oil is displaced from said formation during repressurization. 12 . the method as set forth in claim 11 , further including the step of modifying said displaced heavy oil with upgrading unit operations. 13 . the method as set forth in claim 12 , wherein said upgrading unit operations including water removal from oil displaced from said formation. 14 . the method as set forth in claim 13 , wherein at least a portion of removed water is recirculated into said steam generator. 15 . the method as set forth in claim 12 , wherein at least a portion of the residuum from the upgraded heavy oil is converted to a multiphase superfine atomized residue for use as a combustion fuel. 16 . a method for recovering gas and bitumen from at least one of a steam assisted gravity drainage formation containing gas over bitumen within the volume of said formation and from a geographically proximate formation, comprising; providing a flue gas recirculation circuit to produce modified flue gas; injecting said modified flue gas within said volume at a pressure sufficient to displace said gas over said bitumen and to displace said bitumen from within said formation; recovering displaced gas and bitumen; and repressurizing or maintaining the pressure of said volume with said modified flue gas to a pressure substantially similar to a pressure prior to injection of said modified flue gas. 17 . the method as set forth in claim 16 , wherein said displaced gas comprises natural gas not in direct geological contact with the bitumen. 18 . the method as set forth in claim 16 , further including the step of forming a composition of said modified flue gas for maximizing the volume of displaced gas. 19 . the method as set forth in claim 16 , wherein subsequent to displaced gas recovery, modified flue gas injection is continued to a pressure substantially similar to original geological pressures for further sequestering of green house gases ghg. 20 . the method as set forth in claim 18 , wherein said step of forming a composition of said modified flue gas includes maintaining an oxygen concentration in said modified flue gas selected from the group consisting of excess, stoichiometric and sub stoichiometric. 21 . the method as set forth in claim 18 , wherein said composition of said modified flue gas comprises between 0% and 79% by volume nitrogen. 22 . the method as set forth in claim 16 , further including the step of generating by product gas from said modified flue gas. 23 . the method as set forth in claim 22 , wherein said byproduct gas at least includes one of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and carbon dioxide. 24 . the method as set forth in claim 16 , wherein said flue gas recirculation circuit is fueled with a hydrocarbon fuel selected from the group consisting of natural gas, fuel oil, heavy oil, bitumen, residuum, vacuum residuum, emulsified fuel, multiphase superfine atomized residue, asphaltenes, petcoke, coal and combinations thereof. 25 . a method for recovering gas and bitumen from at least one of a steam assisted gravity drainage formation containing gas over bitumen within the volume of said formation and from a geographically proximate formation, comprising; a steam generation phase for generating steam for injection into said formation; a flue gas recirculation phase for modifying flue gas for injection into said formation; an injection phase for injecting modified flue gas into said formation for displacing gas over said bitumen and maintaining the pressure of or repressurizing said formation; and a processing phase for processing produced displaced gas and liquid liberated from said injection phase.
|
cross-reference to related applications this is the first application filed for the present invention. technical field the present invention relates to the thermal recovery of values from a subterranean formation by making use of a flue gas injection into the formation. background of the invention in the heavy oil industry, there are a broad range of classifications attributable to the oil. the classes are essentially based on viscosity and density of the material and are generally broken down as follows: i) medium heavy oil 25°>°api>18°100 cps>μ>10 cps, mobile at reservoir conditions ii) extra heavy oil 20°>°api>12°10,000 cps>μ>100 cps, production enhancement techniques required including reservoir stimulation such as thermal or water/solvent flooding iii) oil sands and bitumen 12°>°api>6°, mined or thermal stimulation requiredμ>10,000 cps, production enhancement techniques required including reservoir stimulation such as thermal or thermal/solvent injection. in view of the recognized value of vast reserves of heavy oil and bitumen potentially available in canada, central america, russia, china and other locations of the world, a varied panoply of extraction and handling techniques have come to light. currently, existing bitumen and extra heavy oil reservoirs are exploited using enhanced thermal recovery techniques resulting in efficiency of recovery in the range of between 20 and 25%. the most common thermal technique is steam injection where heat enthalpy from the steam is transferred to the oil by condensation. this, of course, reduces the viscosity of the oil allowing gravity drainage and collection. injection may be achieved by the well known cyclic steam simulation (css), huff and puff and steam assisted gravity drainage (sagd). although sagd is becoming widely employed, it is not without several detriments regarding efficiency. an area which presents significant costs is the fuel to drive the steam generators to produce steam for injection. the most desirable fuel is natural gas, but the expense greatly reduces the overall efficiency and this problem is compounded with the fact that green house gases (ghg) are liberated in varied amounts during operation of the steam generators using all types of hydrocarbon fuels. as an example, approximately 8,000 to 15,000 tonnes daily of carbon dioxide is generated to produce injection steam and produce 100,000 bopd of bitumen. a further problem in the sagd process is the upgrading required in the produced product to increase its value. as noted briefly above, another factor affecting sagd is the limitation in recovery efficiency. in an attempt to ameliorate some of the limitations noted, the use of alternate fuels other than natural gas has been proposed to at least reduce the ever increasingly impact of natural gas. an example of a suitable fuel for use in a sagd operation is discussed in u.s. pat. no. 6,530,965, issued to warchol, mar. 11, 2003. the document teaches the formation of predispersed residuum in an aqueous matrix which is burnable as a alternate fuel. considering the problems with existing technologies, it remains desirable to have a method of enhancing efficiency in a sagd operation, reducing the formation of excessive amounts of ghg and lowering costs by providing an alternate fuel with the thermal performance of natural gas. the present invention collates all of the most desirable features and advantages noted with an energy efficient, high yield green environmentally friendly process. summary of the invention one object of the present invention is to provide an improved thermal recovery process with enhanced efficiency. a further object of one embodiment is to provide a method for recovering heavy oil and bitumen from a subterranean formation containing heavy oil and bitumen, comprising: providing a fuel; burning the fuel in a flue gas recirculation circuit to produce an injection flue gas for injection into the formation; and injecting the injection flue gas into the formation to displace the heavy oil and bitumen. a still further object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a method for recovering heavy oil and bitumen from a subterranean formation containing heavy oil and bitumen, comprising: providing a fuel; burning the fuel in a flue gas recirculation circuit to produce a flue gas for injection into the formation; and injecting the flue gas into the formation to displace the heavy oil and bitumen and natural gas. still another object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a method for recovering gas and bitumen from at least one of a steam assisted gravity drainage formation containing gas over bitumen within the volume of the formation and/or from a geographically proximate formation, comprising; providing a flue gas recirculation circuit to produce modified flue gas; injecting the modified flue gas within the volume at a pressure sufficient to displace the gas over the bitumen and to displace the bitumen from within the formation; recovering displaced gas and bitumen; and maintaining the pressure or repressurizing the volume with the modified flue gas to a pressure substantially similar to a pressure prior to injection of the modified flue gas. yet another object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a method for recovering gas and bitumen from at least one of a steam assisted gravity drainage formation containing gas over bitumen within the volume of the formation and from a geographically proximate formation, comprising; a steam generation phase for generating steam for injection into the formation; a flue gas recirculation phase for modifying flue gas for injection into the formation; an injection phase for injecting modified flue gas into the formation for displacing gas over the bitumen and maintaining the pressure or repressurizing the formation; and a processing phase for processing produced displaced gas and liquid liberated from the injection phase. having thus generally described the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings illustrating preferred embodiments. brief description of the drawings further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in combination with the appended drawings. fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of the generic methodology according to one embodiment; fig. 2 is a more detailed schematic illustration of fig. 1 ; fig. 3 is a graphical illustration of the oxygen requirement for flue gas carbon dioxide enrichment on a dry basis; fig. 4 is a graphical illustration of the oxygen requirement for flue gas carbon dioxide enrichment on a wet basis; fig. 5 is a schematic illustration of natural gas steam production in a sagd environment; fig. 6 is a schematic illustration of bitumen or emulsion fuel steam production in a sagd environment; fig. 7 is a schematic illustration of residuum emulsion fuel steam production in a sagd environment; fig. 8 is a schematic illustration of a cogeneration flue gas compression operation; and fig. 9 is a schematic illustration of a cogeneration electric power generation operation. similar numerals employed in the description denote similar elements it will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals. detailed description of the preferred embodiments preface unless otherwise indicated, sagd refers to steam assisted gravity drainage, syngas, refers to synthetic gas, otsg refers to once through steam generation, ghg refers to green house gas, bopd refers to barrels of oil per day, cogen refers to combined production of electric generation or compression service with heat recovery and steam generation, hrsg refers to heat recovery steam generator, and “heavy oil” embraces heavy oil, extra heavy oil and bitumen as understood in the art. referring now to fig. 1 , shown is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of the present invention. numeral 10 broadly denotes the overall process. an air, fuel and oxygen mixture combined with a flue gas recirculation (fgr) stream is fed to a steam generation system 12 to generate steam 16 and flue gas 35 . the air, fuel, oxygen and fgr mixture is selected to create an enriched flue gas 35 to optimize recovery of gas and heavy oil from within a formation containing these. this will be discussed in greater detail herein after. the fuel, contained in any of air or oxygen mixture, may be selected from any suitable hydrocarbon fuel, non limiting examples of which include natural gas, bitumen, fuel oil, heavy oil, residuum, emulsified fuel, multiphase superfine atomized residue (msar, a trademark of quadrise canada fuel systems), asphaltenes, petcoke, coal, and combinations thereof. flue gas 35 from the system 12 is treated or modified in a treatment operation 14 prior to injection within a formation. this flue gas may contain numerous gaseous compounds including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen, nitrogen oxides, hydrogen, sulfur dioxide, syngas inter alia. at excess oxygen burning conditions, where oxygen levels are present in the flue gas 35 , then the flue gas 35 will primarily contain carbon dioxide, nitrogen and water vapour. the treated injection gas 45 is injected into gas and heavy oil formation(s) generically denoted by numeral 18 , shown in the example as a sagd (steam assisted gravity drainage) formation. as is well known, this technique involves the use of steam to assist in reducing the viscosity of viscous hydrocarbons to facilitate mobility. these formations also contain natural gas, bitumen and a variety of other hydrocarbons which have value, but which were previously marginally economic or fiscally unfeasible to recover. steam 16 from system 12 is introduced into the formation 18 as illustrated. the gas in the formation 18 is now made recoverable in an efficient manner in view of the flue gas circuit in combination with injection of the modified flue gas 45 . the union of these operations has resulted in the success of the methodology of the present invention. advantageously, the techniques set forth herein can be applied not only to gas over bitumen formations, but also geographically proximate formations. as a non limiting example, laterally or vertically displaced formations can be exploited as well. this is generally shown in fig. 1 and denoted by numeral 18 ′. the benefits of the instant technology also accrue for abandoned sagd chambers or for blowdown where flue gas can be injected to not only maintain heavy oil recovery but also to displace the heavy oil. natural gas 20 displaced from formation 18 is collected and may be subjected to additional unit operations or a portion may be recirculated into the system as fuel for steam generation. this latter step is not shown in fig. 1 , but is well within the purview of one skilled. mobilized production fluids, containing bitumen denoted by numeral 22 are then subjected to an oil treatment operation 24 where the bitumen 26 is processed for the removal of entrained water to produce a saleable product. produced water 26 is further treated in a suitable water treatment unit 28 to remove bitumen, hardness compounds, silica and any other undesirable compounds making the water suitable of boiler feed water 30 . any suitable water treatment operations may be employed to achieve the desired result. boiler feed water 30 may then be recirculated into system 12 for steam 16 production, thus reducing water demands in the process to augment efficiency. further to this, water evolved from the flue gas treatment operation, the water being represented by numeral 52 may be recirculated at 28 , also to augment efficiency. having broadly discussed the overall process, numerous advantages attributable to the process are evinced. these include: i) an efficient and environmentally safe disposal of harmful flue gas;ii) improved gas recovery from the formation;iii) enhanced thermal recovery operation to produce more bitumen per unit steam;iv) carbon dioxide sequestering to reduce ghg emissions;v) volumetric replacement within the formation; andvi) any combination of these features. referring now to fig. 2 , shown is a more detailed schematic of the process according to one embodiment. in the embodiment shown, an air separator unit 40 is provided for gaseous separation prior to injection of fuel and oxygen into the steam generation system 12 . a flue gas recirculation (fgr) circuit is provided for the system 12 . the flue gas recirculation is useful to reduce the temperature of the combustion zone in the system 12 in order to maintain compatible steam generator performance for the full range of oxygen input versus combustionair used in steam generation process. without the flue gas recirculation (fgr) for higher levels of oxygen, the heat generator temperature would exceed the design limitations of the steam generators. the flue gas exiting the circuit is then processed in treatment unit 14 , where it is subjected to particulate removal, such as electrostatic precipitation or baghouse 44 , with the ash discharged at 46 . the so treated gas is further quenched prior to being compressed at 48 and further dehydrated at 50 . water 52 from the operation can be circulated to the water treatment unit 28 or a msar formulation phase 70 discussed herein after. by product gas from 14 if produced, can be separated and recovered from the flue gas and used for further operations such as co fuel for process furnaces or boilers, so2 for commercial sales or h2 hydrogen supply for bitumen upgrading. in this example, bitumen leaving oil treatment 24 may be processed in a partial or full upgrader 56 with partially upgraded bitumen or synthetic crude being discharged at 58 and a hydrocarbon mixture consisting of bitumen, residuum, asphaltenes, or coke etc. may be further processed into msar, an efficient fuel discussed in detail in u.s. pat. no. 6,530,965 comprising essentially a predispersed residuum in an aqueous matrix which greatly reduces the fuel cost to operate the steam generation system. traditionally, the latter was done with natural gas, the cost for which greatly exceeded the cost involved with the use of msar. as an option, the fuel may be supplanted or augmented by those fuels previously taught. figs. 3 and 4 graphically depict the oxygen requirement for flue gas carbon dioxide enrichment on a dry and wet basis, respectively. as pure oxygen is introduced to the steam generator operation, the flue gas 35 will contain less nitrogen for a fixed quantity of carbon dioxide. therefore both the volume of flue gas is reduced and the concentration of carbon dioxide in the injection treated gas 45 is increasing. for example, on a dry basis with reference to fig. 3 , as the oxygen level used approaches 100% (0% combustion air), then the composition of the treated flue gas approaches near 100% co 2 , including minor compounds of carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, etc. fig. 3 represents the primary composition of the treated injection gas 45 . referring to fig. 4 , graphically illustrated is the primary composition of the flue gas stream 35 prior to flue gas treatment in 14 . fig. 5 is a schematic illustration of a natural gas steam production circuit. in the example, at least a portion of the displaced natural gas 20 may be recirculated as a fuel to drive the steam generation system 12 . this is denoted by numeral 60 . the enriched injection flue gas, which may be customized to contain between 30% and 50% nitrogen and between 70% and 50% carbon dioxide, is injected to displace the produced fluids, bitumen, natural gas, water etc processed for upgrading at 62 . the choice of operations conducted at 62 will depend upon the desired products. recovered water 52 from the flue gas treatment unit 14 may be recirculated to 62 . referring to fig. 6 , shown is a further variation on the process where the steam generation is achieved by making use of a liquid alternate fuel, shown in the example is a bitumen or heavy oil fuel, or alternatively, the bitumen or heavy oil is transformed into an emulsion fuel. in this arrangement, processed bitumen exiting central treatment plant 62 at line 66 may be diverted in terms of a portion of the material only at line 68 directly as heavy fuel oil or alternatively, directed into an emulsion unit for generating an alternate fuel. the emulsion unit stage being indicated by numeral 70 . an additional amount of water recovered and circulated at 52 may be diverted and introduced into the unit 70 via line 72 . in the emulsion fuel unit, the suitable chemicals are added to the bitumen material (surfactants, etc.) in order to generate the alternate fuel. at this point, once formulated, the alternate fuel exiting the unit at 74 may be introduced as a fuel to drive the steam generation system 12 . the natural gas feed from the displaced gas in the formulation 18 used as fuel ceases and the process does not deplete any further volume of the natural gas. in this manner, once the emulsion unit is operational and stabilized, the process simply relies on alternate fuel that it generates on its own. referring to fig. 7 , shown is a further variation in the arrangement shown in fig. 6 where a bitumen upgrader 76 is shown added to the unit operation of the central treatment plant. in this manner, materials leaving central treatment plant 66 are upgraded in the upgrader 76 to formulate heavy residuum exiting at 80 which then can be formulated into an emulsified alternate fuel and introduced into steam system 12 as noted with respect to fig. 6 . subsequent benefit can be realized in the upgrading of the bitumen quality to deasphalted oil or synthetic crude oil. referring to fig. 8 , whereby one embodiment of the current invention is employed in combination with a conventional gas cogeneration (cogen) plant 600 to enhance the overall thermal heavy oil recovery operation. uniquely, when the current embodiment is combined, the steam generators 12 as described previously can be suitably fitted with cogen heat recovery steam generator (hrsg) to produce the required total injection steam and provide the required power to drive the treated injection flue gas compressors. fig. 9 further illustrates a further embodiment whereby the steam generators 12 are combined with a cogen plant 600 to generate electric power. the electric power generated could be used to drive the treated flue gas compressors and power the full facility 10 to make it self sufficient in energy. although embodiments of the invention have been described above, it is limited thereto and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications form part of the present invention insofar as they do not depart from the spirit, nature and scope of the claimed and described invention.
|
178-416-728-203-244
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
B01D1/26,C07C29/80
| 1976-03-15T00:00:00 |
1976
|
[
"B01",
"C07"
] |
system for recycling water soluable waste liquids
|
a system for reclaiming solutions of waste chemicals such as ethelene glycol is provided. the water in the ethelene glycol is distilled or evaporated off at temperatures below the boiling point of the glycol. the system includes two or more interconnected evaporating stages each having a heating coil therein. the last or final evaporating stage is provided with an aqueous solution sensing loop for removing portions of reclaimed solution at predetermined concentration levels and is provided with water sensing station for removing condensed steam or returning contaminated water to the input of the system.
|
1. a system for reclaiming waste chemicals diluted in aqueous solutions comprising: a storage tank for storing the waste chemical solution to be refined, a first evaporating stage connected to said storage tank for receiving said waste chemical solution, first level control means on said first evaporating stage for maintaining a predetermined level of said waste chemical solution therein, fluid heating means inside said first evaporating stage for generating low pressure steam from said waste chemical solution, first steam and condensate collecting means inside said first evaporating stage, a second evaporating stage containing waste chemical solution and having a steam heating coil therein connected to said first steam and condensate collecting means, second steam and condensate collection means inside said second evaporating stage, said second steam and condensate collection means being connected to said steam heating coil inside said second evaporating stage, condensing coil means inside said second evaporating stage for condensing steam generated in said second evaporating stage, liquid conduit means connecting the aqueous solutions in said first and said second evaporating stages, second level control means on said second evaporating stage for opening and closing said liquid conduit means to maintain a predetermined level of said waste chemical solution in said second evaporating stage, vacuum means connected to said second evaporating stage for reducing the pressure in said second evaporating stage below atmospheric pressure, an aqueous solution sensing loop having an inlet and an outlet connected to the waste chemical solution in said second evaporating stage, said aqueous solution sensing loop comprising a liquid circulating pump, bypass valve control means and sensing control means for determining the amount of waste chemical in the solution being pumped in said sensing loop, a water sensing station connected to said second steam and condensate collection means, said water sensing station comprising, a liquid circulating pump, diversion valve control means and a purity sensing control for determining the amount of chemical impurity in the condensed steam being pumped in said water sensing station and collection storage means connected to said by pass valve control means for receiving portions of said waste chemical solution from said second evaporating stage when a predetermined concentration of waste chemical is sensed by said sensing control means, whereby reclaimed waste chemical is intermittently provided at said collection storage means. 2. a system as set forth in claim 1 which further includes, a return pipe connected to said water sensing station and to said storage tank for returning condensed steam to said storage tank when the condensed steam contains excessive impurity as determined by said sensing control. 3. a system as set forth in claim 2 which further includes, an exhaust pipe connected to said water sensing station and to an outlet drain for exhausting condensed steam when the condensed steam contains only a predetermined allowable impurity as determined by said sensing control. 4. a system as set forth in claim 3 which further includes, manual control means on said purity sensing control for selecting said return pipe or said exhaust pipe. 5. a system as set forth in claim 3 which further includes, a water filter bank connected to said exhaust pipe for removing chemical impurities from said condensed steam. 6. a system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said waste chemical solution comprises an aqueous solution of ethelene glycol, and said system further includes, a hot fluid supply connected to said heating means in said first evaporating stage, temperature control means in said hot fluid supply, and a thermostat control in said first evaporating stage for controlling the supply of hot fluid to said heating means. 7. a system as set forth in claim 6 wherein said thermostat control maintains said ethelene glycol solution at a temperature of approximately 160.degree. fahrenheit and said vacuum means connected to said second evaporating stage pulls a vacuum in said first evaporating stage through said heating coil and said first steam collecting means sufficient to produce steam and condensate in said first evaporating stage at approximately 140.degree. fahrenheit. 8. a system as set forth in claim 6 wherein said vacuum means pulls a vacuum in said second evaporating stage sufficient to produce steam in said second evaporating stage at approximately 120.degree. fahrenheit. 9. a system as set forth in claim 6 wherein said hot fluid supply is further connected to a heating coil in said storage tank for preheating said waste chemical solution of ethelene glycol. 10. a system as set forth in claim 9 wherein said preheated solution of ethelene glycol is filtered before being connected to said first evaporating stage. 11. a system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said waste chemical solution comprises an aqueous solution of ethelene glycol, and said system further includes, a filter bank connected to by pass control means between said collection storage means for filtering and aqueous solution of ethelene glycol, and wherein said sensing control means are set to bypass an approximate 50 percent by volume filtered solution of ethelene glycol to said collection storage means.
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background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to a distilling or evaporating system for reclaiming waste ethelene glycol. more particularly, the invention relates to a compact efficient automatic self contain system which is capable of being mounted on a mobil trailer for transportation and use at remote sites. 2. description of the prior art distillation systems are well known in the industrial alcohol and petroleum industries. such systems have reached a very high degree of thermal efficiency and automatic control. these systems are known to be continuous process systems employing numerous sensing controls, elaborate computation equipment and responsive flow control subsystems. multiple-effect evaporator systems employing vacuum pressure in the stages are well known in the milk and sugar industries. such systems seldom exceed four vacuum stages and usually employ the heat of condensed steam in a heating coil in the next higher vacuum stage. the condensed steam leaving a heating coil of a stage is usually dumped in the drainage systems without regard to the degree of contamination carried over into the condensed steam. it has been estimated that more than twenty-four million gallons of permanent type anti freeze having an ethelene glycol base are used each year in the united states alone. this water soluble oil is dumped by gasoline stations into the sewerage systems of every community in the united states. large manufacturers using oil and harmful chemicals have been forced by government regulations to remove all types of contaminates from their water before dumping it into a sewage system or into open streams. large manufacturers employ settling tanks, centrifugal separators and filters to remove contaminates when possible. waste chemicals which are in solution and are too weak for commercial use have been refined to remove the pure chemical or to concentrate the chemical solution to a usable strength. heretofore, systems used to refine waste chemicals have been designed and built as fixed on site systems which are usually large and complex. seldom are such systems economically justifiable except for very large users of the chemicals being reclaimed. in the air transportation industry large aircraft are parked in the open between flights. often the exposed aircraft become covered with cold rain, freezing rain and/or snow. since the temperature of the atmosphere generally is five degrees fahrenheit colder for every thousand feet of elevation it would be extremely dangerous to allow ice, snow, or moisture covered aircraft to takeoff and rapidly climb to elevations in excess of twenty thousand feet. not only would ice form on the outer surfaces of the aircraft but the operation of the movable portions of the wings and stablizers and the landing gear would be greatly endangered. it has become standard practice to spray down ice and snow covered aircraft with aqueous solutions of ethelene glycol before takeoff. at j.f. kennedy international airport in new york, millions of gallons of ethelene glycol are employed yearly to prepare aircraft for takeoff and no attempt is made to reclaim the waste chemical which has become an environmental problem. it would be desirable to prevent further environmental damage to the streams, lakes and oceans by the dumping of waste chemicals such as ethelene glycol. further it would be extremely desirable to provide a reclamation system which was capable of refining and/or reclaiming waste chemicals which not only is economically justifiable, but actually produced recycled usable waste chemicals at a lower cost than new chemicals. it has always been possible to truck waste chemicals to a recycling plant and to pick up reprocessed chemicals. the problem has been that such plants are few in number and are usually a long distance from the users of the chemical. further, the recycling plants which are in operation are geared to continuous production and require very large storage facilities. usually such reclamation systems are not simple enough in basic operation to permit a simple change from one waste chemical to another. summary of the invention the present invention provides a small, simple, reliable and self contained portable reclamation system adapted to refine a wide range of aqueous waste chemical solutions. it is a general object of the present invention to provide an efficient multiple effect evaporation system with a minimum number of sensing controls which are settable to provide continuous automatic operation over a wide range of outputs of chemical concentrations. it is another principal object of the present invention to provide a simple compact self contained reclamation system which can be trucked to the site of stored waste chemical solutions and to reclaim the stored waste chemicals leaving refined usable concentrated chemicals. it is another principal object of the present invention to provide a reclamation system capable of being used to reclaim a wide range of waste chemicals. these and other objects of the present invention are achieved by providing an input solution storage or holding tank into which a portion of the waste solution may be maintained. the solution in the storage tank is continuously supplied to a plural stage multiple effect evaporating system. the final stage of the evaporating system is provided with several new and improved features comprising an aqueous solution sensing loop which recirculates refined solution through the loop until a predetermined concentration of the reclaimed chemical solution is reached and then diverts or bypasses the refined solution to a reclaimed chemical solution storage tank. when the sensing loop determines that the concentration has been reduced below the desired predetermined range, the solution is again recirculated back to the last evaporating stage until the proper concentration is reached. the last evaporating stage is further provided with a novel condensing and steam collecting means which is provided with a water sensing station. the water sensing stations is capable of diverting contaminated condensed steam back to the holding tank and is also capable of diverting substantially pure water to the outlet drain. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 and 1a are schematic drawings of a multiple-effect evaporating system for conversion of diluted aqueous solutions of ethelene glycol to concentrated usable solutions of ethelene glycol. description of the preferred embodiment pipe line 10 is a supply line which is connectable to recovery storage tanks located at the site where waste chemical solutions are stored. feed pump 11 is a preferably gravity fed at the inlet side and is provided with a sensing device 12 in pipe line 10 inlet. device 12 for ethelene glycol may be a simple density meter. pump 11, and all equipment in the system which may require repairs, is isolated by valves 13. addition drain, isolation and check valves are well known and are used throughout the system, but are not shown and discussed as a part of the present system. pump 11 is manually controlled or automatically controlled by float control 14 mounted on input solution storage or holding tank 15. the waste chemical solution in tank 15 is preheated to about 110.degree. fahrenheit (.degree.f) by heating coil 16 supplied with hot fluid from hot water heating source 17, the boiler 17 is provided with a hot water (hws) supply main 18 and a hot water return (hwr) main 19 which are connected to heating coil 16. a three way motor control valve 12 is placed as a shunt bypass across mains 18 and 19 and is controlled by manually settable thermostat 22. the temperature set at thermostat 22 may be varied over a broad range depending on atmospheric temperature, the concentration of the waste solution and the chemical being refined etc. circulating pump 23 in hot water return main 19 is preferably always on when boiler 17 is in operation providing hot water at or near 180.degree. f for reclamation of ethelene glycol. preheated waste chemical solution is piped from tank 15 through an inlet filter bank 24 provided with changable throw away forty micron plated paper filters for removing oil, dirt, grease and other non soluable matter. no pump is shown in supply line 25 because in the preferred embodiment to be explained hereinafter there is a vacuum pressure on line 25. some waste chemical solutions may require other types of inlet filters or may require no filter, in which case the filter bank 24 may be bypassed or completely eleminated. the level of preheated waste chemical solution in first evaporating stage 26 is controlled by float control 27 and solenoid valve 28. the temperature of waste chemical solution in first stage tank 26 is maintained at or near 160.degree. f in operation, however, steam is produced at temperatures as low as 140.degree. f by application of proper vacuum pressures. coil or fluid heating means 29 is connected to the hot water supply 18 and return main 19 which supply 180.degree. f water. three way motor control valve 31 is placed across mains 18, 19 and is controlled by thermostat 32 to maintain the temperature set at thermostat 32. saturated steam is produced at 140.degree. f under 2,889 pounds per square inch absolute pressure (5.88 inches mercury). regulator or vent 33 is provided to purge the system and/or provide additional safety factor. steam is produced at first steam collection means 34, shown schematically to include a condensate collection trough 35 and a crossover pipe 36. crossover pipe 36 is connected to a steam heating coil 37, which serves as a condensing coil for steam and condensate collected in first stage 26. the level of preheated and concentrated waste chemical solution in second evaporating stage 38 is controlled by float control 39 and solenoid valve 41 in pipe line 42. the temperature of the waste chemical solution is not controlled by a thermostat but is dependent upon several factors including the heat loss to the atmosphere through the tank which comprises the evaporating stages. saturated steam is produced at 120.degree. f under 1.692 pounds per square inch absolute pressure (3.4458 inches mercury). eductor 43 is a venture effect vacuum jet capable of producing high vacuum at relative low water pressure supplied at high volume. in the preferred embodiment shown, no control for the vacuum pressure is shown because any additional vacuum supplied merely tends to increase the rate of evaporation of the water from the solution, however, a control valve may be placed in the cold water supply (cws) line 44 or in cold water return 45. alternative means of controlling the vacuum at vacuum line 46 may be employed such as bypass lines around eductor 43 or variable speed pump control on water supply pump 47. cold water supply 44 is connected to condensing coil 48 and the coil is provided with a separate cold water return 49 which terminates at cooling tower 51. cooling tower 51 is provided with an internal blower having a set of variable dampers 52 controlled by thermostat 53 in cooling water holding tank 54. make up water is provided at line 55 which connects to float control valve 56. it will be understood that eductor 43 pulls or sucks in some steam which is condensed in the cold water supply and returned vai line 45 to tank 54. cooling tower 51 performs evaporative cooling on the heated cold water return in line 49. normally there is a need to supply a small amount of make up water which can be supplied from a local source. should the need for make up water become excessive, the condensed steam may be employed instead of local make up water. condensing coil 48 is positioned in the top of second evaporating stage 38 and made large enough to condense substantially all steam being produced in the second stage 38. second steam collecting means 57 comprises a trough 58 connected to collection pipe 59 which acts as input main to circulating pump 60 of water sensing station 61. coil 37 connects to main 59. a sensing control 62 in main 59 detects the impurity in the water produced from condensed steam. ordinarily under ideal operating conditions no impurity or only minor impurity would be detected, however, during fast start up or under excessive heat or vacuum conditions some ethelene glycol can be carried along with the steam. sensing control 62 may be a sophisticated total carbon analyzer capable of measuring several hundred parts per million of impurity similar to those made by delta scientific inc. of babylon, l.i. n.y. or may be a simple electro conductive analyzer. when the impurity level in the water is low enough to permit discharge into the local drainage system, control 62 opens solenoid valve 63 and closes solenoid valve 64 diverting the water from return pipe 65 to exhaust pipe 66. exhaust pipe 66 may be provided with a water filter bank 67 comprising a plurality of replaceable activated charcoal elements which effectively reduce acids and soluable oil waste. when chemicals other than ethelene glycol are being refined, other materials may be substituted. in a preferred mode of operation, condensed steam from heating coil 37 and condensate collected in trough 58 do not contain undesirable amounts of contaminates and sensing station 61 may not need to be expensive or fully automated, because once the system stablizes the condensate in main 59 may be manually diverted to exhaust pipe 66. a feature of the present invention is the automatic selectability of a predetermined concentration of refined waste chemical in the solution to be processed regardless of the input concentration. concentrated waste chemical solution is connected to aqueous solution sensing loop 68 comprising circulating pump 69 and sensing control means 71 in the loop. when controls means 71 senses the range of preset desirable chemical concentration in loop 68 solenoid valve 72 is closed and solenoid valve 73 is opened. at all other times circulating pump recirculates the solution in stage 38 with valve 72 open and valve 73 closed. sensing control means 71 may be a simple inexpensive density meter with high and low range electrodes for setting a desirable range. a preferred water solution of 40 percent ethelene glycol by volume freezes below -10.degree. f. a 49 percent solution freezes at -30.degree. f and a 52.5 percent solution freezes at -40.degree. f. ethelene glycol solutions in this range are suitable for use in the aircraft industry for removing snow and ice and can be used by automobiles with the addition of proper relatively inexpensive additives. substantially pure ethelene glycol can be produced by the present system. exhaust pipe 74 may be provided with a filter bank 75 which comprises a plurality of replacable forty micron paper filters. the reclaimed glycol may be dumped in local output storage tanks or pumped to tanks not a part of the present system. the preferred embodiment reclamation system has been explained with reference to ethelene glycol having a boiling point of 387.degree. f. chemicals which do not evaporate, vaporize or boil below the temperature of water, may successfully be reclaimed from diluted solution at a much lower cost than the cost of the original chemicals. in the preferred embodiment system it can be shown that diluted solutions of ethelene glycol as used in the aircraft industry can be reclaimed to useable concentrations at a fraction of the purchase cost of new chemicals. the present system has been mounted on a mobile trailer and can be trucked to a storage site of chemicals where they are reclaimed without the cost of transportation which can make reclamation of diluted waste chemical solution economically prohibitive. it will be appreciated that a portable system of the type described herein may be employed to refine one chemical and the system purged with clean water and the same system employed to refine a second chemical at a second site. resetting of the sensing controls or the employment of different and alternative sensing controls may be employed to make a portable system changable without substantial alteration to the automatic reclamation system.
|
178-482-198-377-719
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
A47G27/02,B32B5/18,B32B37/15
| 1993-04-08T00:00:00 |
1993
|
[
"A47",
"B32"
] |
floor and countertop protector pad
|
various embodiments of a floor and countertop protector pad are shown and described, as well as the method of protecting a floor or countertop with the invented protector pad. the protector pad includes a barrier means that is a top layer of moisture-impermeable, and puncture-, tear-, and deformation-resistant high density polymeric film and a bottom layer of closed-cell polymeric foam bonded to the film. the film and foam thicknesses are selected to make the protector pad lightweight and easily rollable and unrollable into a flat and uncurled shape, while still performing the barrier and cushioning jobs. the film serves as the barrier to liquid spills and to gouging, scraping, or falling objects and deforms only slightly and in a shallow, spread-out manner. the foam efficiently adsorbs and dissipates the force of what little film deformation does occur and also lies over small debris and dirt on the floor or countertop to temporarily trap it and prevent it from being drug and scrapped along the floor or countertop.
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1. a floor and countertop protector pad for temporarily covering and protecting a building interior horizontal surface from damage by liquids, by falling, scraping, and gouging objects, and by particulate and small objects lying on the horizontal surface, the protector pad consisting of: a barrier means comprising a moisture-impermeable and deformation-, puncture-, and tear-resistant high density polymeric film sheet having an upper surface and a lower surface, and having a thickness of 0.025 inches or less, and a cushion means comprising a closed-cell polymeric foam sheet having a top surface bonded to the lower surface of the film sheet for resiliently deforming to dissipate the forces of said falling, scraping, and gouging objects impacting on the film sheet, and the foam sheet having a bottom surface for placement on the horizontal surface and for resiliently deforming to lie over the said particulate and small objects, wherein the foam sheet has a thickness less than three times the thickness of the film sheet, and wherein the protector pad is flexible for rolling for transport and for unrolling flat to contact the horizontal surface. 2. a floor and countertop protector pad as set forth in claim 1, wherein the protector pad is rectangular in shape and has two end edges and two side edges, and the protector pad is crimped along the length of the protector pad to form a lip along a side edge for hanging down over and protecting a countertop edge. 3. a floor and countertop-protector pad as set forth in claim 1, wherein the film sheet is made of high density polyethylene. 4. a floor and countertop protector pad as set forth in claim 1, wherein the foam sheet is expanded polyethylene foam. 5. a floor and countertop protector pad as set forth in claim 4, wherein the polyethylene foam has a density of 1.5 to 1.9 pounds per cubic foot.
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background of the invention 1. technical field this invention relates to temporary covers for protecting floors and countertops from damage by falling or dragging objects, or by chemicals or paints, while work is being done on the interior of a building. specifically, the invention relates to a multi-layered protective cover that can easily be rolled for transport and then easily unrolled for use. 2. background art during the last stages of house or building construction, and after floor and countertop materials have already been installed, finish work such as painting, caulking, finish carpentry, and appliance and lighting fixture installation is done. this work often causes significant damage to plastic laminates, linoleum, hardwood, ceramic tiles, and carpets before the building is sold or moved into. heavy tools, caulking and paint buckets, and appliance edges are particularly damaging. sometimes additional damage is done because these objects, or the people using them, rest on or step on particulate such as dirt or gravel or on small objects such as nails or staples that lie on the floor or countertop. often the particulate or small object gets dragged along or pushed into the floor or countertop, causing scratches and gouges. traditionally, the only protection, if any, given to floors and countertops during the final stages of construction has been a thin fabric drop cloth or a thin plastic sheet such as the 0.002 inch thick self-adhesive plastic sheet called carpet mask.tm. by poly-tak.tm.. these help protect against paint or caulking splatters and soil on workers' feet, but do not protect against gouges, scrapes, abrasion, or other damage and breakage due to impact of objects or feet. fabric throw rugs or moving-van style blankets could be used but these adsorb liquids, snag and catch on appliances, and do not protect against sharp and forceful impact. also, these covers are bulky and heavy to transport and store. many floor covers and mats have been made in the past, but they are either too thick and bulky, too rigid, or not protective enough. juneau (u.s. pat. no. 5,100,716) discloses an outdoor floor covering having a ribbed top sheet of galvanized rubber at least 3 mm in thickness, and a bottom sheet of closed-cell material that is three or more times the thickness of the top sheet. juneau teaches that both top and bottom sheets are easily deformable so that ice on top of the cover will break up when the cover is stepped on. ellingson, jr. (u.s. pat. no. 4,766,020) teaches a plastic mat made of interconnected sections with openings between the sections through which dirt may fall to the floor. holgerson (u.s. pat. no. 2,760,895) discloses floor covering blocks with a rigid backing, middle cushion member, and a top tufted member. turner (u.s. pat. no. 4,674,245) discloses blocks for a roof walkway panel, having a foam bottom pad and a concrete upper section. many covers for tables or countertops have been made, but they are either too rigid, too permanent, or not protective enough for temporary use during finish work. countertop designs include burnes (u.s. pat. no. 3,606,508), lieber (u.s. pat. no. 3,046,074), oakes (u.s. pat. no. 2,901,861), and stanitz (u.s. pat. no. 2,492,541). retrofit covers for countertops or tables have been designed, such as the picnic table cover taught by roth (u.s. pat. no. 4,883,001) and the desk attachment taught by glickman (u.s. pat. no. 3,915,528), which both are rigid and held on by adhesives. fabric table covers also have been designed, such as the elastic fabric cover taught by bendelari (u.s. pat. no. 1,926,429). voltek of lawrence, mass., makes an extrusion-coated composite material called volextra.tm. for uses such as automobile interiors. volextra.tm. includes a fine-celled, irradiation cross-linked polyolefin foam. the foam thickness to coating thickness ratio appears to typically be in the range of 4 to 35. it is suspected that the heat involved in the extrusion-coating process makes lower foam to film thickness ratios difficult to obtain. what is still needed is a temporary cover for floors or countertops that provides a rugged, tough, liquid-proof, protective barrier but that also can easily be transported as a compact, lightweight package and can easily and quickly be installed for use. disclosure of invention this invention is a protector pad for temporary placement on a floor or countertop and the method of protecting the floor or countertop with the protector pad. the protector pad includes a layer acting as a barrier means and a layer acting as a cushion means. the barrier means comprises a moisture-impermeable, deformation-, puncture-, and tear-resistant high density polymeric film sheet. the cushion means comprises a closed-cell polymeric foam sheet bonded to the film sheet. the protector pad is laid down with the foam contacting the floor or countertop horizontal surface, and the foam sheet deforms to lie over particulate or small objects such as staples or tacks mistakenly left on the horizontal surface. the film sheet resists deformation and remains intact when objects are dropped, scraped, or pushed into the protector pad. whatever deformation of the film sheet does occur is cushioned and dissipated by the foam sheet. the preferred protector pad has a film sheet thickness of 0.025 inches and a foam sheet thickness of 0.075 inches, while the protector pad apparatus invention includes film sheet thickness of 0.025 inches or less, and foam sheet thicknesses three or less times the thickness of the film sheet. such protector pads are the preferred way of practicing the broader method of protecting a floor or countertop by using a protector pad made of layers of high-density polymeric film up to and including 0.025 inches thick and a closed-cell foam sheet up to and including 0.15 inches thick. the protector pad provides excellent protection, while being extremely lightweight, rollable, and unrollable to a flat shape for quick use. the invented method of floor and countertop protection protects the horizontal surface from falling, scraping, and spilling objects above the pad and from the particulate and small objects lying below the pad. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invented protector pad, including a non-skid texture on the film sheet. fig. 2 is a front view of one embodiment of the invention, illustrating the trapping of small objects under the pad and the minimized and spread-out deformation of the film. fig. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention for a countertop, including a crimped lip for protecting the countertop edge. best mode for carrying out invention referring to figs. 1-3, there are shown several, but not the only, embodiments and methods of using the floor and countertop protector pad 10. the protector pad 10 includes a high-density polymeric film sheet 12 of 0.025 inches or less, with the properties of tear-resistance, puncture-resistance, deformation-resistance, moisture-impermeability, and rollability and unrollability. a polyethylene, polypropylene, or abs plastic would be suitable. optionally, a non-skid texture 14 such as a gritty or knobby texture may be added to the upper surface 16 of the film sheet 12 during or after the manufacture of the film sheet 12. the protector pad 10 also includes a polymeric foam sheet 18 that is closed-cell and has a thickness of three or less times the film sheet. after manufacture of the film and foam sheets 12, 18, the top surface 20 of the foam sheet 18 is bonded to the lower surface 22 of the film sheet 12 with a mastic or solvent-based adhesive such as contact cement. or, the foam sheet 18 may be made in place on the lower surface 22 of the film sheet 12 from a liquid precursor, for example, which is distributed over the lower surface 22. or, the foam sheet 18 may be thermally bonded by flame bonding, for example, to the lower surface 22 of the film sheet 12. the foam sheet 18 serves several purposes. first, it traps dirt, particulate and small pieces of construction debris, such as staples or tacks, between the bottom surface 26 of the foam sheet 18 and the horizontal surface 28. the foam sheet 18 deforms around these objects 24 and holds them in place relative to the horizontal surface 28 to keep them from scratching and gouging the floor or countertop as workers stand on the protector pad. the foam sheet 18 holds the protector pad 10 in place without having a tacky or especially rough bottom surface 56. preferably, the bottom surface 26 is not tacky, so that it does not pick up and hold dirt when the protector pad 10 is rolled and put away. second, the foam sheet 18 cushions whatever deformation force does come through the film sheet 12. the closed foam cells act as resilient cushions that dissipate forces with only a slight amount of foam sheet 18 deformation. thus, heavy objects 30 cause only shallow and spread-out deformation of the film sheet 12 and of the foam sheet 18, and do not damage the floor or countertop. the combination of film sheet 12 and foam sheet 18 allows surprisingly thin layers to have excellent protective features. consequently, the thinness results in a surprisingly lightweight and surprisingly rollable and unrollable protector pad 10. the user easily carries the protector pad 10 with him or her, and quickly unrolls it with a flick of the wrist, which greatly enhances the usability and practicality of the protector pad 10. although the new protector pad 10 apparatus includes film sheets 12 of 0.025 inches or less thickness and foam sheets 18 of three or less times the thickness of the film, the preferred protector pad has about a 0.025 inch thick film sheet 12 and about a 0.075 inch thick foam sheet 18, which give a combination of excellent protection and yet also excellent unrollability and lightness of weight. preferably, the film sheet 12 is a high density polyethylene such as the plastic slip sheets or bestflex.tm. plastic sheeting manufactured by baron industries, inc. of denver, colo. one such baron slip sheet product is characterized by a rockwell hardness of r65, a vicat softening point of 295.degree. f. continuous resistance to heat=240.degree. f. tensile strength at yield in excess of 3300 pounds per square inch, no moisture adsorption, no promotion or breeding of fungi or bacterial growth, and resistance to damage by most solvents and chemicals. preferably, the foam sheet 18 is expanded polyethylene closed cell foam, of between about 1.5 to 1.9 pounds per cubic foot density (#). dow ethafoam.tm. 1.7 # polyethylene foam has been successfully used. for protection of a countertop 32 and especially of the vulnerable countertop edge, the protector pad 10 may be crimped or otherwise bent along a side edge 34 to form a lip 36 for hanging down over the edge 38. preferably, the pad for this use is a rectangle with two end edges 40 and two side edges 34, 34' and the crimp 44 is near a side edge 34 running along the length between the end edges 40. this invention includes the method of using the protector pad as an easily rollable and unrollable and yet extremely tough unit for protecting a floor or countertop. as with the apparatus, the method requires that the film sheet 12 and foam sheet 18 combination be thin enough and flexible enough to be rolled without creasing and to be unrolled to a flat shape, while also being tough enough and cushioning enough to fulfill the barrier and cushioning requirements. this method includes the use of the invented protector pad 10 apparatus and also protector pads with slightly thicker closed-cell foam sheets up to about 0.15 inches in thickness. although somewhat heavier and less flexible for rolling and unrolling, the protector pads with foam sheet thickness greater than 0.075 up to 0.15 inch still give acceptable performance and so are included in the protection method. experimentation has shown that a pad with a film sheet 12 thickness of 0.03 inches and a foam sheet 18 thickness of either approximately 0.125 or 0.25 inches gave inferior unrollability, as did a pad with a film sheet 12 thickness of 0.025 inches and a foam sheet 18 thickness of 0.25 inches. after several hours of being rolled up in a cylindrical shape, these pads with increased film thickness and/or foam thickness stayed curled or slightly curled instead of lying flat on a horizontal surface. while there is shown and described the present preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be distinctly understood that this invention is not limited thereto but may be variously embodied to practice within the scope of the following claims.
|
180-302-219-532-409
|
IN
|
[
"US"
] |
G06F3/048,G06F8/36,G06F9/54,G06N5/043,G06N20/20,G06N5/04
| 2019-01-25T00:00:00 |
2019
|
[
"G06"
] |
artificial intelligence platform
|
an ai platform to enable one or more users to design and create ai enabled applications is provided. the ai platform comprises a data module configured to condition data received from a plurality of data sources to generate a corresponding data pipeline; wherein the data module comprises a plurality of reusable data components. the ai platform further comprises an intelligent processing module configured to process a plurality of datasets received on the data pipeline and generate a corresponding artificial intelligence (ai) pipeline; wherein the intelligent processing module comprises a plurality of reusuable data processing components. the ai platform further includes a communication module configured to enable one or more users to select a set of reusable data components and set of reusuable data processing modules and build a corresponding ai enabled application and an ai configuration module configured to seamlessly integrate the selected set of reusable data components and the set of reusable data processing components using a plurality of standardized interfaces.
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1. an artificial intelligence (ai) platform configured to: select, via a customizable set of user interfaces, (i) one or more datasets from among a plurality of other datasets, (ii) a plurality of data conditioning components, and (iii) a plurality of data learning components, wherein one or more of the selections is based on a business function related to a user making the selections; and communicably couple the selected components such that a pipeline generates and trains one or more machine learning models using the one or more selected datasets received from at least one external data source, wherein the one or more trained machine learning models are deployed to solve the related business function. 2. the ai platform of claim 1 , wherein the ai platform comprises application programming interface (api) components and interface components. 3. the ai platform of claim 1 , wherein the selection of the data conditioning components is performed from among a data store component, a data cartridge component, a data mart component, a data ingestion component and a data explorer component. 4. the ai platform of claim 1 , wherein the selection of the data learning components is performed from among a data wrangling component, a signal detection component, a feature engineering component and a model building component. 5. the ai platform of claim 4 , wherein the selected data learning components are configured to employ interactive computational tools. 6. the ai platform of claim 1 , wherein the ai platform comprises an ai engine configured to, publish and monitor the pipeline. 7. the ai platform of claim 6 , wherein the ai engine is configured to run a plurality of experiments using combinations of data modules and learning models. 8. the ai platform of claim 1 , wherein the pipeline is created using a single click and publish feature. 9. the ai platform of claim 1 , wherein the customizable set of user interfaces is designed to support ‘drag and drop’ functions. 10. the ai platform of claim 6 , wherein the monitoring is of a lifecycle of the one or more machine learning models. 11. the ai platform of claim 6 , wherein the monitoring compares experiments being executed in real-time and enables one or more users to alter one or more input parameters for the live experiments. 12. the ai platform of claim 1 , wherein a customization of the set of user interfaces is automatic. 13. a method for enabling one or more users to design and create ai enabled applications, the method comprising: selecting, via a customizable set of user interfaces, (i) one or more datasets from among a plurality of other datasets, (ii) a plurality of data conditioning components, and (iii) a plurality of data learning components, wherein one or more of the selections is based on a business function related to a user making the selections; and communicably coupling the selected components such that a pipeline trains one or more machine learning models using the one or more selected datasets received from at least one external data source, wherein the one or more trained machine learning models are deployed to solve the related business function. 14. the method of claim 13 , further comprising: building, publishing, and monitoring an ai pipeline using a plurality of ai engines configured to: recognise data patterns in a plurality of data models; apply a plurality of conditions on the data models and predict corresponding outcomes; and recommend a set of solutions based on the predicted outcomes. 15. the ai platform of claim 13 , wherein the pipeline enables one or more users to design and create ai enabled applications using a single click and publish feature.
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priority statement the present application claims priority under 35 u.s.c. § 119 to indian patent application number 201941003173 filed 25 jan. 2019, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. field the invention relates generally to artificial intelligence (ai) platforms and more particularly to a system and method for designing and creating ai enabled applications. background artificial intelligence (ai) has emerged as one of the most promising and in-demand capabilities for achieving any number of goals from enabling new and different offerings to improving speed, quality and efficiency of existing products and services. ai represents a diverse set of tools and technologies. the major role of artificial intelligence (ai) is to design intelligent agent modules for analysing data intelligently and storing data in order to further use the analysed results. it includes toolsets and frameworks based on mathematical models, requirements-driven developments and reverse engineering software management (configurations and projects), and code drivers (generators, analyzers, and visualizers). an architecture for advanced analytics need to cover three main domains, data, discovery and deployment. creating an architecture to support ai is about creating a modern platform for advanced analytics and being able to support all steps of the analytics lifecycle. such ai lifecycle activities may include data engineering, data science, software engineering, application design and development and automated deployment to production with monitoring. however, such techniques may not account for standardized management for entire ai lifecycle activities. as a result, this will lead to re-inventing the cycle for every engagement, dependent and increases the noise and errors, thus increasing the time to deliver the solution. data-driven enterprises focus on building different types of ai but they face some common challenges. duplication of effort, low value tasks, reproducibility and reusability prove to be some of the costly activities. moreover, collaboration among various modules such as data engineering, data scientist and software engineer need to be more effective. in certain cases, ai projects are time consuming. this could be due to a number of recurring obstacles, including not having a consistent platform, or due to lack of accurate data for training the ai, while some may be unable to identify and manage a set of highly dynamic use cases. certain business platforms use ai technique platforms that involve the entire ai lifecycle and may not consider standardized interface for data engineering and data science, and software and user interface deployment activities. moreover, such existing application may not account for unified mechanism to track experiments and compare scores during machine learning process. thus, there is a need for a standardized framework for managing and accelerating the full life cycle of ai activities that can allow users to create and develop functional applications by linking with ai along with customized user interface. this in turn would provide organizations a structured and flexible way to create ai-driven solutions over the long term. summary briefly, according to one embodiment of the present technique, an ai platform is provided to enable one or more users to design and create ai enabled applications. the ai platform comprises a data module configured to condition data received from a plurality of data sources to generate a corresponding data pipeline; wherein the data module comprises a plurality of reusable data components. the ai platform further comprises an intelligent processing module configured to process a plurality of datasets received on the data pipeline and generate a corresponding artificial intelligence (ai) pipeline; wherein the intelligent processing module comprises a plurality of reusuable data processing components. the ai platform further includes a communication module configured to enable one or more users to select a set of reusable data components and set of reusuable data processing modules and build a corresponding ai enabled application and an ai configuration module configured to seamlessly integrate the selected set of reusable data components and the set of reusable data processing components using a plurality of standardized interfaces. in another embodiment, a method for enabling one or more users to design and create ai enabled applications is procided. the method comprises creating an ai enabled application by selecting a plurality of reusable components configurable across a plurality of abstraction layers; wherein the plurality of reusable components are selected based on a specific business function, configuring the selected reusable components to seamlessly integrate to generate the ai application and executing a plurality of experiments using the selected reusable components by applying various conditions. the method further includes monitioring the plurality of experiments in real time to determine the optimum experiment for the selected business function. brief description of the figures fig. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of an artificial intelligence platform implemented according to various aspects of the present technique; fig. 2 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a data module implemented according to various aspects of the present technique; fig. 3 is a screenshot indicating a manner in which a new data cartridge is created, according to aspects of the present technique; fig. 4 is a screeshot depicting an example data pipeline, implemented according to aspects of the present technique; fig. 5 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a learning module implemented according to various aspects of the present technique; fig. 6 is an example screenshot of a data wrangling component, implemented according to aspects of the present technique; fig. 7 is an example screenshot of a model training component, implemented according to aspects of the present technique; fig. 8 is an example screenshot of an artificial intelligence pipeline, implemented according to aspects of the present technique; fig. 9 is an example screenshot depicting a manner in which an ai pipeline is monitored, according to aspects of the present technique; and fig. 10 , fig. 11 and fig. 12 are example screenshot of an example communication module implemented according to aspects of the present technique. detailed description of example embodiments the drawings are to be regarded as being schematic representations and elements illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily shown to scale. rather, the various elements are represented such that their function and general purpose become apparent to a person skilled in the art. any connection or coupling between functional blocks, devices, components, or other physical or functional units shown in the drawings or described herein may also be implemented by an indirect connection or coupling. a coupling between components may also be established over a wireless connection. functional blocks may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. various example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which only some example embodiments are shown. specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merely representative for purposes of describing example embodiments. example embodiments, however, may be embodied in many alternate forms and should not be construed as limited to only the example embodiments set forth herein. fig. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of an artificial intelligence (ai) platform implemented according to various aspects of the present technique. the artificial intelligence platform 10 comprises data module 12 , an intelligent processing module 14 , communication module 16 , ai configuration system 22 and ai lifecycle monitoring system 24 . as used herein, each module comprises a plurality of reusable components. the reusable components are selected by one or more users based on a business requirement. each module is described in further detail below. data modules 12 is configured to manage data received from a plurality of sources and build a corresponding data pipeline. the data module comprises a plurality of reusable data components and is configured to condition the received data, which is then provided to the intelligent processing module 14 . intelligent processing module 14 is configured to process the conditioned data and generate a corresponding ai pipeline that is then readily available to generate the ai enabled application. the intelligent processing module 14 comprises learning components 18 and ai engines 20 . learning components 18 is configured to generate and train multiple learning models which are derived from the data conditioned by the data modules 12 . artificial intelligence (ai) engines are configured to build, publish and monitor an ai pipeline from the learning models generated by learning components 18 . communication module 16 is configured to enable a user to select reusable components from the data modules 12 and the intelligent processing modules 14 to generate an ai enabled application. the communication module 16 comprises api components 16 -a, interface components 16 -b and visual components 16 -c. the selected reusable components are coupled together using standardized interfaces and is performed by the ai configuration system 22 . each reusable component has a set of defined properties such as attributes as well as interface parameters that allow it to be coupled with the other reusable components. ai application lifecycle system is configured to track and monitor the operations of the ai platform 10 . the ai application lifecycle system includes a tracking/monitoring module 26 and an operations module 28 . the ai tracking/monitoring 26 module is configured to track and monitor a plurality of experiments that are being executed across the data modules and the intelligent processing module. the tracking module enables continuous performance monitoring on an ongoing basis as well as the ability to learn and improve the different reusable components when new patterns are detected. operations module 28 is configured to track and monitor the various operations performed across the lifecycle of the ai enabled application—that is across the data module, the intelligent processing module and the communication module. operations module 28 is further configured to enable multiple activities required to move an ai application from development to testing to production with a continuous mode of delivery and deployment. as described above, the various modules of ai platform include several reusable components seamlessly coupled together. the reusable components of the data module are described in further detail below. fig. 2 is a block illustrating one embodiment of a data module implemented according to aspects of the present technique. the data module 30 comprises a plurality of reusable data components that configured to receive and condition a plurality of datasets for further use. the reusable data components comprises data store 32 , data cartridge 34 , data mart 36 , data ingestion 38 and data explorer 40 . each components is described in further detail below. data store component 32 is configured to receive data from a plurality of data sources such as batch data from databases, various file formats, existing enterprise systems as well as real time streaming data sources and condition for use by the intelligent processing module. the data store allows users to preview various datasets and analyse the datasets as required. data cartridge component 36 is configured to enable users to select and register a dataset from a list of various pre-curated external datasets. data cartridge component 36 is configured to enable users to view registered dataset and additionally allows the user to create a new dataset based on a requirement as shown in fig. 3 . in the example screenshot, a user created a new data cartridge by clicking on tab 82 . in one embodiment, the user creates a new dataset by defining a schema which is imported from a database tool such as an excel sheet. data ingestion component 38 is configured to enable users to create a data pipelines. an example data pipeline 92 is shown in fig. 4 . the user may perform transformations like combining two datasets or applying filters on a selected dataset provided by the datastore and data cartridge. in one embodiment, the transformed datasets are then moved to the data mart, where users can perform further transformations as required. data explorer component 40 is configured to enable users to perform exploratory data analysis on the datasets to determine trends and anomalies within the dataset. in one embodiment, data explorer component 40 is configured to provide a preview of the data and the schema of a dataset. further, the data explorer component is configured to enable the users to visually present the datasets in the form of graphs and charts. in a further embodiment, data explorer component 40 is configured to enable the user to employ interactive tools such as python jupyter notebooks, to generate advanced visual representations of the datasets. fig. 5 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a learning module implemented according to aspects of the present technique. learning module 50 comprises data wrangling component 52 , signal detection component 54 , feature engineering component 56 and model building component 58 . each component is described in further detail below. data wrangling component 52 is configured to transform datasets (received from the data mart component, for example) into a more refined set. in one embodiment, these transformations are applied to distinct entities of data such as fields, rows, columns, data values etc. with specific actions like extractions, parsing, joining, standardizing, augmenting, cleansing, consolidating and filtering to create a refined output dataset for further use. an example screenshot 100 of the data wrangling component is shown in fig. 6 . signal detection components is configured to identify patterns within datasets. for example, the signal detection components is configured to determine the factors that are responsible for variation in sales. in one embodiment, interactive computational tools such as jupyter notebooks are used to determine the desired factors. signal detection is enabled by a set of interactive components such as data reusable data science packages, functions, code libraries. signal detection goes thru an iterative process where multiple versions, trials and experiements are run, compared and fine tuned to produce the appropriate set of feature components feature engineering component 56 is configured to analyze a variance in different parameters in response to applying complex calculation and constraints to the datasets. for example, the feature engineering component determines the variance in sales while applying with complex constraints such as moving average, fourier domain, etc. the feature engineering module creates feature components that are predictive of certain responses. each feature component is tested on the basis of one or many tests of data science significance. the feature engineering is enabled by a set of interactive components such as data reusable data science packages, functions, code libraries. feature engineering goes thru an iterative process where multiple versions, trials and experiements are run, compared and fine tuned to produce the appropriate set of feature components model training component 58 is configured train and test data science and artificial intelligence algorithms to produce model components derived from the datasets generated by the reusable data components of data smodule as well as the from the data wrangling, signal detection and feature engineering components. the model training is enabled by a set of interactive components such as data reusable data science packages, functions, code libraries and the like. model training goes through an iterative process where multiple versions, trials and experiements are run, compared and fine tuned to produce the appropriate set of model components 30 . an example screenshot of the model training component 58 is shown in fig. 7 . as can be seen from fig. 7 , the interactive component used in this example is implemented using jupyter notebooks. as described in fig. 1 , model components generated by the learning module is then used to create an ai pipeline. an example ai pipeline 112 is shown in a build ai pipeline screen shot in fig. 8 . the ai pipeline is generated by using the components of the learning module—that is the data wrangling component 114 , feature engineering component 116 and the model training component 118 . the parameters of the all components may be configured as shown in the box labelled 120 . once the ai pipeline is built, it is then published and monitored as shown in screenshot 130 of fig. 9 . the ai enabled applications built using a communication module as described in fig. 1 . the communication module is described in further detail below. fig. 10 is an example screenshot of a communication module configured to enable a user to configure the communication components for building the ai enabled application. the screenshot 130 illustrates various communication components namely the visual components 132 , the external apis component 134 , the user interface component 136 and the databound apis 138 . these components are used to configure a predictive asset maintenance application, for example, as shown in fig. 10 . the user may create a new applications or modify existing application as shown in screenshot 140 of fig. 11 . it may be noted that each components is configurable based on a plurality of parameters. these parameters may be provided by the user or set at a default value. after all parameters are entered and monitored, the ai application is published as shown in screenshot 150 of fig. 12 . the above described techniques provide many advantages including accelerating the speed of configuration and activation of ai applications that require continuous learning, monitoring, tracking and configuration of components across different aspects. further, the above described technique reduces operational costs and hurdles and eases ongoing improvements and maintenance. it also facilitates standardization, reuse, productivity, capture ip of ai components across the organization. the use of standardised interfaces reduces reduces friction and streamlines hand-off s between various activities data engineering, data science, software automation and user interface design. the ai platform described herein also captures knowledge and ip across all layers (audibility and transparency of all activities and components). the afore mentioned description is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. the broad teachings of the disclosure may be implemented in a variety of forms. therefore, while this disclosure includes particular examples, the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent upon a study of the drawings, the specification, and the following claims. it should be understood that one or more steps within a method may be executed in different order (or concurrently) without altering the principles of the present disclosure. further, although each of the example embodiments is described above as having certain features, any one or more of those features described with respect to any example embodiment of the disclosure may be implemented in and/or combined with features of any of the other embodiments, even if that combination is not explicitly described. in other words, the described example embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and permutations of one or more example embodiments with one another remain within the scope of this disclosure. while only certain features of several embodiments have been illustrated, and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. it is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of inventive concepts.
|
181-563-811-180-66X
|
US
|
[
"US",
"EP",
"DE"
] |
D06F75/18
| 1991-11-21T00:00:00 |
1991
|
[
"D06"
] |
steam iron including boiler and overlying extraction channel
|
an electric steam iron includes a housing, a water reservoir, a boiler in fluid flow communication with the water reservoir, a soleplate, a steam cover overlying the soleplate in spaced relation thereto for defining a steam boiler chamber. an electrically operated heater is associated with the soleplate. a fluid control device regulates the flow of fluid from the reservoir to the steam boiler chamber. the chamber has a first portion for receiving water from the reservoir and a second portion. an extraction channel is formed overlying the second portion of the steam chamber. the steam cover has a first opening communicating the steam chamber with the extraction channel. the soleplate has a steam distribution chamber spaced from the steam boiler chamber. the steam cover has a second opening for communicating the extraction channel with the steam distribution chamber.
|
1. an electric steam iron comprising: a housing; a water reservoir mounted in said housing; a soleplate connected to said housing; a steam cover overlying said soleplate in spaced relation thereto for encompassing a steam boiler chamber therebetween, said chamber having a first portion for receiving water from said reservoir and a second portion positioned rearwardly of said first portion; an electrically operated heater associated with the soleplate; fluid control means for regulating a flow of fluid from said water reservoir to said steam boiler chamber; means comprising at least one extraction channel overlying said second portion of said steam boiler; said steam cover having at least a first opening for communicating said steam boiler chamber with said extraction channel; said soleplate having a steam distribution chamber separated from and positioned rearwardly of said steam boiler chamber, said steam cover having at least a second opening positioned rearwardly of said first opening for communicating said extraction channel with said steam distribution chamber; and means for directing the steam from said distribution chamber across said electronically operated heater to a plurality of steam distribution ports formed in said soleplate. 2. the steam iron in according with claim 1 wherein said steam cover includes first diverter means adjacent to said first opening and extending from said cover into said steam boiler chamber. 3. the steam iron in accordance with claim 2 wherein said second opening includes a downwardly extending second diverter means for preventing fluid flow from said second opening along a surface of said cover facing said second portion of said steam boiler chamber. 4. the steam iron in accordance with claim 3 wherein said steam boiler chamber includes means forming a reservoir for collecting water when the iron is oriented such that the soleplate is held in a vertically upward direction relative to a horizontal plane. 5. the steam iron in accordance with claim 2 wherein said steam boiler chamber includes means forming a reservoir for collecting water when the iron is oriented such that the soleplate is held in a vertically upward direction relative to a horizontal plane. 6. the steam iron in accordance with claim 1 wherein said second opening includes a downwardly extending diverter for preventing fluid flow from said second opening along a surface of said cover facing said second portion of said steam boiler chamber. 7. the steam iron in accordance with claim 1 wherein said steam boiler chamber includes means forming a reservoir for collecting water when the iron is oriented such that the soleplate is held in a vertically upward direction relative to a horizontal plane.
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background of the invention 1. field of the invention this invention relates to an electric steam iron and in particular, to a steam generating and extracting system for high rates of steam generation. 2. background information generally, most electric steam irons in use today employ a "flash" steam system wherein water contained in a water reservoir is dropped directly on a hot soleplate to generate steam. the generated steam is usually super-heated and its temperature is proportional to the soleplate temperature. it has been found that relatively high temperature super-heated steam is not as effective for ironing garments as steam at or near saturated conditions (100.degree. c.). it has also been determined that saturated steam with some moisture content can relax the fabric of the garment being ironed and result in a more satisfactorily ironed garment. it has also been determined that the use of relatively high steam rates can significantly improve the ironing characteristics of many common fabrics. typically, in irons using the "flash" steam system, the steam is directed through a tortuous path to separate any entrained water from the steam. the typical tortuous path is reasonably effective for moderate steam rates, e.g. 10 grams of steam per minute. the effectiveness of a typical tortuous path however does not generally permit steam to be generated at all ironing temperatures or at relatively high steam rates. generally, electric steam irons start to water spot at about 130.degree.-135.degree. c. at a steam rate of only 10 grams per minute. this shortcoming with conventional irons is particularly important since it has been found that superior ironing results for moisture sensitive fabrics such as cotton and cotton blends can be obtained by utilizing wet steam at lower than conventional temperatures, e.g. 110.degree.-150.degree. c. and at relatively high steam rates. these ironing conditions reduce the risk of scorching damage to the garment that can occur at the higher conventional ironing temperatures commonly used for cottons, e.g. 175.degree.-195.degree. c. additionally when using a higher steam rate such as 20 grams per minute at the higher temperatures conventionally used for cotton and cotton blends, e.g. 145.degree.-175.degree. c., water spotting can occur due to the limited effectiveness of typical tortuous paths and soleplate designs. these designs can typically only support high steam rates at the highest temperature settings of the iron e.g. 175.degree.-205.degree. c., without water spotting the garment. there have been some attempts to overcome the foregoing problem by the use of very high steam chambers with tall vertical walls cast into the iron's soleplate. the very height of these walls under most circumstances prevents relatively large droplets of water from escaping the steam generating chamber. the foregoing, while being generally effective in reducing water spotting at high steam rates and low temperatures, adds significant expense to the cost of the iron, consumes much space, and adds a significant amount of weight which makes the iron less user friendly. it is accordingly an object of this invention to generate relatively low temperature steam at relatively high steam rates without significantly increasing the height and/or weight of the iron. summary of the invention the foregoing object and other objects of this invention are attained in an electric steam iron having a housing; a water reservoir mounted in the housing; a soleplate; a heater for said soleplate; a steam cover overlying said soleplate in spaced relation for defining a steam boiler chamber therebetween, the chamber having a first portion for receiving water from said reservoir and a second portion; fluid control means for regulating the flow of fluid from said water reservoir to said boiler chamber; means defining an extraction channel overlying the second portion of the steam chamber; the steam chamber cover having at least one opening for communicating the steam chamber with said extraction channel means; and the soleplate having at least one distribution chamber separated from the steam boiler chamber, the steam cover having at least a second opening for communicating the extraction channel means with the steam distribution chamber. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an electric steam iron embodying the present invention; fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating details of the invention; fig. 3 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of an iron showing a second embodiment of the invention; and fig. 4 is a view similar to the one illustrated in fig. 3 showing yet another embodiment of the invention. description of the preferred embodiments referring now to the various figures of the drawings, a preferred embodiment of the invention shall now be described in detail. in referring to the various figures, like numerals shall refer to like parts. referring specifically to figs. 1 and 2 electric iron 10 includes a housing 12 formed from a suitable material such as polypropylene. an electric cord 14 extends from the rear of housing 12 and connects iron 10 to a source of electrical power. a water reservoir 16 is mounted or contained in housing 12. housing 12 includes a handle 15 and a saddle portion 17. a thermostat 18 controls the operating temperature of heater 28. control knob 19 located on saddle portion 17 is used to adjust thermostat 18. heater 28 is operatively connected to soleplate 24. the temperature of the soleplate may be varied by the user of iron 10 through appropriate adjustment of the thermostat. a second control knob 22 is mounted at the top forward portion of housing 12 and functions to regulate the operation of fluid control means 23. fluid flow control means 23 meters the flow of fluid from water reservoir 16 into a steam boiler chamber 30. a control button 20 is also mounted at the top of housing 12. control button 20 operates a pump 25 which is used to inject a relatively large quantity of water into boiler chamber 30. the water is injected when a surge of steam is desired by the user. pump 25 is also connected to a spray nozzle 21 located at the nose 27 of housing 12 for wetting fabric. as noted previously, it is advantageous that iron 10 be capable of producing steam at lower than conventional temperatures and at relatively high rates as well as producing steam at relatively high temperatures. to achieve the foregoing desiderata, relatively large droplets or slugs of water must be separated from the steam, otherwise water spotting of the garment being ironed will take place. to achieve the separation of water from the steam generated in steam boiler chamber 30, iron 10 of the present invention includes a steam cover plate 34. cover plate 34 defines the upper surface of steam boiler chamber 30. cover plate 34 includes a pair of openings 56, 58 which selectively communicate chamber 30 with reservoir 16 under control respectively of fluid control means 23 and surge control means 25. cover plate 34 has a generally u-shaped housing 36 mounted on its top surface towards the rear portion thereof. housing 36 defines an extraction channel 40. a pair of rectangular gaskets 41 provide a seal between each leg of housing 36 and cover plate 34. cover plate 34 includes a pair of laterally aligned openings 44. each opening 44 is vertically aligned with one of the legs of housing 36. each opening 44 includes a deflector formed as an inclined ramp 38. ramps 38 extend downwardly from cover plate 34 into steam boiler chamber 30 for a reason to be more fully described hereinafter. cover plate 34 further includes a second pair of openings 46, positioned rearwardly of openings 44. each opening 46 is vertically aligned with one of the legs of housing 36. each opening 46 includes an inwardly extending diverter or rib 42. the purpose of rib 42 shall be more fully explained hereinafter. the steam flowing through channel 40 passes through openings 46 into steam collection chambers 54. from collection chambers 54, the steam is distributed to ports 57 formed in the bottom wall of soleplate 24. the ends of each leg of u-shaped heater 28 are adjacent chambers 54. when the user of iron 10 desires steam, the user operates either button 20 or knob 22 to obtain respectively either a surge of steam, or steam generated by the metering of water into chamber 30 via the operation of fluid control means 23. the water delivered into chamber 30 is heated by heater 28 and is vaporized into steam when the temperature of the water reaches 100.degree. c. or higher. the steam in chamber 30 flows towards the rear of iron 10 and thus contacts the front surface of ramp 38. ramp 38 deflects any large water droplets entrained in the steam downwardly to separate the water droplets from the steam. the steam enters extraction channel 40 via openings 44 and passes rearwardly in the channel towards openings 46. steam flows through openings 46 into outlet chambers 54. outlet chambers 54 communicate across the top of the heater element with the steam distribution ports 57 formed in the soleplate. some slight cooling of the steam may occur inside channel 40. thus, water droplets may form in the steam flowing through channel 40. rib 42 prevents any droplets of water flowing through openings 46 from wicking along the bottom side of steam cover 34 and being distributed to the soleplate steam ports without touching the rear portion of the legs of heating element 28. flange 42 directs the steam into chambers 54 to insure that any large slugs of water are transformed into steam before reaching the soleplate ports. any excessive moisture or condensation remaining in the steam flowing into chambers 54 is vaporized as the steam passes over the rear portion of the legs of heating element 28. openings 44 are spaced forwardly of the rear wall 33 forming chamber 30. when the operating iron is placed on heel rest 52, the space between wall 33 and openings 44 functions as a reservoir or trap for the water/steam remaining in chamber 30. the remaining water/steam slowly exits chamber 30 through openings 44, extraction channel 40, openings 46, chambers 54 and the soleplate 24. when the steam rate becomes very high, a large pool of water is formed on the floor of chamber 30. ramp 38 prevents the pool of water from easily exiting the chamber due to wave action and in addition deflects most water particles entrained in the steam. boiler chamber 30 may become entirely flooded provided that heater 28 has enough wattage to produce steam across the entire wetted surface of the chamber and maintain the soleplate temperature while heat is being input to the fabric being ironed. it has been shown experimentally that 1300 watts produces acceptable results with a steam rate of 20 grams per minute while ironing cotton broadcloth at a variety of operating temperatures. less wattage was needed at lower steam rates. while the embodiment illustrated in figs. 1 and 2 require a separate housing 36 to form extraction channel 40, fig. 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment in which the bottom surface of the plastic skirt 56 typically employed on an iron forms the roof of the channel. rectangular gasket 48 which is held between the lower surface of skirt 56 and the top surface of steam cover plate 30 defines the ends of the channel and provides a suitable seal. the embodiment illustrated in fig. 3 provides an extremely low cost means for implementing the invention. fig. 4 illustrates yet another embodiment. a metal cover 60 is spaced below skirt 56 and is retained in a recessed groove formed in gasket 62. cover 60 forms the top surface of boiler chamber 30. while preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated, the invention should not be limited thereto but may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.
|
181-935-493-421-88X
|
DE
|
[
"KR",
"ZA",
"EP",
"DE",
"AT",
"US",
"CA",
"ES",
"PT",
"DK",
"WO"
] |
F41G1/387,F41C27/00,F41G1/16,F41C/,F41G/,F41G1/38,F41G1/033,F41G1/17,F41G1/02
| 2004-02-18T00:00:00 |
2004
|
[
"F41"
] |
weapon with a mounting rail
|
the invention relates to a hand fire arm (1) comprising a running rail (3) which is arranged on the upper side thereof and provided with a sighting device (13) on the rear end thereof and which can be lowered into the running rail (3), also provided with a front sighting device (11) which is arranged on the front side thereof. the front sighting device (11) can also be lowered into the running rail (3). the entire running rail is embodied in the form of a mounting rail (3) for mounting an additional device and the width thereof is such that it exceeds that of the lowerable front sighting and sighting device (11, 13). the invention also relates to a module consisting of a rapid fire weapon (1) comprising an extractable carrier bar and a mounting rail (3) for receiving additional devices which can be built onto the weapon (1) instead of the carrier bar and on whose front side a foldable front sighting device (11) is arranged and on whose rear side a foldable sighting device (13) is arranged. the invention also relates to a mounting rail which can be disposed on the upper side of a had firearm, wherein a foldable front sighting device can be arranged on the front side of the mounting rail and a folding sighting device can be arranged on the rear side thereof. ® kipo & wipo 2007
|
a slide rail (3) that can be fitted on or removed from the upper surface of a small arm (1), on the front surface of which a retractable front sight configuration (11) and on the rear surface of which a retractable rear sight configuration (13) are constructed, characterised in that the entire slide rail is designed as a mounting rail (3) for mounting an additional component and has a width that exceeds the width of the front sight and rear sight configurations (11, 13) that can be folded away in the mounting rail (3), so that a fitting can be slid on from the front or the rear. a slide rail according to claim 1, characterised in that the mounting rail (3) comprises a cross section that becomes narrower symmetrically in the downward direction. a slide rail according to one of claims 1 to 2, characterised in that the upper longitudinal edges of the mounting rail (3) are chamfered. a slide rail according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the mounting rail (3) is made from metal, in particular an aluminium alloy. a slide rail according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the rear sight configuration is a ring and bead sight (13). a slide rail according to one of claim 1, characterised in that the lateral position of the front sight configuration (11) and/or of the rear sight configuration (13) of the mounting rail (3) can be adjusted. a slide rail according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that at least a second mounting rail (9) extending parallel to the mentioned mounting rail (3) can be mounted laterally and angled. a slide rail according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that a fitting (5, 7) is mounted on the front surface and rear surface respectively of the mounting rail (3), for mounting on the small arm or the rapid-fire rifle (1). a small arm (1) with a slide rail (3) according to one of claims 1 to 8. a module comprising a rapid-fire rifle (1) with a detachable mounting bracket, and a slide rail (3) according to one of claims 1 to 8 to receive additional components, which can be fitted on the rifle (1) instead of the mounting bracket and comprises a retractable front sight (11) on the front surface and a retractable rear sight configuration (13) on the rear surface.
|
related application this patent is a continuation of international patent application serial no. pct/ep2005/001654, filed feb. 17, 2005, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. field of disclosure this disclosure relates generally to firearms, and, more particularly, to devices for mounting accessories to firearms and methods of operating the same. background firearm accessories are typically mounted to rails, sometimes known as sliding rails, prismatic rails, or accessory rails, which are coupled to the top or side profiles of the firearm. some conventional rails include both rear and front sights and, for some, either or both of the rear sight and the front sight are retractable. see, for example, u.s. patent publication no. 2003/0127085; u.s. pat. nos. 5,142,806; 5,590,484; and 6,499,245; and german patent no. de 199 05 405. retractable rear sights are particularly known in the field of hunting in drop barrel weapons, particular three-barreled guns, which are usually manufactured via an expensive manual labor process. typically, these foldable rear sights retract automatically when the weapon is set for firing rounds of buckshot to create a continuous surface with the sliding rail and then unfold again automatically when switching to rounds of bullets to provide sighting abilities. in addition, weapons shooting rounds of buckshot often also have a hinged, rough shotgun sight covering its rigidly mounted rifle sight. however, a front sight remains visible under all circumstances and protrudes over the front end of the sliding rail. consequently, the sliding rail, which is constructed as a straight sliding rail or as a hollow rail, may primarily facilitate the aiming of the weapon when either fleeting rounds of bullets or rounds of buckshot are used. however, though movable in a retractable manner, these sights, once in the unfolded position, may not be properly aligned with and for the marksman. other weapons, such as machine-produced modern automatic pistols, usually include a carrying strap mounted on the top side of the weapon, which provides a top layer of protection or cover for the operating elements of the weapon. the carrying strap also forms a carrying handle in which an optical or mechanical sight is embedded or to which such a sight is mounted. because the axis of the bore (i.e., center axis of the barrel) generally runs through the base plate of the shoulder support to minimize recoil action, the sight of the weapon must be attached at a considerable distance above the barrel so that the marksman occupies a natural position when firing the weapon. that is, the sight, which is the standard sight of the weapon, may be embedded in the carrying handle and may project far enough above the barrel of the weapon so that the line of sight is at an ideal distance above the weapon. consequently, the additional mounting of a special aiming device (e.g., a sniper scope, telescopic sight, laser sight etc.) to the weapon, often results in an inaccurate location of the sighting line because the standard sight already occupies the ideal location. because the carrying straps of most automatic firearms, such as pistols, are removable, it would be possible to replace the carrying strap with a special aiming device. however, this would then omit the standard sight, which is disadvantageous because the special aiming device usually cannot be used as universally as the standard sight. in addition, though additional prismatic rails to which the special aiming devices are mounted, may be removed with repeating weapons, pistols, machine guns, automatic pistols, etc., other devices (e.g., search lights) can be detachably mounted in such a way that they do not block the line of sight. in the case of weapons for snipers, guns and hunting rifles it is customary either to leave the standard sight off in the first place or to cover it up with the telescopic sight so that the standard sight can only be used when the telescopic sight has been taken off. in addition, there are telescopic sight assemblies for hunting weapons under which one can see through the standard sight; however, as indicated above with automatic pistols, this results in non-ideally positioned sights, i.e., the two lines of sight lie on top of one another so that, at best, only one can be optimal. a hunting rifle with a narrow prism rail for holding the telescopic sight must be tested again each time the telescopic sight is taken off and put back on. in the case of wider sight rails this is not necessary, in particular in the case of the so-called “picatinny rail.” thus, in this case, it is expedient to remove the special aiming device, in particular in military action, each time (e.g., after the action when the special sighting device is not required) to protect the weapon and/or the special sighting device from damage. this means that a standard weapon is generally equipped with its standard sight so that the weapon may be aimed even after the removal of the special aiming device. however, when conditions such as, for example, environmental conditions change, it may be practical to remove an accessory like the special aiming device whenever it has become impractical (e.g., a night sight during the daytime). then it is necessary that the standard sight is tested (i.e., adjusted) and that its line of sight is at the correct height, if possible. this is also true for other types of weapons and other types of accessories. for example, a laser sight used with a pistol may be practical during twilight but senseless if, for example, the batteries are dead or the weapon is being used on a sunny day in the open. however, though the inclusion of retractable sights greater decreases the need for gross realignment of the site while accessories are either mounted or removed, the retractable sights, once in the unfolded position, may, nonetheless be misaligned with and for the marksman. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is an oblique view of an example weapon with an example accessory rail. fig. 2 a is an oblique view toward the front of the example accessory rail of fig. 1 including a rear sight and a front sight. fig. 2 b is an oblique view toward the rear of the example accessory rail of fig. 1 including a rear sight and a front sight. fig. 3 shows the example accessory rail of fig. 2 a with the front and rear sights in the folded position. detailed description in general, the illustrated example shows a firearm with a sliding rail, i.e., accessory rail mounted on its top side, at whose rear end a sight arrangement is mounted that can be lowered into the accessory rail and at whose front end a front sight arrangement is mounted. in addition, the illustrated example may comprise a kit that includes an automatic pistol with a removable carrying strap. also, the illustrated example may also include an accessory rail that can be built onto the weapon in place of the carrying strap. finally, the illustrated example firearm may be any type of firearm such as, for example, a rifle, a handgun, a pistol, a machine gun, a shotgun, etc. throughout this description, position designations such as “above,” “below,” “top’” “forward,” “rear,” “front,” “back,” etc. are referenced to a firearm held in a normal firing position (i.e., pointed away from the shooter in a generally horizontal direction toward a target). furthermore, the normal firing position of the weapon is always assumed, i.e., the position in which the barrel runs along a horizontal axis and the elevation of the mounting device lies in a vertical plane that contains the barrel axis (for simplicity's sake lateral deviations on the basis of the projectile twist are not taken into consideration here). in fig. 1 an automatic firearm 1 is shown whose carrying handle (not shown) has been replaced by an accessory rail 3 , which is at a distance above the axis of the bore (not shown) and is arranged roughly parallel to the axis. in the illustrated example, the accessory rail 3 is a picatinny rail. the distance between the weapon 1 and the rail 3 is less than the distance between the weapon 1 and a carrying handle, when a carrying handle, instead of the rail 3 , is connected thereto. toward the rear end of the rail 3 , there is a rear holder 7 that is slipped onto a rail-like longitudinal formation at the top and rear side of the weapon case and acts like a movable bearing. at the other side, the front end of the rail 3 is fastened by bolts, or any other mechanical fastener, to the top and front side of the weapon case via a front holder 5 that acts like a fixed bearing. at the front of the rail 3 , there is a front recess 19 that lies transverse to the center of the rail 3 and is open at the top. likewise, at the rear of the rail 3 , there is a rear recess 21 that also lies transverse to the center of the rail 3 is and is open at the top. at the rear side of the front recess 19 , a front aiming device or sight 11 is seated that can be folded toward the front. further, at the front side of the rear recess 21 there is a rear aiming device or sight 13 , which can be folded toward the rear (see figs. 2 a , 2 b and 3 ). in the illustrated example, the rear sight 13 is a diopter sight, though other types of sights may be used either the front sight 11 or the rear sight 13 . the front sight 11 and the rear sight 13 can be in the unfolded position ( figs. 2 a , 2 b ) so that they serve as the standard sight of the automatic pistol 1 , or can be folded downward to the front or the back ( fig. 3 ) so that the rail 3 has essentially an even upper surface that is only interrupted by transverse slots 23 . the flatly folded front and rear sights 11 , 13 do not project beyond the contour of the rail 3 so that—when both the front sight 11 and diopter sight 13 are folded—an add-on unit such as, any other accessory, can be effortlessly slipped onto the rail 3 from the front or the rear or can be removed from therefrom with similar ease. as described in greater detail below, the front sight 11 includes a pair of transverse running pins or screws 17 is arranged that are used for lateral adjustment of the front sight 11 . the rear sight 13 may include similar structures for lateral adjustment thereof. the rear side of the rail 3 has a lateral rail assembly 15 on each side at the rear holder 7 , to which a lateral rail 9 can be mounted that is similar to the rail 3 , but which is shorter, offset and tilted by an angle, such as for example, 90° to the outside of the center axis. as shown in fig. 3 , there may be a lateral rail 9 on either or both sides of the weapon 1 . the rail 3 with its holders 5 , 7 as well as lateral rail(s) 9 may be made of an aluminum alloy and preferably provided with a coating or anodic treatment to protect these components from external damages including environmental factors such as, for example, ocean air. as described above, a significant disadvantage of known weapons is the inability to use both standard sights and other accessories such as, for example, special aiming devices. the present disclosure describes a rail with standard devices that can be used with other accessories. the example rail 3 , described herein may be used with handguns such as, for example, government issued weapons like automatic pistols. a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize several advantages of the disclosed illustrated example including the ability to mount additional accessories such as, for example, special aiming devices to the rail 3 without the misalignment of the sights that is experienced with conventional designs. in fact, with the illustrated example retractable sights 11 , 13 with lateral screws 17 , the line of sight is maintained in the most optimum position possible while accessories are coupled to or decoupled from the rail 3 . as described above, it is possible to mount additional accessories to the rail without sight losses because the front sight arrangement 11 and rear sight 13 can both be lowered into the accessory rail 3 . in addition, the entire accessory rail 3 , as constructed for the mounting of additional accessories, has a width that exceeds that of the front sight 11 and rear sight 13 . when both the front sight 11 and the rear sight 13 are lowered, an accessory can be slipped onto the example accessory rail 3 both from the front as well as from the rear because the lowered sights 11 , 13 are preferably flush to the upper surface of the accessory rail 3 . in addition, as described above, the width of the accessory rail 3 exceeds that of the sights 11 , 13 so that the sights, 11 , 13 , in the lowered state, do not impair the movement of an accessory on the accessory rail 3 . the actual lowering of front sight 11 and rear sight 13 is best described as being done by a folding action that causes a rotation of the front sight 11 and/or the rear sight 13 about an axis that is horizontal and transverse to the center bore axis. though wide rails are known to be constructed in the top casing of very heavy automatic pistol (e.g., the “desert eagle” by imi of israel), these weapons include standard rigidly connected sights, and, thus, do not allow other accessories to be slidably added or removed onto/from the rail from either the front or the rear. rather, these known firearms always require additional assemblies for any added accessories that are openably pivotable or otherwise expandable so these accessories can be widened far enough to be placed upon the rail from above. in addition, the marksman's line of vision is hindered when any accessory whose line of sight coincides or collides with that of the standard sight, i.e., the standard sight blocks the line of sight of an additional accessory. the accessory rail 3 can, as in the case of the aforementioned, known firearms, be integrated into the weapon 1 . however, the accessory rail 3 may also be slipped on and removed from the weapon 1 so that the weapon 1 has a modular construction, which enables the use of simple resources to create several designs in a cost-effective production. moreover, as mentioned above, the front sight 11 and/or rear sight 13 of the accessory rail 3 may be laterally adjusted to customize the standard sight as precisely as possible to each weapon and for each marksman. because of the modular construction of the accessory rail 3 and the sights 11 , 13 , practically the same line of sight can be created repeatedly, and the example accessory rail 3 may, in principle, be used with various types of firearms without restriction. for example, the accessory rail 3 may be used with weapons for snipers, automatic pistols, machine guns and pistols, bazookas, portable grenade launchers for direct or quasi-direct shooting, and many more. however, the interface between the accessory rail 3 and the case of the weapon 1 must be compatible. as noted above, the example accessory rail 3 is particularly suited for an automatic firearm that includes a handle-like component (not shown) on the top of the weapon 1 that includes a sight. as described herein, the handle-like component may serve as a protective covering, a handle, and a platform or support for the sight, wherein the sighting has a line of sight that lies relatively far above the top of the weapon. with a sight that lies far above the top the weapon 1 , the weapon 1 may be designed so that the shoulder support lies about at the height of the axis of the bore (center axis of the barrel), which provides for a more favorable recoil along this axis. without a protective cover, some weapons have a sight that can be turned downward (e.g., with the swiss automatic rifle 57 ). however, as soon as the parts must be protected from rough contact with the environment, such as for example with the cocking slide of the french automatic rifle fa mas f3, the marksman couples a protective or carrying strap to the top side of the weapon, which then carries the standard sight above the top of the weapon (as mentioned above). when a sight is located further above the top of a weapon, the sight requires greater fastening so as to be affected less by the backlash or recoil of the weapon. consequently, it is particularly difficult to mount an additional, backlash-free rail or holder for the accessories that, when needed, permits a special aiming device or sight above the standard sight but also arranges the line of sight of the accessory as anatomically favorable as that of the standard sight. therefore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the illustrated example is beneficial because the example described herein includes a kit made up of an automatic rifle 1 with a detachable carrying strap and an accessory rail 3 for holding accessories that can be built or placed on the rifle 1 in place of the previous carrying strap and, which further has a retractable front sight 11 on its front side and a retractable rear sight 13 on its rear side. because the carrying strap must be mounted to resist recoil in transverse direction and vertical direction of the weapon 1 , the accessory rail 3 can likewise be similarly mounted to resist recoil. in addition to serving as the protective covering for the movable parts of the weapon 1 , the accessory rail 3 also provides a base for mounting other accessories where the line of sight of the additional accessories will not be too high, as occurs with the sight on the carrying handle. this is because the accessory rail 3 runs lower over the weapon 1 than the carrying handle, the sights 11 , 13 can be folded downward to allow accessories to pass thereover, and the accessories can be mounted above the accessory rail 3 at precisely the ideal height. in addition, the position of the accessory rail 3 only indirectly influences that of the line of sight of the standard sight. as mentioned throughout, the illustrated example assembly rail 3 , when mounted to the top side of a firearm, may include a variety of other accessories. because the front and rear sights 11 , 13 , are retractable, the accessories may be easily and quickly coupled and/or decoupled the accessory rail 3 by, for example, simply sliding the accessory onto the accessory rail 3 . when the sights 11 , 13 are in the folded or closed state, the accessories can be added and/or removed. when the sights 11 , 13 are in the open or unfolded state, the sights 11 , 13 are ideally positioned above and vertical to the accessory rail 3 . in addition to the retractability of the front and rear sights 11 , 13 , the accessories are easily attachable to the accessory rail 3 because the cheek pieces of the accessories must only grasp and/or release the accessory rail 3 . contrarily, with traditional designs, the accessories have to be widely expanded so as to clear the accessory rail 3 and be lifted upward for removal from the weapon 1 . furthermore, the shape of the accessory rail 3 can vary widely. however, the cross-sectional profile should remain the same so as to not hinder the ability of any accessory to be mounted or removed from the accessory rail 3 through the forward or rearward sliding of the accessory over the accessory rail 3 as described above. one example shape is for the accessory rail 3 is that the accessory rail 3 has a downward tapering symmetrical cross-section. that is, the accessory rail 3 is similar to a dovetail. in addition, the upper longitudinal edges of the accessory rail 3 may preferably be beveled so that no sharp corners are formed on which the marksman could injure himself. the accessory rail 3 should also have the transverse slots 23 into which a bolt, cheek piece or other portion of the accessories can grasp. this shape is well-known for example with picatinny rails. such a rail is, compared to the dovetail of classical slip-on assemblies, relatively wide and in some circumstances designed of plastic. within the framework of the present invention it is, however, preferred that the accessory rail 3 consist of a metal, and in particular, of an aluminum alloy. the metal ensures resistance against surface pressures. in addition, because of the large dimensions of a picatinny rail, a light metal is completely sufficient to securely carry even heavy devices such as, for example, distance meters that are equipped with electronics for calculation of elevation. also, because the height of the accessory rail 3 with respect to the weapon 1 is much lower than the carrying handle of traditional designs, even heavier, more durable designs of accessories can be used than could be mounted on the carrying handle. the retractable sights 11 , 13 may be an open sight as is known from hunting rifles and most military rifles of the early 20th century. however, it is preferred that at least one the sights 11 , 13 be a diopter sight. while a diopter sight is inferior to an open sight in luminous intensity and immunity to dirt and moisture, a diopter sight has quite significant advantages as far as accommodating the capacity of the eye and the experience of the marksman are concerned. the rear sight 13 is favored for the placement of the diopter sight so that the diopter sight is placed close to the eye of the marksman. placement of the rear sight 13 close to the marksman's eye enables the length of the accessory rail 3 to be fully exploited for the standard sight. in particular, the accessory rail 3 should be brought as close as possible up to below the eye of the marksman, which would permit optical sights of all types, even small ones. if the accessory rail 3 is mounted to a handgun, in particular to an automatic pistol, then the accessory rail 3 is fixed in the vertical and the transverse directions. however, the accessory rail 3 has a movable bearing in longitudinal direction that enables the accessory rail 3 to accept tolerances, thermal expansions, etc. of the weapon 1 without generating tensions. therefore the accessory rail 3 can also have a considerable length compared to usual military slip-on assemblies, which further improves the precision of the position of the sights 11 , 13 . consequently, the illustrated example also includes lateral position adjusters 17 that are used to adjust the lateral positions of either or both the front sight 11 or the rear sight 13 , which enables the standard sight to be customized as precisely as possible to each weapon. in an alternative example, the accessory rail 3 for the weapon 1 (e.g., an automatic firearm) may be sold or otherwise kept with the carrying handle for that weapon 1 . in such cases, the accessory rail 3 can be removed from the weapon 1 and replaced with the carrying handle and vice versa depending on the marksman's choice and/or situation (e.g., environmental or transportation concerns) without it being necessary to test the respective standard sight again. often several accessories are mounted to a weapon, such as an infrared night aiming device and its associated search lights. formerly it was usually customary to arrange these devices on top of one another, which resulted in considerable overall heights for the equipped weapon. with the illustrated example accessory rail 3 , there is at least one second accessory rail 9 , which extends parallel to the first or main accessory rail 3 . the second accessory rail 9 may be mounted laterally and at an angle such as, for example, an orthogonal. consequently, accessories may be arranged in collar-like fashion around the weapon 1 and, therefore, cause the weapon to be more compact. by mounting the second accessory rail(s) 9 to the rear side of the first accessory rail 3 , several sighting devices may be arranged within the field of vision of the marksman. provided that no other devices or components of the weapon 1 are disturbed, it may be possible to work the accessory rail 3 from the top casing of the weapon 1 . alternatively, the accessory rail 3 may be separately manufactured and then placed directly on the weapon 1 . no further fastening devices are needed. however, for added security, a front holder 5 and a rear holder 7 are placed at the front end and rear end of the accessory rail 3 , respectively. the use of the holders 5 , 7 , is advantageous because the holders 5 , 7 may be designed individually as a fixed bearing or a movable bearing. consequently, as is analogous for example in the case of a steel bridge, the relative thermal expansions between the weapon 1 and the accessory rail 3 are permitted and accommodated for without having any effect on these or other components. although certain example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture have been described herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. on the contrary, this patent covers all methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope of the appended claims either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.
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182-659-280-348-47X
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US
|
[
"US"
] |
G07F17/32,G07F17/00,G06F9/24
| 2013-12-14T00:00:00 |
2013
|
[
"G07",
"G06"
] |
augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system
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an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system is disclosed. the system includes an interactive controller operatively connected to an application controller by a network, the interactive controller configured to: communicate application telemetry; receive application outcomes, advancement of an interactive application being based on the application outcomes; and receive a wager outcome. the system also includes a wager controller operatively connected to the application controller, the wager controller constructed to: receive application outcome requests; generate application outcomes; communicate the application outcomes; determine a wager outcome. the system also includes the application controller operatively connected to the interactive controller and the wager controller, the application controller constructed to: receive the application telemetry; communicate the application outcome request; receive the application outcomes; communicate the application outcomes; receive the wager outcome; and communicate the wager outcome.
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1 . an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system, comprising: an interactive controller operatively connected to an application controller by a network, the interactive controller configured to: communicate, to an application controller, first application telemetry; receive, from the application controller, a first application outcome, wherein advancement of an interactive application provided by the interactive controller is based on the first application outcome; communicate, to the application controller, second application telemetry; and receive, from the application controller, a second application outcome and a wager outcome, wherein advancement of the interactive application is based on the second application outcome; a wager controller operatively connected to the application controller, the wager controller constructed to: receive, from the application controller, a first application outcome request; generate the first application outcome based on the first application outcome request; communicate, to the application controller, the generated first application outcome; receive, from the application controller, a second application outcome request; generate a second application outcome based on the second application outcome request; determine a wager outcome based on the first application outcome and the second application outcome; and communicate, to the application controller, the second application outcome and the wager outcome; and the application controller operatively connected to the interactive controller and the wager controller, the application controller constructed to: receive, from the interactive controller, the first application telemetry; communicate, to the wager controller, the first application outcome request based on the first application telemetry; receive, from the wager controller, the first application outcome; communicate, to the interactive controller, the first application outcome; receive, from the interactive controller, the second application telemetry; communicate, to the wager controller, the second application outcome request based on the second application telemetry; receive, from the wager controller, the second application outcome and the wager outcome; and communicate, to the interactive controller, the second application outcome and the wager outcome. 2 . the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system of claim 1 , wherein the wager controller and the application controller are constructed from a same device. 3 . the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system of claim 1 , wherein the wager controller and the application controller are constructed from different devices. 4 . the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system of claim 3 , wherein the wager controller is operatively connected to the application controller by the network. 5 . the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system of claim 1 , wherein the first application telemetry and the second application telemetry comprise application state information associated with a state of the interactive application, wherein the first application outcome request and the second application outcome request comprise application outcome parameters, wherein the application outcome parameters are based on the application state information, and wherein the first application outcome and the second application outcome are based on the application outcome parameters. 6 . the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system of claim 5 , wherein the application state information comprises one or more previously received application outcomes. 7 . the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system of claim 1 , wherein the wager controller is further constructed to store the generated first application outcome and store the generated second application outcome, and wherein the generating of the second application outcome is further based on the stored generated first application outcome. 8 . the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system of claim 7 , wherein the generated first application outcome and the generated second application outcome are stored locally. 9 . the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system of claim 7 , wherein the generated first application outcome and the generated second application outcome are stored remotely and accessible via the network. 10 . the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system of claim 1 , wherein the interactive controller is further configured to generate an application outcome, and wherein the advancement of the interactive application is further based on the interactive controller generated application outcome. 11 . the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system of claim 1 , wherein the first application telemetry and the second application telemetry comprise an identifier associated with the interactive application, wherein the first application outcome request and the second application outcome request comprise the interactive application identifier, and wherein the wager outcome is based on a paytable associated with the interactive application identifier. 12 . an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system, comprising: an interactive controller operatively connected to an application controller, the interactive controller configured to: communicate, to an application controller, first application telemetry; receive, from the application controller, a first application outcome, wherein advancement of an interactive application provided by the interactive controller is based on the first application outcome; communicate, to the application controller, second application telemetry; and receive, from the application controller, a second application outcome and a wager outcome, wherein advancement of the interactive application is based on the second application outcome a wager controller operatively connected to the application controller by a network, the wager controller constructed to: receive, from the application controller, a first application outcome request; generate the first application outcome based on the first application outcome request; communicate, to the application controller, the generated first application outcome; receive, from the application controller, a second application outcome request; generate a second application outcome based on the second application outcome request; determine a wager outcome based on the first application outcome and the second application outcome; and communicate, to the application controller, the second application outcome and the wager outcome; and the application controller operatively connected to the interactive controller and the wager controller, the application controller constructed to: receive, from the interactive controller, the first application telemetry; communicate, to the wager controller, the first application outcome request based on the first application telemetry; receive, from the wager controller, the first application outcome; communicate, to the interactive controller, the first application outcome; receive, from the interactive controller, the second application telemetry; communicate, to the wager controller, the second application outcome request based on the second application telemetry; receive, from the wager controller, the second application outcome and the wager outcome; and communicate, to the interactive controller, the second application outcome and the wager outcome. 13 . the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system of claim 12 , wherein the interactive controller and the application controller are constructed from the same device. 14 . the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system of claim 12 , wherein the first application telemetry and the second application telemetry comprise application state information associated with a state of the interactive application, wherein the first application outcome request and the second application outcome request comprise application outcome parameters, wherein the application outcome parameters are based on the application state information, and wherein the first application outcome and the second application outcome are based on the application outcome parameters. 15 . the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system of claim 14 , wherein the application state information comprises one or more previously received application outcomes. 16 . the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system of claim 12 , wherein the wager controller is further constructed to store the generated first application outcome and store the generated second application outcome, and wherein the generating of the second application outcome is further based on the stored generated first application outcome. 17 . the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system of claim 16 , wherein the generated first application outcome and the generated second application outcome are stored locally. 18 . the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system of claim 16 , wherein the generated first application outcome and the generated second application outcome are stored remotely and accessible via the network. 19 . the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system of claim 12 , wherein the interactive controller is further configured to generate an application outcome, and wherein the advancement of the interactive application is further based on the interactive controller generated application outcome. 20 . the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system of claim 12 , wherein the first application telemetry and the second application telemetry comprise an identifier associated with the interactive application, wherein the first application outcome request and the second application outcome request comprise the interactive application identifier, and wherein the wager outcome is based on a paytable associated with the interactive application identifier.
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cross reference to related applications this application claims the benefit of u.s. provisional patent application no. 61/916,195, filed dec. 14, 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. this application references patent cooperation treaty application no. pct/us11/26768, filed mar. 1, 2011, patent cooperation treaty application no. pct/us11/63587, filed dec. 6, 2011, and patent cooperation treaty application no. pct/us12/58156, filed sep. 29, 2012, the contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. field of the invention embodiments of the present invention are generally related to communications within data processing systems. more particularly, the present invention relates to the communication and processing of wagering data. background the gaming industry has traditionally developed electronic gaming machines that present simple wagering games to a user. the communication and processing needs for these simple wagering games are easily met using conventional processing systems. however, more complicated wagering games need communication and processing systems that are better suited for implementing these more complicated wagering games. various aspects of embodiments of the present invention meet such a need. summary of the invention systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention provide a communication and data processing system constructed for an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. an embodiment includes an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system, including: an interactive controller operatively connected to an application controller by a network, the interactive controller configured to: communicate, to an application controller, first application telemetry; receive, from the application controller, a first application outcome, wherein advancement of an interactive application provided by the interactive controller is based on the first application outcome; communicate, to the application controller, second application telemetry; and receive, from the application controller, a second application outcome and a wager outcome, wherein advancement of the interactive application is based on the second application outcome. the system also includes a wager controller operatively connected to the application controller, the wager controller constructed to: receive, from the application controller, a first application outcome request; generate the first application outcome based on the first application outcome request; communicate, to the application controller, the generated first application outcome; receive, from the application controller, a second application outcome request; generate a second application outcome based on the second application outcome request; determine a wager outcome based on the first application outcome and the second application outcome; and communicate, to the application controller, the second application outcome and the wager outcome. the system also includes the application controller operatively connected to the interactive controller and the wager controller, the application controller constructed to: receive, from the interactive controller, the first application telemetry; communicate, to the wager controller, the first application outcome request based on the first application telemetry; receive, from the wager controller, the first application outcome; communicate, to the interactive controller, the first application outcome; receive, from the interactive controller, the second application telemetry; communicate, to the wager controller, the second application outcome request based on the second application telemetry; receive, from the wager controller, the second application outcome and the wager outcome; and communicate, to the interactive controller, the second application outcome and the wager outcome. in a further embodiment, the wager controller and the application controller are constructed from a same device. in a further embodiment, the wager controller and the application controller are constructed from different devices. in a further embodiment, the wager controller is operatively connected to the application controller by the network. in a further embodiment, the first application telemetry and the second application telemetry comprise application state information associated with a state of the interactive application, the first application outcome request and the second application outcome request comprise application outcome parameters, wherein the application outcome parameters are based on the application state information, and the first application outcome and the second application outcome are based on the application outcome parameters. in a further embodiment, the application state information comprises one or more previously received application outcomes. in a further embodiment, the wager controller is further constructed to store the generated first application outcome and store the generated second application outcome, and the generating of the second application outcome is further based on the stored generated first application outcome. in a further embodiment, the generated first application outcome and the generated second application outcome are stored locally. in a further embodiment, the generated first application outcome and the generated second application outcome are stored remotely and accessible via the network. in a further embodiment, the interactive controller is further configured to generate an application outcome, and the advancement of the interactive application is further based on the interactive controller generated application outcome. in a further embodiment, the first application telemetry and the second application telemetry comprise an identifier associated with the interactive application, the first application outcome request and the second application outcome request comprise the interactive application identifier, and the wager outcome is based on a paytable associated with the interactive application identifier. another embodiment includes an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system, including an interactive controller operatively connected to an application controller, the interactive controller configured to: communicate, to an application controller, first application telemetry; receive, from the application controller, a first application outcome, wherein advancement of an interactive application provided by the interactive controller is based on the first application outcome; communicate, to the application controller, second application telemetry; and receive, from the application controller, a second application outcome and a wager outcome, wherein advancement of the interactive application is based on the second application outcome. the system also includes a wager controller operatively connected to the application controller by a network, the wager controller constructed to: receive, from the application controller, a first application outcome request; generate the first application outcome based on the first application outcome request; communicate, to the application controller, the generated first application outcome; receive, from the application controller, a second application outcome request; generate a second application outcome based on the second application outcome request; determine a wager outcome based on the first application outcome and the second application outcome; and communicate, to the application controller, the second application outcome and the wager outcome. the system also includes the application controller operatively connected to the interactive controller and the wager controller, the application controller constructed to: receive, from the interactive controller, the first application telemetry; communicate, to the wager controller, the first application outcome request based on the first application telemetry; receive, from the wager controller, the first application outcome; communicate, to the interactive controller, the first application outcome; receive, from the interactive controller, the second application telemetry; communicate, to the wager controller, the second application outcome request based on the second application telemetry; receive, from the wager controller, the second application outcome and the wager outcome; and communicate, to the interactive controller, the second application outcome and the wager outcome. brief description of the drawings fig. 1a is a diagram of a structure of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. fig. 1b is a diagram of a land-based configuration of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. fig. 1c is another diagram of a land-based configuration of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. fig. 1d is a diagram of an interactive configuration of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. fig. 1e is a diagram of a mobile configuration of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. figs. 2a , 2 b, 2 c, and 2 d are illustrations of interactive controllers of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. figs. 3a , 3 b and 3 c are diagrams of distributed augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering systems in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. figs. 4a and 4b are diagrams of a structure of an interactive controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. figs. 5a and 5b are diagrams of a structure of a wager controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. figs. 6a and 6b are diagrams of a structure of an application controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. figs. 7a and 7b are diagrams of a structure of a user management and session controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. fig. 8 is a sequence diagram of interactions between components of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. fig. 9 is a collaboration diagram for components of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. fig. 10 illustrates components and processes of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. fig. 11 is a sequence diagram of interactions between components of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. detailed description an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system interleaves wagering with non-wagering activities. in some embodiments of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system an interactive application executed by an interactive controller provides non-wagering components of the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. the interactive controller is operatively connected to an application controller that manages and configures the interactive application of the interactive controller and determines when wagers should be interleaved with the operations of the interactive application. the application controller is further operatively connected to a wager controller that provides one or more wagering propositions for one or more wagers. in some embodiments, the interactive controller also includes a wagering user interface that is used to display data about a wagering process, including but not limited a wager outcome of a wager made in accordance with a wagering proposition. the content of the wagering user interface is controlled by the application controller and includes content provided by the wager controller. in several embodiments, a user or user interactions are represented in an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system by the electronic representation of interactions between the user and the interactive application, typically received via a user interface of the interactive application, and a user profile of the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system associated with the user. many different types of interactive applications may be utilized with the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. in some embodiments, the interactive application reacts to the physical activity of the user. in these embodiments, the user interacts with the interactive application through one or more sensors that monitor the user's physical activities. such sensors may include, but are not limited to, physiological sensors that monitor the physiology of the user, environmental sensors that monitor the physical environment of the user, accelerometers that monitor changes in motion of the user, and location sensors that monitor the location of the user such as global positioning sensors. in some embodiments, the interactive application is a skill-based interactive game that is played by the user. in some embodiments, the interactive application is a tool used by the user to achieve some useful goal. in operation, a user interacts with the interactive application using various types of elements of the interactive application in an interactive application environment. elements are interactive application resources utilized by the user within the interactive application environment to provide an interactive experience for the user. wagers of credits are made in accordance with a wagering proposition as triggered by the user's use of one or more of the elements of the interactive application. wager outcomes of wagers of credits made in accordance with the wagering proposition can cause consumption, loss or accrual of credits. in accordance with some embodiments, wager outcomes of wagering events can influence elements in the interactive application such as, but not limited to, providing one or more new elements, restoring one or more consumed elements, causing the loss of one or more elements, and restoration or placement of one or more fixed elements. in various embodiments, the wagers may be made using one or more credits (cr). in some embodiments, cr can be one or more credits that are purchased using, and redeemed in, a real world currency having a real world value. in many embodiments, cr can be one or more credits in a virtual currency. virtual currency is an alternate currency that can be acquired, purchased or transferred by or to a user, but does not necessarily directly correlate to a real world currency. in many such embodiments, cr in a virtual currency are allowed to be purchased using a real world currency but are prevented from being redeemed in a real world currency having a real world value. in several embodiments, during interaction with the interactive application using the elements, a user can optionally consume and/or accrue application environment credit (ac) within the interactive application as a result of the user's use of the interactive application. ac can be in the form of, but is not limited to, application environment credits, experience points, and points generally. in various embodiments, when the interactive application is a skill-based interactive game, ac is awarded to a player of the skill-based interactive game on the basis of the player's skillful play of the skill-based interactive game. in such embodiments, ac may be analogous to the score in a typical video game. the skill-based interactive game can have one or more scoring criteria, embedded within an application controller and/or an interactive controller that provides the skill-based interactive game, that reflect user performance against one or more goals of the skill-based interactive game. in many embodiments, ac can be used to purchase in-application items, including but not limited to, application elements that have particular properties, power ups for existing items, and other item enhancements. in some embodiments, ac may be used to earn entrance into a sweepstakes drawing, to earn entrance in a tournament with prizes, to score in the tournament, and/or to participate and/or score in any other game event. in several embodiments, ac can be stored on a user-tracking card or in a network-based user tracking system where the ac is attributed to a specific user. in many embodiments, a wagering proposition includes a wager of ac for a wager outcome of a randomly generated payout of interactive application ac, elements, and/or objects in accordance with a wagering proposition. in a number of embodiments, a wager of an amount of cr results in a wager outcome of a payout of ac, elements, and/or objects that have a cr value if cashed out. in some embodiments, in a case that an interactive application is a skill-based interactive game, interactive application objects include in-application objects that may be used by a player of the skill-based interactive game to enhance the player's gameplay of the skill-based interactive game. such objects include, but are not limited to, power-ups, enhanced in-application items, and the like. in some embodiments, the interactive application objects include objects that are detrimental to the player's play of the skill-based interactive game such as, but not limited to, obstructions in the game space, a temporary player handicap, an enhanced opponent, and the like. in some embodiments, elements in an interactive application include, but are not limited to, enabling elements (ee) that are interactive application environment resources utilized during the user's use of the interactive application and whose utilization by the user while using the interactive application triggers execution of a wager in accordance with a wagering proposition. in another embodiment, elements in an interactive application include, but are not limited to, a reserve enabling element (ree), that is an element that converts into one or more enabling elements upon occurrence of a release event during an interactive user session. in yet another embodiment, elements in an interactive application include, but are not limited to, an actionable element (ae) that is an element that is acted upon during use of the interactive application to trigger a wager in accordance with a wagering proposition and may or may not be restorable during normal play of the interactive application. in yet another embodiment, elements in an interactive application include, but are not limited to, a common enabling element (cee) that is an element that may be shared by two or more users and causes a wagering event and associated wager to be triggered in accordance with the wagering proposition when used by one of the users during use of the interactive application. in some embodiments, in progressing through interactive application use, a user can utilize elements during interactions with a controlled entity (ce). a ce is a character, entity, inanimate object, device or other object under control of a user. in accordance with some embodiments of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system, the triggering of the wagering event and/or wager can be dependent upon an interactive application environment variable such as, but not limited to, a required object (ro), a required environmental condition (rec), or a controlled entity characteristic (cec). a ro is a specific interactive application object in an interactive application acted upon for an ae to be completed. a non-limiting example of an ro is a specific key needed to open a door. an rec is an interactive application state present within an interactive application for an ae to be completed. a non-limiting example of an rec is daylight whose presence enables a character to walk through woods. a cec is a status of the ce within an interactive application for an ae to be completed. a non-limiting example of a cec is requirement that a ce have full health points before entering battle. although various interactive application resources such as, but not limited to, the types of interactive application elements as discussed herein may be used to trigger a wager in accordance with a wagering proposition, one skilled in the art will recognize that any interactive application resource can be utilized in an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system to trigger of a wager as appropriate to the specification of a specific application in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. in several embodiments, an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system can utilize an application controller to monitor use of the interactive application executed by an interactive controller for detecting a trigger of a wagering event. the trigger for the wagering event can be detected by the application controller from the utilization of the interactive application in accordance with at least one wagering event occurrence rule. the trigger of the wagering event can be communicated to a wager controller. in response to notification of the trigger, the wager controller executes a wager in accordance with a wagering proposition. in addition, use of an interactive application in an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system can be modified by the application controller based upon the wager outcome. in several embodiments, a wagering event occurrence can be determined from one or more application environment variables within an interactive application that are used to trigger a wager and/or associated wager in accordance with a wagering proposition. application environment variables can include, but are not limited to, passage of a period of time during augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system interactive application use, a result from an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system interactive application user session (such as, but not limited to, achieving a goal or a particular score), a user action that is a consumption of an element, or a user action that achieves a combination of elements to be associated with a user profile. in numerous embodiments, an interactive application instruction is an instruction to an interactive controller and/or an interactive application to modify an interactive application state or modify one or more interactive application resources. in some embodiments, the interactive application instructions may be based upon one or more of a wager outcome and application environment variables. an interactive application instruction can modify any aspect of an interactive application, such as, but not limited to, an addition of a period of time available for a current interactive application user session for the interactive application of augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system, an addition of a period of time available for a future augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system interactive application user session or any other modification to the interactive application elements that can be utilized during interactive application use. in some embodiments, an interactive application instruction can modify a type of element whose consumption triggers a wagering event occurrence. in many embodiments, an interactive application instruction can modify a type of element whose consumption is not required in a wagering event occurrence. in a number of embodiments, a user interface can be utilized that depicts a status of the interactive application in the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. a user interface can depict any aspect of an interactive application including, but not limited to, an illustration of augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system interactive application use advancement as a user uses the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. in some embodiments, an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system including an application controller operatively connected to a wager controller and operatively connected to an interactive controller may provide for interleaving entertainment content from an interactive application. the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system provides for random wager outcomes in accordance with the wagering proposition that are independent of user skill while providing an interactive experience to the user that may be shaped by the user's skill. in several embodiments, an application controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system may provide for a communications interface for asynchronous communications between a wager controller and an interactive application provided by an interactive controller, by operatively connecting the interactive controller, and thus the interactive controller's interactive application, with the wager controller. in some embodiments, asynchronous communications provided for by an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system may reduce an amount of idle waiting time by an interactive controller of the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system, thus increasing an amount of processing resources that the interactive controller may provide to an interactive application or other processes of the interactive controller. in many embodiments, asynchronous communications provided for by an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system reduces an amount of idle waiting time by a wager controller, thus increasing an amount of processing resources that the wager controller may provide to execution of wagers to determine wager outcomes, and other processes provided by the wager controller. in some embodiments, a wager controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system may be operatively connected to a plurality of interactive controllers through one or more application controllers and the asynchronous communications provided for by the one or more application controllers allows the wager controller to operate more efficiently and provide wager outcomes to a larger number of interactive controllers than would be achievable without the one or more application controllers of the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. in some embodiments, an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system including an application controller operatively connected to a wager controller and operatively connected to an interactive controller may provide for simplified communication protocols for communications of the interactive controller as the interactive controller may communicate user interactions with an interactive application provided by the interactive controller to the application controller without regard to a nature of a wagering proposition to be interleaved with processes of the interactive application. in various embodiments, an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system including an application controller operatively connected to a wager controller and operatively connected to an interactive controller may provide for simplified communication protocols for communications of the wager controller as the wager controller may receive wager requests and communicate wager outcomes without regard to a nature of an interactive application provided by the interactive controller. various types of interleaved wagering systems are discussed in patent cooperation treaty application no. pct/us11/26768, filed mar. 1, 2011, patent cooperation treaty application no. pct/us11/63587, filed dec. 6, 2011, and patent cooperation treaty application no. pct/us12/58156, filed sep. 29, 2012, the contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. augmented or replaced application outcome wagering interleaved systems fig. 1a is a diagram of a structure of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system 128 includes an interactive controller 120 , an application controller 112 , and a wager controller 102 . the interactive controller 120 is operatively connected to, and communicates with, the application controller 112 . the application controller 112 is also operatively connected to, and communicates with, the wager controller 102 . in several embodiments, the wager controller 102 is a controller for providing one or more wagering propositions provided by the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system 128 and executes wagers in accordance with the wagering propositions. types of value of a wager can be one or more of several different types. types of value of a wager can include, but are not limited to, a wager of an amount of cr corresponding to a real currency or a virtual currency, a wager of an amount of ac earned by the player through use of an interactive application, a wager of an amount of elements of an interactive application, and a wager of an amount of objects used in an interactive application. a wager outcome determined for a wager in accordance with a wagering proposition can increase or decrease an amount of the type of value used in the wager, such as, but not limited to, increasing an amount of cr for a wager of cr. in various embodiments, a wager outcome determined for a wager in accordance with a wagering proposition can increase or decrease an amount of a type of value that is different than a type of value of the wager, such as, but not limited to, increasing an amount of an object of an interactive application for a wager of cr. in many embodiments, the wager controller 120 includes one or more pseudo random or random number generators (p/rng) 106 for generating random results, one or more paytables 108 for determining a wager outcome from the random results, and one or more credit or value meters 110 for storing amounts of wagered and won credits. the one or more p/rng generators 106 execute processes that can generate random or pseudo random results. the one or more paytables 108 are tables that can be used in conjunction with the random or pseudo random results to determine a wager outcome including an amount of cr, ac, elements or objects won as a function of augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system use. there can be one or more paytables 108 in the wager controller 102 . the paytables 108 are used to implement one or more wagering propositions in conjunction with a random output of the random or pseudo random results. in some embodiments, selection of a paytable to use to execute a wager can be based on factors including, but not limited to, interactive application progress a user has achieved through use of the interactive application, user identification, and eligibility of the user for bonus rounds. in various embodiments, the interactive controller 120 provides an interactive application 143 and provides human input devices (hids) and output devices for interacting with the user 140 . the interactive controller 120 provides for user interactions 142 with the interactive application 143 by receiving input from a user through the hids and providing outputs such as video, audio and/or other sensory output to the user using the output devices. the interactive controller 120 is operatively connected to, and communicates with, the application controller 112 . the interactive controller communicates application telemetry data 124 to the application controller 112 and receives application instructions and resources 136 from the application controller 112 . via the communication of application instructions and resources 136 , the application controller 112 can communicate certain interactive application resources including control parameters to the interactive application 143 to affect the interactive application's execution by the interactive controller 120 . in various embodiments, these interactive application control parameters can be based on a wager outcome of a wager that was triggered by an element in the interactive application being utilized or acted upon by the user. in some embodiments, execution of the interactive application by the interactive controller 120 communicates user interactions with the interactive application to the application controller 112 . the application telemetry data 124 includes, but is not limited to, the user's utilization of the elements in the interactive application. in some embodiments, the interactive application 143 is a skill-based interactive game. in such embodiments, execution of the skill-based interactive game by the interactive controller 120 is based on the user's skillful play of the skill-based interactive game. the interactive controller 120 can also communicate user choices made in the skill-based interactive game to the application controller 112 included in the application telemetry data 124 such as, but not limited to, the user's utilization of the elements of the skill-based interactive game during the user's skillful play of the skill-based interactive game. in such an embodiment, the application controller is interfaced to the interactive controller 120 in order to allow the coupling of the skill-based interactive game to wagers made in accordance with a wagering proposition. in some embodiments, the interactive controller 120 includes one or more sensors 138 that sense various aspects of the physical environment of the interactive controller 120 . examples of sensors include, but are not limited to: global positioning sensors (gpss) for sensing communications from a gps system to determine a position or location of the interactive controller; temperature sensors; accelerometers; pressure sensors; and the like. sensor telemetry data 128 is communicated by the interactive controller to the application controller 112 . the application controller 112 receives the sensor telemetry data 128 and uses the sensor telemetry data to make wager decisions. in many embodiments, the interactive controller includes a wagering user interface 148 used to display wagering data to the user. in various embodiments, an application control layer 131 resident in the interactive controller 120 provides an interface between the interactive controller 120 and the application controller 112 . the application control layer 131 implements an interactive controller to application controller communication protocol employing a device-to-device communication protocol in some embodiments, the application controller 112 includes an interactive controller interface 160 to an interactive controller. the interactive controller interface 160 provides for the communication of data between the interactive controller and the application controller, including but not limited to wager telemetry data 146 , application instructions and resources 136 , application telemetry data 124 , and sensor telemetry data 128 . in many embodiments, application controller 112 provides an interface between the interactive application 143 provided by the interactive controller 120 and a wagering proposition provided by the wager controller 102 . in various embodiments, the application controller 112 includes a wager controller interface 162 to a wager controller. the wager controller interface 162 provides for communication of data between the application controller 112 and the wager controller, including but not limited to wager outcome data 130 and wager data 129 . in some embodiments, the application controller 112 includes a user management and session controller interface 164 to a user management and session controller. the user management and session controller interface 164 provides for communication of data between the application controller 112 and the user management and session controller, including but not limited to user session control data 154 and user session telemetry data 152 . the application controller 112 includes a business rule decision engine 122 that receives telemetry data, such as application telemetry data 124 and sensor telemetry data 128 , from the interactive controller 120 . the business rule decision engine 122 uses the telemetry data, along with trigger logic 126 to generate wager data 129 used to trigger a wager in the wager controller 102 . in some embodiments, the application telemetry data 124 includes, but is not limited to, application environment variables that indicate the state of the interactive application 143 being used by a user 140 , interactive controller data indicating the state of the interactive controller, and user actions and interactions 142 between the user and the interactive application 143 provided by the interactive controller 120 . the wagering and/or wager data 129 may include, but is not limited to, an amount and type of the wager, a trigger of the wager, and a selection of a paytable 108 to be used when executing the wager. in some embodiments, the business rule decision engine 122 also receives wager outcome data 130 from the wager controller 102 . the decision engine 122 uses the wager outcome data 130 , in conjunction with the telemetry data and application logic 132 to generate application decisions 134 communicated to an application resource generator 138 . the application resource generator 138 receives the application decisions and uses the application decisions to generate application instructions and application resources 136 to be communicated to the interactive application 143 . in many embodiments, the application controller 112 includes a pseudo random or random result generator used to generate random results that are communicated to the application resource generator 138 . the application resource generator 138 uses the random results to generate application instructions and application resources 136 to be communicated to the interactive application 143 . in various embodiments, the business rule decision engine 122 also determines an amount of ac to award to the user 140 based at least in part on the user's use of the interactive application of the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system as determined from the application telemetry data 124 . in some embodiments, wager outcome data 130 may also be used to determine the amount of ac that should be awarded to the user. in numerous embodiments, the interactive application is a skill-based interactive game and the ac is awarded to the user for the user's skillful play of the skill-based interactive game. in some embodiments, the application decisions 134 and wager outcome data 130 are communicated to a wagering user interface generator 144 . the wagering user interface generator 144 receives the application decisions 134 and wager outcome data 130 and generates wager telemetry data 146 describing the state of wagering and credit accumulation and loss for the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. in some embodiments, the wager telemetry data 146 may include, but is not limited to, amounts of ac and elements earned, lost or accumulated by the user through use of the interactive application as determined from the application decisions, and cr amounts won, lost or accumulated as determined from the wager outcome data 130 and the one or more meters 110 . in some embodiments, the wager outcome data 130 also includes data about one or more game states of a gambling game executed in accordance with a wagering proposition by the wager controller 102 . in various such embodiments, the wagering user interface generator 144 generates a gambling game process display and/or gambling game state display using the one or more game states of the gambling game. the gambling game process display and/or gambling game state display is included in the wager telemetry data 146 that is communicated to the interactive controller 120 . the gambling game process display and/or a gambling game state display is displayed by the wagering user interface 148 to the user 140 . in other such embodiments, the one or more game states of the gambling game are communicated to the interactive controller 120 and the wagering user interface 148 generates the gambling game process display and/or gambling game state display using the one or more game states of the gambling game for display to the user 140 . the application controller 112 can further operatively connect to the wager controller 102 to determine an amount of credit or elements available and other wagering metrics of a wagering proposition. thus, the application controller 112 may potentially affect an amount of cr in play for participation in the wagering events of a wagering game provided by the wager controller 102 in some embodiments. the application controller 112 may additionally include various audit logs and activity meters. in some embodiments, the application controller 112 can also couple to a centralized server for exchanging various data related to the user and the activities of the user during game play of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. in many embodiments, one or more users can be engaged in using the interactive application executed by the interactive controller 120 . in various embodiments, an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system can include an interactive application that provides a skill-based interactive game that includes head-to-head play between a single user and a computing device, between two or more users against one another, or multiple users playing against a computer device and/or each other. in some embodiments, the interactive application can be a skill-based interactive game where the user is not skillfully playing against the computer or any other user such as skill-based interactive games where the user is effectively skillfully playing against himself or herself. in some embodiments, the operation of the application controller 112 does not affect the provision of a wagering proposition by the wager controller 102 except for user choice parameters that are allowable in accordance with the wagering proposition. examples of user choice parameters include, but are not limited to: wager terms such as but not limited to a wager amount; speed of game play (for example, by pressing a button or pulling a handle of a slot machine); and/or agreement to wager into a bonus round. in various embodiments, wager outcome data 130 communicated from the wager controller 102 can also be used to convey a status operation of the wager controller 102 . in a number of embodiments, communication of the wager data 129 between the wager controller 102 and the application controller 112 can further be used to communicate various wagering control factors that the wager controller 102 uses as input. examples of wagering control factors include, but are not limited to, an amount of cr, ac, elements, or objects consumed per wagering event, and/or the user's election to enter a jackpot round. in some embodiments, the application controller 112 utilizes the wagering user interface 148 to communicate certain interactive application data to the user, including but not limited to, club points, user status, control of the selection of choices, and messages which a user can find useful in order to adjust the interactive application experience or understand the wagering status of the user in accordance with the wagering proposition in the wager controller 102 . in some embodiments, the application controller 112 utilizes the wagering user interface 148 to communicate aspects of a wagering proposition to the user including, but not limited to, odds of certain wager outcomes, amount of cr, ac, elements, or objects in play, and amounts of cr, ac, elements, or objects available. in a number of embodiments, the wager controller 102 can accept wager proposition factors including, but not limited to, modifications in the amount of cr, ac, elements, or objects wagered on each individual wagering event, a number of wagering events per minute the wager controller 102 can resolve, entrance into a bonus round, and other factors. an example of a varying wager amount that the user can choose can include, but is not limited to, using a more difficult interactive application level associated with an amount of a wager. these factors can increase or decrease an amount wagered per individual wagering proposition in the same manner that a standard slot machine player can decide to wager more or less credits for each pull of the handle. in several embodiments, the wager controller 102 can communicate a number of factors back and forth to the application controller 112 , via an interface, such that an increase/decrease in a wagered amount can be related to the change in user profile of the user in the interactive application. in this manner, a user can control a wager amount per wagering event in accordance with the wagering proposition with the change mapping to a parameter or component that is applicable to the interactive application experience. in some embodiments, a user management and session controller 150 is used to authorize an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system user session. the user management and session controller receives game user session data 152 , that may include, but is not limited to, user, interactive controller, application controller and wager controller data from the application controller 112 . the user management and session controller 150 uses the user, interactive controller, application controller and wager controller data to regulate an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system user session. in some embodiments, the user management and session controller may also assert control of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system game user session 154 . such control may include, but is not limited to, ending an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system game user session, initiating wagering in an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system game user session, ending wagering in an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system game user session but not ending a user's play of the interactive application portion of the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system game, and changing from real credit wagering in an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system to virtual credit wagering, or vice versa. in many embodiments, the user management and session controller 150 manages user profiles for a plurality of users. the user management and session controller 150 stores and manages data about users in order to provide authentication and authorization of users of the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system 128 . in some embodiments, the user management and session controller 150 also manages geolocation information to ensure that the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system 128 is only used by users in jurisdictions were gaming is approved. in various embodiments, the user management and session controller 150 stores application credits that are associated with the user's use of the interactive application of the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system 128 . in various embodiments, the application controller operates as an interface between the interactive controller and the wager controller. by virtue of this construction, the wager controller is isolated from the interactive controller allowing the interactive controller to operate in an unregulated environment will allowing the wager controller to operate in a regulated environment. in some embodiments, a single wager controller may provide services to two or more interactive controllers and/or two or more application controllers, thus allowing an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system to operate over a large range of scaling. in various embodiments, multiple types of interactive controllers using different operating systems may be interfaced to a single type of application controller and/or wager controller without requiring customization of the application controller and/or the wager controller. in many embodiments, an interactive controller may be provided as a user device under control of a user while maintaining the wager controller in an environment under the control of a regulated operator of wagering equipment. in several embodiments, data communicated between the controllers may be encrypted to increase security of the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. in some embodiments, the application controller isolates trigger logic and application logic as unregulated logic from a regulated wager controller, thus allowing errors in the application logic and/or trigger logic to be corrected, new application logic and/or trigger logic to be used, or modifications to be made to the application logic and/or trigger logic without a need for regulatory approval. in various embodiments, an interactive application may require extensive processing resources from an interactive controller leaving few processing resources for the functions performed by an application controller and/or a wager controller. by virtue of the architecture described herein, processing loads may be distributed across multiple devices such that operations of the interactive controller may be dedicated to the interactive application and the processes of the application controller and/or wager controller are not burdened by the requirements of the interactive application. distributed augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wager systems in many embodiments, an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system operates with its components being distributed across multiple devices. these devices can be connected by communication channels including, but not limited to, local area networks, wide area networks, local communication buses, and/or the like. the devices may communicate using various types of protocols, including but not limited to, networking protocols, device-to-device communications protocols, and the like. in some embodiments, one or more components of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system are distributed in close proximity to each other and communicate using a local area network and/or a communication bus. in several embodiments, an interactive controller and an application controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system are in a common location and communicate with an external wager controller. in some embodiments, an application controller and a wager controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system are in a common location and communicate with an external interactive controller. in many embodiments, an interactive controller, an application controller, and a wager controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system are located in a common location. in some embodiments, a user management and session controller is located in a common location with an application controller and/or a wager controller. in various embodiments, these multiple devices can be constructed from or configured using a single server or a plurality of servers such that an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system is executed as a system in a virtualized space such as, but not limited to, where a wager controller and an application controller are large scale centralized servers in the cloud operatively connected to widely distributed interactive controllers via a wide area network such as the internet or a local area network. in such embodiments, the components of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system may communicate using a networking protocol or other type of device-to-device communications protocol. in many embodiments, a centralized wager controller is operatively connected to, and communicates with, one or more application controllers using a communication link. the centralized wager controller can generate wager outcomes for wagers in accordance with one or more wagering propositions. the centralized wager controller can execute a number of simultaneous or pseudo-simultaneous wagers in order to generate wager outcomes for a variety of wagering propositions that one or more distributed augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering systems can use. in several embodiments, a centralized application controller is operatively connected to one or more interactive controllers and one or more wager controllers using a communication link. the centralized application controller can perform the functionality of an application controller across various augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering systems. in a variety of embodiments, management of user profile data can be performed by a user management and session controller operatively connected to, and communicating with, one or more application controllers, wager controllers and interactive controllers using a communication link. a user management and session controller can manage data related to a user profile. the managed data in the user profile may include, but is not limited to, data concerning controlled entities (characters) in interactive application use, user performance metrics for a type or class of interactive application, interactive application elements acquired by a user; cr and ac associated with a particular user, and tournament reservations. although a user management and session controller is discussed as being separate from an application controller server, a centralized application controller server may also perform the functions of a user management and session controller in some embodiments. in numerous embodiments, an interactive application server provides a host for managing head-to-head play operating over a network of interactive controllers connected to the interactive application server using a communication link. the interactive application server provides an environment where users can compete directly with one another and interact with other users. processing devices connected using a communication link to construct augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering systems in accordance with many embodiments of the invention can communicate with each other to provide services utilized by an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. in several embodiments, a wager controller can communicate with an application controller using a communication link. in some embodiments, the wager controller can communicate with an application controller to communicate any type of data as appropriate for a specific application. examples of the data that may be communicated include, but are not limited to, data used to configure the various simultaneous or pseudo simultaneous wager controllers executing in parallel within the wager controller to accomplish augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system functionalities; data used to determine metrics of wager controller performance such as wagers run and/or wager outcomes for tracking system performance; data used to perform audits and/or provide operator reports; and data used to request the results of a wager outcome for use in one or more function(s) operating within the application controller such as, but not limited to, automatic drawings for prizes that are a function of interactive controller performance. in several embodiments, an application controller can communicate with an interactive application server using a communication link when the interactive application server is also communicating with one or more interactive controllers using a communication link. an application controller can communicate with an interactive application server to communicate any type of data as appropriate for a specific application. the data that may be communicated between an application controller and an interactive application server includes, but is not limited to, the data for management of an interactive application server by an application controller server during an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system tournament. in an example embodiment, an application controller may not be aware of the relationship of the application controller to the rest of a tournament since the actual tournament play may be managed by the interactive application server. therefore, management of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system can include, but is not limited to tasks including, but not limited to, conducting tournaments according to system programming that can be coordinated by an operator of the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system; allowing entry of a particular user into a tournament; communicating the number of users in a tournament; and the status of the tournament (such as, but not limited to the amount of surviving users, the status of each surviving user within the game, and time remaining on the tournament); communicating the performance of users within the tournament; communicating the scores of the various users in the tournament; and providing a synchronizing link to connect the application controllers in a tournament with their respective interactive controllers. in several embodiments, an application controller can communicate with a user management and session controller using a communication link. an application controller can communicate with a user management and session controller to communicate any type of data as appropriate for a specific application. examples of data communicated between an application controller and a user management and session controller include, but are not limited to, data for configuring tournaments according to system programming conducted by an operator of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system; data for exchange of data used to link a user's user profile to an ability to participate in various forms of augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system use (such as but not limited to the difficulty of play set by the application controller server for an interactive application that is a skill-based interactive game); data for determining a user's ability to participate in a tournament as a function of a user's characteristics (such as but not limited to a user's prowess or other metrics used for tournament screening); data for configuring application controller and interactive controller performance to suit preferences of a user on a particular augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system; and data for determining a user's use and wagering performance for the purposes of marketing intelligence; and data for logging secondary drawing awards, tournament prizes, cr and/or ac into the user profile. in many embodiments, an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system can be distributed across one or more processing devices, with the actual location of where various process are executed being located either on an end device (user management and session controller, wager controller, application controller, interactive controller), on servers (user management and session controller, wager controller, application controller, or interactive application server), or a combination of both end devices and servers. in a number of embodiments, certain functions of a wager controller, application controller, and/or interactive application server can operate on a local wager controller, local application controller and/or local interactive controller used to construct an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system being provided locally on a device. in some embodiments, a controller or server can be part of a server system including multiple servers, where applications can be run on one or more physical devices. similarly, in particular embodiments, multiple servers can be combined on a single physical device. in many embodiments, an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system can be distributed across one or more processing devices that are in close proximity to each other, such as a common enclosure. in such an embodiment, the one or more processing devices can be operatively connected using communication links that incorporate an interdevice communication protocol over a serial or parallel physical link. fig. 1b is a diagram of a land-based configuration of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. land-based configurations are suitable for deployment in a gaming establishment. a land-based configuration of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system 156 includes an interactive controller 158 , an application controller 160 and a wager controller 162 housed in a common enclosure. the application controller 160 is operatively connected to an external session/user management controller 164 . the wager controller 162 is operatively connected to a ticket-in-ticket-out (tito) controller 166 or other type of credit controller. the wager controller 162 communicates with the tito controller 166 to obtain amounts of credits used for wagering. in operation, the wager controller 162 uses a bill validator/ticket scanner 168 to scan a tito ticket having indicia of credit account data of a credit account of the tito controller 166 . the wager controller 162 communicates the credit account data to the tito controller 166 . the tito controller 166 uses the credit account data to determine an amount of credits to transfer to the wager controller 162 . the tito controller 166 communicates the amount of credits to the wager controller 162 . the wager controller 162 credits the one or more credit meters with the amount of credits so that the credits can be used when a user makes wagers using the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system 156 . in addition, the wager controller 162 can use the tito controller 166 along with a ticket printer 170 to generate a tito ticket for a user. in operation, the wager controller 162 communicates an amount of credits for a credit account on the tito controller 166 . the tito controller 166 receives the amount of credits and creates the credit account and credits the credit account with the amount of credits. the tito controller 166 generates credit account data for the credit account and communicates the credit account data to the wager controller 162 . the wager controller 162 uses the ticket printer 170 to print indicia of the credit account data onto a tito ticket. fig. 1b is a diagram of another land-based configuration of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. a land-based configuration of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system 172 includes an interactive controller 172 , an application controller 174 and a wager controller 176 housed in a common enclosure. the application controller 174 is operatively connected to an external session/user management controller 178 . the wager controller 176 is operatively connected to a ticket-in-ticket-out (tito) controller 180 or other type of credit controller. the wager controller 176 communicates with the tito controller 180 to obtain amounts of credits used for wagering. in operation, the wager controller 176 uses a bill validator/ticket scanner 182 to scan a tito ticket having indicia of credit account data of a credit account of the tito controller 180 . the wager controller 176 communicates the credit account data to the tito controller 180 . the tito controller 180 uses the credit account data to determine an amount of credits to transfer to the wager controller 176 . the tito controller 180 communicates the amount of credits to the wager controller 176 . the wager controller 176 receives the amount of credits and credits the one or more credit meters with the amount of credits so that the credits can be used when a user makes wagers using the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system 172 . in addition, the wager controller 176 can use the tito controller 180 along with a ticket printer 184 to generate a tito ticket for a user. in operation, the wager controller 176 communicates an amount of credits for a credit account on the tito controller 180 . the tito controller 180 receives the amount of credits and creates the credit account and credits the credit account with the amount of credits. the tito controller 180 generates credit account data for the credit account and communicates the credit account data to the wager controller 176 . the wager controller 176 uses the ticket printer 184 to print indicia of the credit account data onto a tito ticket. the wager controller 176 is operatively connected to a central determination controller 186 . in operation, when the wager controller 176 needs to determine a wager outcome, the wager controller communicates a request to the central determination controller 186 for the wager outcome. the central determination controller 186 receives the wager outcome request and generates a wager outcome in response to the wager request. the central determination controller 186 communicates the wager outcome to the wager controller 176 . the wager controller 176 receives the wager outcome and utilizes the wager outcome as described herein. in some embodiments, the wager outcome is drawn from a pool of pre-determined wager outcomes. in some embodiments, the wager outcome is a pseudo random result or random result that is utilized by the wager controller along with paytables to determine a wager outcome as described herein. fig. 1d is a diagram of an interactive configuration of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. an interactive configuration of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system is useful for deployment over a wide area network such as an internet. an interactive configuration of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system 188 includes an interactive controller 189 operatively connected by a network 190 to an application controller 191 , and a wager controller 192 . the application controller 191 is operatively connected to a session/user management controller 193 . fig. 1e is a diagram of a mobile configuration of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. a mobile configuration of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system is useful for deployment over wireless communication network, such as a wireless local area network or a wireless telecommunications network. an interactive configuration of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system 194 includes an interactive controller 195 operatively connected by a wireless network 196 to an application controller 197 , and a wager controller 198 . the application controller 197 is also operatively connected to a session/user management controller 199 . figs. 2a , 2 b, 2 c, and 2 d are illustrations of interactive controllers of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. an interactive controller, such as interactive controller 120 of fig. 1a , may be constructed from or configured using one or more processing devices configured to perform the operations of the interactive controller. an interactive controller in an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system may be constructed from or configured using any processing device having sufficient processing and communication capabilities that may be configured to perform the processes of an interactive controller in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. in some embodiments, the construction or configuration of the interactive controller may be achieved through the use of an application control layer, such as application control layer 131 of fig. 1a , and/or through the use of an interactive application, such as interactive application 143 of fig. 1a . in some embodiments, an interactive controller may be constructed from or configured using an electronic gaming machine 200 as shown in fig. 2a . the electronic gaming machine 200 may be physically located in various types of gaming establishments. in many embodiments, an interactive controller may be constructed from or configured using a portable device 202 as shown in fig. 2b . the portable device 202 is a device that may wirelessly connect to a network. examples of portable devices include, but are not limited to, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant, and a smartphone. in some embodiments, an interactive controller may be constructed from or configured using a gaming console 204 as shown in fig. 2c . in various embodiments, an interactive controller may be constructed from or configured using a personal computer 206 as shown in fig. 2d . in some embodiments, a device, such as the devices of figs. 2a , 2 b, 2 c, and 2 d, may be used to construct a complete augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system and may be operatively connected using a communication link to a session and/or user management controller, such as session and/or user management controller 150 of fig. 1a . some augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering systems in accordance with many embodiments of the invention can be distributed across a plurality of devices in various configurations. figs. 3a , 3 b and 3 c are diagrams of distributed augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering systems in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. turning now to fig. 3a , one or more interactive controllers of a distributed augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system, such as but not limited to, a mobile or wireless device 300 , a gaming console 302 , a personal computer 304 , and an electronic gaming machine 305 , are operatively connected with a wager controller 306 of a distributed augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system using a communication link 308 . communication link 308 is a communications link that allows processing systems to communicate with each other and to share data. examples of the communication link 308 can include, but are not limited to: a wired or wireless interdevice communication link, a serial or parallel interdevice communication bus; a wired or wireless network such as a local area network (lan), a wide area network (wan), or the link; or a wired or wireless communication network such as a wireless telecommunications network or plain old telephone system (pots). in some embodiments, one or more processes of an interactive controller and an application controller as described herein are executed on the individual interactive controllers 300 , 302 , 304 and 305 while one or more processes of a wager controller as described herein can be executed by the wager controller 306 . in many embodiments, a distributed augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system and may be operatively connected using a communication link to a session and/or user management controller 307 , that performs the processes of a session and/or user management controller as described herein. a distributed augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in fig. 3b . as illustrated, one or more interactive controllers of a distributed augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system, such as but not limited to, a mobile or wireless device 310 , a gaming console 312 , a personal computer 314 , and an electronic gaming machine 315 , are operatively connected with a wager controller server 316 and an application controller 318 over a communication link 320 . communication link 320 is a communication link that allows processing systems to communicate and share data. examples of the communication link 320 can include, but are not limited to: a wired or wireless interdevice communication link, a serial or parallel interdevice communication bus; a wired or wireless network such as a local area network (lan), a wide area network (wan), or the link; or a wired or wireless communication network such as a wireless telecommunications network or plain old telephone system (pots). in some embodiments, the processes of an interactive controller as described herein are executed on the individual interactive controllers 310 , 312 , 314 and 315 . one or more processes of a wager controller as described herein are executed by the wager controller 316 , and one or more processes of an application controller as described herein are executed by the application controller 318 . in many embodiments, a distributed augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system and may be operatively connected using a communication link to a session and/or user management controller 319 , that performs the processes of a session and/or user management controller as described herein. a distributed augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering systems in accordance with still another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in fig. 3c . as illustrated, one or more interactive controllers of a distributed augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system, such as but not limited to, a mobile device 342 , a gaming console 344 , a personal computer 346 , and an electronic gaming machine 340 are operatively connected with a wager controller 348 and an application controller 350 , and an interactive application server 352 using a communication link 354 . communication link 354 is a communications link that allows processing systems to communicate and to share data. examples of the communication link 354 can include, but are not limited to: a wired or wireless interdevice communication link, a serial or parallel interdevice communication bus; a wired or wireless network such as a local area network (lan), a wide area network (wan), or the link; or a wired or wireless communication network such as a wireless telecommunications network or plain old telephone system (pots). in some embodiments, one or more processes of a display and user interface of an interactive controller as described herein are executed on the individual interactive controllers 340 , 342 , 344 and 346 . one or more processes of a wager controller as described herein can be executed by the wager controller server 348 . one or more processes of an application controller as described herein can be executed by the application controller server 350 and one or more processes of an interactive controller excluding the display and user interfaces can be executed by the interactive application server 352 . in many embodiments, a distributed augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system and may be operatively connected using a communication link to a session and/or user management controller 353 , that performs the processes of a session and/or user management controller as described herein. in various embodiments, a user management and session controller may be operatively connected to components of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system using a communication link. in other embodiments, a number of other peripheral systems, such as a user management system, a gaming establishment management system, a regulatory system, and/or hosting servers are also operatively connected with the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering systems using a communication link. also, other servers can reside outside the bounds of a network within a firewall of the operator to provide additional services for network connected augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering systems. although various distributed augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering systems are described herein, augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering systems can be distributed in any configuration as appropriate to the specification of a specific application in accordance with embodiments of the invention. in some embodiments, components of a distributed augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system, such as an application controller, wager controller, interactive controller, or other servers that perform services for an application controller, wager controller and/or interactive controller, can be distributed in different configurations for a specific distributed augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system application. figs. 4a and 4b are diagrams of a structure of an interactive controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. an interactive controller may be constructed from or configured using one or more processing devices configured to perform the operations of the interactive controller. in many embodiments, an interactive controller can be constructed from or configured using various types of processing devices including, but not limited to, a mobile device such as a smartphone or the like, a personal digital assistant, a wireless device such as a tablet computer or the like, an electronic gaming machine, a personal computer, a gaming console, a set-top box, a computing device, a controller, or the like. referring now to fig. 4a , an interactive controller 400 , suitable for use as interactive controller 120 of fig. 1a , provides an execution environment for an interactive application 402 of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. in several embodiments, an interactive controller 400 of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system provides an interactive application 402 that generates an application user interface 404 for interaction with by a user. the interactive application 402 generates a user presentation 406 that is presented to the user through the application user interface 404 . the user presentation 406 may include audio features, visual features or tactile features, or any combination of these features. the application user interface 404 further includes one or more human input devices (hids) interfaces that communicate with one or more hids (e.g., the input devices 514 of fig. 4 b ) that the user can use to interact with the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. the user's interactions 408 are included by the interactive application 402 in application telemetry data 410 that is communicated by interactive controller 400 to various other components of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system as described herein. the interactive application 402 receives application instructions and resources 412 communicated from various other components of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system as described herein. in some embodiments, various components of the interactive application 402 can read data from an application state 414 in order to provide one or more features of the interactive application. in various embodiments, components of the interactive application 402 can include, but are not limited to, a physics engine, a rules engine, and/or a graphics engine. the physics engine is used to simulate physical interactions between virtual objects in the interactive application 402 . the rules engine implements the rules of the interactive application and a p/rng that may be used for influencing or determining certain variables and/or outcomes to provide a randomizing influence on the operations of the interactive application. the graphics engine is used to generate a visual representation of the interactive application state to the user. furthermore, the components may also include an audio engine to generate audio outputs for the user interface. during operation, the interactive application reads and writes application resources 416 stored on a data store of the interactive controller host. the application resources 416 may include objects having graphics and/or control logic used to provide application environment objects of the interactive application. in various embodiments, the resources may also include, but are not limited to, video files that are used to generate a portion of the user presentation 406 ; audio files used to generate music, sound effects, etc. within the interactive application; configuration files used to configure the features of the interactive application; scripts or other types of control code used to provide various features of the interactive application; and graphics resources such as textures, objects, etc. that are used by a graphics engine to render objects displayed in an interactive application. in operation, components of the interactive application 402 read portions of the application state 414 and generate the user presentation 406 for the user that is presented to the user using the user interface 404 . the user perceives the user presentation and provides user interactions 408 using the hids. the corresponding user interactions are received as user actions or inputs by various components of the interactive application 402 . the interactive application 402 translates the user actions into interactions with the virtual objects of the application environment stored in the application state 414 . components of the interactive application use the user interactions with the virtual objects of the interactive application and the interactive application state 414 to update the application state 414 and update the user presentation 406 presented to the user. the process loops continuously while the user interacts with the interactive application of the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. the interactive controller 400 provides one or more interfaces 418 between the interactive controller 400 and other components of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system, such as, but not limited to, an application controller. the interactive controller 400 and the other augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system components communicate with each other using the interfaces. the interface may be used to pass various types of data, and to communicate and receive messages, status data, commands and the like. in certain embodiments, the interactive controller 400 and an application controller communicate application instructions and environment resources 412 and application telemetry data 410 . in some embodiments, the communications include requests by the application controller that the interactive controller 400 update the application state 414 using data provided by the application controller. in many embodiments, a communication by an application controller includes a request that the interactive controller 400 update one or more resources 416 using data provided by the application controller. in a number of embodiments, the interactive controller 400 provides all or a portion of the application state to the application controller. in some embodiments, the interactive controller 400 may also provide data about one or more of the application resources 416 to the application controller. in some embodiments, the communication includes user interactions that the interactive controller 400 communicates to the application controller. the user interactions may be low level user interactions with the user interface 404 , such as manipulation of a hid, or may be high level interactions with game objects as determined by the interactive application. the user interactions may also include resultant actions such as modifications to the application state 414 or game resources 416 resulting from the user's interactions taken in the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system interactive application. in some embodiments, user interactions include, but are not limited to, actions taken by entities such as non-player characters (npc) of the interactive application that act on behalf of or under the control of the user. in some embodiments, the interactive controller 400 includes a wagering user interface 420 used to communicate augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system telemetry data 422 to and from the user. the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system telemetry data 422 from the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system include, but are not limited to, data used by the user to configure cr, ac and element wagers, and data about the wagering game cr, ac and element wagers such as, but not limited to, cr, ac and element balances and cr, ac and element amounts wagered. in some embodiments, the interactive controller includes one or more sensors 424 . such sensors may include, but are not limited to, physiological sensors that monitor the physiology of the user, environmental sensors that monitor the physical environment of the interactive controller, accelerometers that monitor changes in motion of the interactive controller, and location sensors that monitor the location of the interactive controller such as global positioning sensors (gpss). the interactive controller 400 communicates sensor telemetry data 426 to one or more components of the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. referring now to fig. 4b , interactive controller 400 includes a bus 502 that provides an interface for one or more processors 504 , random access memory (ram) 506 , read only memory (rom) 508 , machine-readable storage medium 510 , one or more user output devices 512 , one or more user input devices 514 , and one or more communication interface devices 516 . the one or more processors 504 may take many forms, such as, but not limited to: a central processing unit (cpu); a multi-processor unit (mpu); an arm processor; a controller; a programmable logic device; or the like. in the example embodiment, the one or more processors 504 and the random access memory (ram) 506 form an interactive controller processing unit 599 . in some embodiments, the interactive controller processing unit includes one or more processors operatively connected to one or more of a ram, rom, and machine-readable storage medium; the one or more processors of the interactive controller processing unit receive instructions stored by the one or more of a ram, rom, and machine-readable storage medium via a bus; and the one or more processors execute the received instructions. in some embodiments, the interactive controller processing unit is an asic (application-specific integrated circuit). in some embodiments, the interactive controller processing unit is a soc (system-on-chip). examples of output devices 512 include, but are not limited to, display screens; light panels; and/or lighted displays. in accordance with particular embodiments, the one or more processors 504 are operatively connected to audio output devices such as, but not limited to: speakers; and/or sound amplifiers. in accordance with many of these embodiments, the one or more processors 504 are operatively connected to tactile output devices like vibrators, and/or manipulators. examples of user input devices 514 include, but are not limited to: tactile devices including but not limited to, keyboards, keypads, foot pads, touch screens, and/or trackballs; non-contact devices such as audio input devices; motion sensors and motion capture devices that the interactive controller can use to receive inputs from a user when the user interacts with the interactive controller; physiological sensors that monitor the physiology of the user; environmental sensors that monitor the physical environment of the interactive controller; accelerometers that monitor changes in motion of the interactive controller; and location sensors that monitor the location of the interactive controller such as global positioning sensors. the one or more communication interface devices 516 provide one or more wired or wireless interfaces for communicating data and commands between the interactive controller 400 and other devices that may be included in an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. such wired and wireless interfaces include, but are not limited to: a universal serial bus (usb) interface; a bluetooth interface; a wi-fi interface; an ethernet interface; a near field communication (nfc) interface; a plain old telephone system (pots) interface, a cellular or satellite telephone network interface; and the like. the machine-readable storage medium 510 stores machine-executable instructions for various components of the interactive controller, such as but not limited to: an operating system 518 ; one or more device drivers 522 ; one or more application programs 520 including but not limited to an interactive application; and augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system interactive controller instructions 524 for use by the one or more processors 504 to provide the features of an interactive controller as described herein. in some embodiments, the machine-executable instructions further include application control layer/application control interface instructions 526 for use by the one or more processors 504 to provide the features of an application control layer/application control interface as described herein. in various embodiments, the machine-readable storage medium 510 is one of a (or a combination of two or more of) a hard drive, a flash drive, a dvd, a cd, a flash storage, a solid state drive, a rom, an eeprom, and the like. in operation, the machine-executable instructions are loaded into memory 506 from the machine-readable storage medium 510 , the rom 508 or any other storage location. the respective machine-executable instructions are accessed by the one or more processors 504 via the bus 502 , and then executed by the one or more processors 504 . data used by the one or more processors 504 are also stored in memory 506 , and the one or more processors 504 access such data during execution of the machine-executable instructions. execution of the machine-executable instructions causes the one or more processors 504 to control the interactive controller 400 to provide the features of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system interactive controller as described herein although the interactive controller is described herein as being constructed from or configured using one or more processors and instructions stored and executed by hardware components, the interactive controller can be constructed from or configured using only hardware components in accordance with other embodiments. in addition, although the storage medium 510 is described as being operatively connected to the one or more processors through a bus, those skilled in the art of interactive controllers will understand that the storage medium can include removable media such as, but not limited to, a usb memory device, an optical cd rom, magnetic media such as tape and disks. in some embodiments, the storage medium 510 can be accessed by the one or more processors 504 through one of the communication interface devices 516 or using a communication link. furthermore, any of the user input devices or user output devices can be operatively connected to the one or more processors 504 via one of the communication interface devices 516 or using a communication link. in some embodiments, the interactive controller 400 can be distributed across a plurality of different devices. in many such embodiments, an interactive controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system includes an interactive application server operatively connected to an interactive client using a communication link. the interactive application server and interactive application client cooperate to provide the features of an interactive controller as described herein. in various embodiments, the interactive controller 400 may be used to construct other components of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system as described herein. in some embodiments, components of an interactive controller and an application controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome wagering interleaved system may be constructed from or configured using a single device using processes that communicate using an interprocess communication protocol. in other such embodiments, the components of an interactive controller and an application controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome wagering interleaved system may communicate by passing messages, parameters or the like. figs. 5a and 5b are diagrams of a structure of a wager controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. a wager controller may be constructed from or configured using one or more processing devices configured to perform the operations of the wager controller. in many embodiments, a wager controller can be constructed from or configured using various types of processing devices including, but not limited to, a mobile device such as a smartphone or the like, a personal digital assistant, a wireless device such as a tablet computer or the like, an electronic gaming machine, a personal computer, a gaming console, a set-top box, a computing device, a controller, or the like. referring now to fig. 5a , in various embodiments, a wager controller 604 , suitable for use as wager controller 102 of fig. 1a , includes a pseudorandom or random number generator (p/rng) 620 to produce random results or pseudo random results; one or more paytables 623 which includes a plurality of factors indexed by the random result to be multiplied with an amount of cr, ac, elements, or objects committed in a wager; and a wagering control module 622 whose processes may include, but are not limited to, generating random results, looking up factors in the paytables, multiplying the factors by an amount of cr, ac, elements, or objects wagered, and administering one or more cr, ac, element, or object meters 626 . the various wager controller components can interface with each other via an internal bus 625 and/or other appropriate communication mechanism. an interface 628 allows the wager controller 604 to operatively connect to an external device, such as one or more application controllers as described herein. the interface 628 provides for receiving of wager data 629 from the external device that is used to specify wager parameters and/or trigger execution of a wager by the wager controller 604 . the interface 628 may also provide for communicating wager outcome data 631 to an external device. in numerous embodiments, the interface between the wager controller 604 and other systems/devices may be a wide area network (wan) such as the internet. however, other methods of communication may be used including, but not limited to, a local area network (lan), a universal serial bus (usb) interface, and/or some other method by which two electronic devices could communicate with each other. in various embodiments, a wager controller 604 may use a p/rng provided by an external system. the external system may be connected to the wager controller 604 by a suitable communication network such as a local area network (lan) or a wide area network (wan). in some embodiments, the external p/rng is a central deterministic system that provides random or pseudo random results to one or more connected wager controllers. during operation of the wager controller, the external system communicates wager data 629 to the wager controller 604 . the wager controller 604 receives the wager data and uses the wager data to trigger execution of a wager in accordance with a wagering proposition. the wager controller 604 executes the wager and determines a wager outcome for the wager. the wager controller communicates wager outcome data 631 of the wager outcome to the external system. in some embodiments, the wager controller uses the wager data to select a paytable 628 to use and/or an amount of cr, ac, elements, or objects to wager. in some embodiments, the wager outcome data may include, but is not limited to, an amount of cr, ac, elements, or objects won in the wager. in various embodiments, the wager outcome data may include, but is not limited to, an amount of cr, ac, elements, or objects in the one or more meters 626 . in some embodiments, the wager outcome data includes state data for the wagering proposition of the executed wager. the state data may correspond to one or more game states of a gambling game that is associated with the wagering proposition. examples of state data include, but are not limited to, reel strips in an operation state or a final state for a reel-based gambling game, one or more dice positions for a dice-based gambling game, positions of a roulette wheel and roulette ball, position of a wheel of fortune, or the like. in various embodiments, the wagering control module 622 determines an amount of a wager and a paytable to use from the one or more paytables 623 . in such embodiments, in response to the wager data triggering execution of the wager, the wager control module 622 executes the wager by requesting a p/rng result from the p/rng 620 ; retrieving a paytable from the one or more paytables 623 ; adjusting the one or more credit meters 626 for an amount of the wager; applying the p/rng result to the retrieved paytable; multiplying the resultant factor from the paytable by an amount wagered to determine a wager outcome; updating the one or more meters 626 based on the wager outcome; and communicating the wager outcome to the external device. in various embodiments, an external system communicates a request for a p/rng result from the wager controller 604 . in response, the wager controller 604 returns a p/rng result as a function of an internal p/rng or a p/rng external to the external system to which the wager controller 604 is operatively connected. in some embodiments, a communication exchange between the wager controller 604 and an external system relate to the external system support for coupling a p/rng result to a particular paytable contained in the wager controller 604 . in such an exchange, the external system communicates to the wager controller 604 as to which of the one or more paytables 623 to use, and requests a result whereby the p/rng result would be associated with the requested paytable 623 . the result of the coupling is returned to the external system. in such an exchange, no actual cr, ac, element, or object wager is conducted, but might be useful in coupling certain non-value wagering interactive application behaviors and propositions to the same final resultant wagering return which is understood for the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system to conduct wagering. in some embodiments, the wager controller 604 may also include storage for statuses, wagers, wager outcomes, meters and other historical events in a storage device 616 . in some embodiments, an authorization access module provides a process to permit access and command exchange with the wager controller 604 and access to the one or more credit meters 626 for the amount of cr, ac, elements, or objects being wagered by the user in the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. in numerous embodiments, communication occurs between various types of a wager controller and an external system 630 , such as application controller. in some of these embodiments, the purpose of the wager controller is to allocate wagers to pools, detect occurrences of one or more events upon which the wagers were made, and determine the wager outcomes for each individual wager based on the number of winning wagers and the amount paid into the pool. in some embodiments, the wager controller manages accounts for individual users wherein the users make deposits into the accounts, amounts are deducted from the accounts, and amounts are credited to the users' accounts based on the wager outcomes. in some embodiments a wager controller is a pari-mutuel wagering system such as used for wagering on an events such as horse races, greyhound races, sporting events and the like. in a pari-mutuel wagering system, user's wagers on the outcome of an event are allocated to a pool. when the event occurs, wager outcomes are calculated by sharing the pool among all winning wagers. in various embodiments, a wager controller is a central determination system, such as but not limited to a central determination system for a class ii wagering system or a wagering system in support of a “scratch off” style lottery. in such a wagering system, a player plays against other players and competes for a common prize. in a given set of wager outcomes, there are a certain number of wins and losses. once a certain wager outcome has been determined, the same wager outcome cannot occur again until a new set of wager outcomes is generated. in numerous embodiments, communication occurs between various components of a wager controller 604 and an external system, such as an application controller. in some of these embodiments, the purpose of the wager controller 604 is to manage wagering on wagering events and to provide random (or pseudo random) results from a p/rng. referring now to fig. 5b , wager controller 604 includes a bus 732 that provides an interface for one or more processors 734 , random access memory (ram) 736 , read only memory (rom) 738 , machine-readable storage medium 740 , one or more user output devices 742 , one or more user input devices 744 , and one or more communication interface and/or network interface devices 746 . the one or more processors 734 may take many forms, such as, but not limited to, a central processing unit (cpu), a multi-processor unit (mpu), an arm processor, a controller, a programmable logic device, or the like. in the example embodiment, the one or more processors 734 and the random access memory (ram) 736 form a wager controller processing unit 799 . in some embodiments, the wager controller processing unit includes one or more processors operatively connected to one or more of a ram, rom, and machine-readable storage medium; the one or more processors of the wager controller processing unit receive instructions stored by the one or more of a ram, rom, and machine-readable storage medium via a bus; and the one or more processors execute the received instructions. in some embodiments, the wager controller processing unit is an asic (application-specific integrated circuit). in some embodiments, the wager controller processing unit is a soc (system-on-chip). examples of output devices 742 include, but are not limited to, display screens, light panels, and/or lighted displays. in accordance with particular embodiments, the one or more processors 734 are operatively connected to audio output devices such as, but not limited to speakers, and/or sound amplifiers. in accordance with many of these embodiments, the one or more processors 734 are operatively connected to tactile output devices like vibrators, and/or manipulators. examples of user input devices 734 include, but are not limited to, tactile devices including but not limited to, keyboards, keypads, touch screens, and/or trackballs; non-contact devices such as audio input devices; motion sensors and motion capture devices that the wager controller can use to receive inputs from a user when the user interacts with the wager controller 604 . the one or more communication interface and/or network interface devices 746 provide one or more wired or wireless interfaces for exchanging data and commands between the wager controller 604 and other devices that may be included in an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. such wired and wireless interfaces include, but are not limited to: a universal serial bus (usb) interface; a bluetooth interface; a wi-fi interface; an ethernet interface; a near field communication (nfc) interface; a plain old telephone system (pots) interface; a cellular or satellite telephone network interface; and the like. the machine-readable storage medium 740 stores machine-executable instructions for various components of a wager controller, such as but not limited to: an operating system 748 ; one or more application programs 750 ; one or more device drivers 752 ; and augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system wager controller instructions 754 for use by the one or more processors 734 to provide the features of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system wager controller as described herein. in various embodiments, the machine-readable storage medium 740 is one of a (or a combination of two or more of) a hard drive, a flash drive, a dvd, a cd, a flash storage, a solid state drive, a rom, an eeprom, and the like. in operation, the machine-executable instructions are loaded into memory 736 from the machine-readable storage medium 740 , the rom 738 or any other storage location. the respective machine-executable instructions are accessed by the one or more processors 734 via the bus 732 , and then executed by the one or more processors 734 . data used by the one or more processors 734 are also stored in memory 736 , and the one or more processors 734 access such data during execution of the machine-executable instructions. execution of the machine-executable instructions causes the one or more processors 734 to control the wager controller 604 to provide the features of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system wager controller as described herein although the wager controller 604 is described herein as being constructed from or configured using one or more processors and machine-executable instructions stored and executed by hardware components, the wager controller can be composed of only hardware components in accordance with other embodiments. in addition, although the storage medium 740 is described as being operatively connected to the one or more processors through a bus, those skilled in the art of processing devices will understand that the storage medium can include removable media such as, but not limited to, a usb memory device, an optical cd rom, magnetic media such as tape and disks. in some embodiments, the storage medium 740 can be accessed by the one or more processors 734 through one of the interfaces or using a communication link. furthermore, any of the user input devices or user output devices can be operatively connected to the one or more processors 734 via one of the interfaces or using a communication link. in various embodiments, the wager controller 604 may be used to construct other components of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system as described herein. in some embodiments, components of a wager controller and an application controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome wagering interleaved system may be constructed from or configured using a single device using processes that communicate using an interprocess communication protocol. in other such embodiments, the components of a wager controller and an application controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome wagering interleaved system may communicate by passing messages, parameters or the like. it should be understood that there may be many embodiments of a wager controller 604 which could be possible, including forms where many modules and components of the wager controller are located in various servers and locations, so the foregoing is not meant to be exhaustive or all inclusive, but rather provide data on various embodiments of a wager controller 604 . figs. 6a and 6b are diagrams of a structure of an application controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. an application controller may be constructed from or configured using one or more processing devices configured to perform the operations of the application controller. in many embodiments, an application controller can be constructed from or configured using various types of processing devices including, but not limited to, a mobile device such as a smartphone, a personal digital assistant, a wireless device such as a tablet computer or the like, an electronic gaming machine, a personal computer, a gaming console, a set-top box, a computing device, a controller, or the like. referring now to fig. 6a , in many embodiments, an application controller 860 , suitable for use as application controller 112 of fig. 1a , manages operation of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system, with a wager controller and an interactive controller being support units to the application controller 860 . the application controller 860 provides an interface between the interactive application, provided by an interactive controller, and a wagering proposition, provided by a wager controller. in some embodiments, the application controller 860 includes an interactive controller interface 800 to an interactive controller. the interactive controller interface 800 provides for communication of data between an interactive controller and the application controller 860 , including but not limited to wager telemetry data 802 , application instructions and resources 804 , application telemetry data 806 , and sensor telemetry data 810 . in various embodiments, the application controller 860 includes a wager controller interface 812 to a wager controller. the wager controller interface 812 provides for communication of data between the application controller 860 and a wager controller, including but not limited to wager outcomes 814 and wager data 816 . in some embodiments, the application controller 860 includes a user management and session controller interface 818 to a user management and session controller. the user management and session controller interface 818 provides for communication of data between the application controller 860 and a user management and session controller, including but not limited to user session control data 820 and user session telemetry data 822 . the application controller 860 includes a business rule decision engine 824 that receives telemetry data, such as application telemetry data and sensor telemetry data, from an interactive controller. the business rule decision engine 824 uses the telemetry data, along with trigger logic 826 to generate wager data used to trigger a wager in a wager controller. in some embodiments, the application telemetry data includes, but is not limited to, application environment variables that indicate the state of an interactive application being used by a user, interactive controller data indicating a state of an interactive controller, and user actions and interactions between a user and an interactive application provided by an interactive controller. the wagering and/or wager data may include, but is not limited to, an amount and type of the wager, a trigger of the wager, and a selection of a paytable to be used when executing the wager. in some embodiments, the business rule decision engine 824 also receives wager outcome data from a wager controller. the decision engine 824 uses the wager outcome data, in conjunction with telemetry data and application logic 828 to generate application decisions 830 communicated to an application resource generator 832 . the application resource generator 832 receives the application decisions and uses the application decisions to generate application instructions and application resources to be communicated to an interactive application. in many embodiments, the application controller 860 includes a pseudo random or random result generator used to generate random results that are communicated to the application resource generator 832 . the application resource generator uses the random results to generate application instructions and application resources to be communicated to an interactive controller for use by an interactive application. in various embodiments, the business rule decision engine 824 also determines an amount of ac to award to a user based at least in part on the user's use of an interactive application of the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system as determined from application telemetry data. in some embodiments, wager outcome data may also be used to determine the amount of ac that should be awarded to the user. in numerous embodiments, an interactive application is a skill-based interactive game and the ac is awarded to the user for the user's skillful play of the skill-based interactive game. in some embodiments, the application decisions and wager outcome data are communicated to a wagering user interface generator 834 . the wagering user interface generator 834 receives the application decisions and wager outcome data and generates wager telemetry data describing the state of wagering and credit accumulation and loss for the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. in some embodiments, the wager telemetry data 146 may include, but is not limited to, amounts of ac and elements earned, lost or accumulated by the user through use of the interactive application as determined from the application decisions, and cr amounts won, lost or accumulated as determined from the wager outcome data and the one or more credit meters. in some embodiments, the wager outcome data 814 also includes data about one or more game states of a gambling game executed in accordance with a wagering proposition by a wager controller. in various such embodiments, the wagering user interface generator 834 generates a gambling game process display and/or gambling game state display using the one or more game states of the gambling game. the gambling game process display and/or gambling game state display is included in wager telemetry data that is communicated to an interactive controller. the gambling game process display and/or a gambling game state display is displayed by a wagering user interface of the interactive controller to a user. in other such embodiments, the one or more game states of the gambling game are communicated to an interactive controller and a wagering user interface of the interactive controller generates a gambling game process display and/or gambling game state display using the one or more game states of the gambling game for display to a user. the application controller 860 can further operatively connect to a wager controller to determine an amount of credit or elements available and other wagering metrics of a wagering proposition. thus, the application controller 860 may potentially affect an amount of cr in play for participation in the wagering events of a wagering game provided by the wager controller. the application controller 860 may additionally include various audit logs and activity meters. in some embodiments, the application controller 860 can also couple to a centralized server for exchanging various data related to the user and the activities of the user during game play of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. in some embodiments, the operation of the application controller 860 does not affect the provision of a wagering proposition by a wager controller except for user choice parameters that are allowable in accordance with the wagering proposition. examples of user choice parameters include, but are not limited to: wager terms such as but not limited to a wager amount; speed of game play (for example, by pressing a button or pulling a handle of a slot machine); and/or agreement to wager into a bonus round. in a number of embodiments, communication of wager data between a wager controller and the application controller 860 can further be used to communicate various wagering control factors that the wager controller uses as input. examples of wagering control factors include, but are not limited to, an amount of cr, ac, elements, or objects consumed per wagering event, and/or the user's election to enter a jackpot round. in some embodiments, the application controller 860 utilizes a wagering user interface to communicate certain interactive application data to the user, including but not limited to, club points, user status, control of the selection of user choices, and messages which a user can find useful in order to adjust the interactive application experience or understand the wagering status of the user in accordance with the wagering proposition in the wager controller. in some embodiments, the application controller 860 utilizes a wagering user interface to communicate aspects of a wagering proposition to the user including, but not limited to, odds of certain wager outcomes, amount of cr, ac, elements, or objects in play, and amounts of cr, ac, elements, or objects available. in a number of embodiments, a wager controller can accept wager proposition factors including, but not limited to, modifications in the amount of cr, ac, elements, or objects wagered on each individual wagering event, a number of wagering events per minute the wager controller can resolve, entrance into a bonus round, and other factors. in several embodiments, the application controller 860 can communicate a number of factors back and forth to the wager controller, such that an increase/decrease in a wagered amount can be related to the change in user profile of the user in the interactive application. in this manner, a user can control a wager amount per wagering event in accordance with the wagering proposition with the change mapping to a parameter or component that is applicable to the interactive application experience. referring now to fig. 6b , application controller 860 includes a bus 861 providing an interface for one or more processors 863 , random access memory (ram) 864 , read only memory (rom) 865 , machine-readable storage medium 866 , one or more user output devices 867 , one or more user input devices 868 , and one or more communication interface and/or network interface devices 869 . the one or more processors 863 may take many forms, such as, but not limited to: a central processing unit (cpu); a multi-processor unit (mpu); an arm processor; a programmable logic device; or the like. examples of output devices 867 include, include, but are not limited to: display screens; light panels; and/or lighted displays. in accordance with particular embodiments, the one or more processors 863 are operatively connected to audio output devices such as, but not limited to: speakers; and/or sound amplifiers. in accordance with many of these embodiments, the one or more processors 863 are operatively connected to tactile output devices like vibrators, and/or manipulators. in the example embodiment, the one or more processors 863 and the random access memory (ram) 864 form an application controller processing unit 870 . in some embodiments, the application controller processing unit includes one or more processors operatively connected to one or more of a ram, rom, and machine-readable storage medium; the one or more processors of the application controller processing unit receive instructions stored by the one or more of a ram, rom, and machine-readable storage medium via a bus; and the one or more processors execute the received instructions. in some embodiments, the application controller processing unit is an asic (application-specific integrated circuit). in some embodiments, the application controller processing unit is a soc (system-on-chip). examples of user input devices 868 include, but are not limited to: tactile devices including but not limited to, keyboards, keypads, foot pads, touch screens, and/or trackballs; non-contact devices such as audio input devices; motion sensors and motion capture devices that the application controller can use to receive inputs from a user when the user interacts with the application controller 860 . the one or more communication interface and/or network interface devices 869 provide one or more wired or wireless interfaces for exchanging data and commands between the application controller 860 and other devices that may be included in an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. such wired and wireless interfaces include, but are not limited to: a universal serial bus (usb) interface; a bluetooth interface; a wi-fi interface; an ethernet interface; a near field communication (nfc) interface; a plain old telephone system (pots), cellular, or satellite telephone network interface; and the like. the machine-readable storage medium 866 stores machine-executable instructions for various components of the application controller 860 such as, but not limited to: an operating system 871 ; one or more applications 872 ; one or more device drivers 873 ; and augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system application controller instructions 874 for use by the one or more processors 863 to provide the features of an application controller as described herein. in various embodiments, the machine-readable storage medium 870 is one of a (or a combination of two or more of) a hard drive, a flash drive, a dvd, a cd, a flash storage, a solid state drive, a rom, an eeprom, and the like. in operation, the machine-executable instructions are loaded into memory 864 from the machine-readable storage medium 866 , the rom 865 or any other storage location. the respective machine-executable instructions are accessed by the one or more processors 863 via the bus 861 , and then executed by the one or more processors 863 . data used by the one or more processors 863 are also stored in memory 864 , and the one or more processors 863 access such data during execution of the machine-executable instructions. execution of the machine-executable instructions causes the one or more processors 863 to control the application controller 860 to provide the features of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system application controller as described herein. although the application controller 860 is described herein as being constructed from or configured using one or more processors and instructions stored and executed by hardware components, the application controller can be composed of only hardware components in accordance with other embodiments. in addition, although the storage medium 866 is described as being operatively connected to the one or more processors through a bus, those skilled in the art of application controllers will understand that the storage medium can include removable media such as, but not limited to, a usb memory device, an optical cd rom, magnetic media such as tape and disks. also, in some embodiments, the storage medium 866 may be accessed by processor 863 through one of the interfaces or using a communication link. furthermore, any of the user input devices or user output devices may be operatively connected to the one or more processors 863 via one of the interfaces or using a communication link. in various embodiments, the application controller 860 may be used to construct other components of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system as described herein. in some embodiments, components of an interactive controller and an application controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome wagering interleaved system may be constructed from or configured using a single device using processes that communicate using an interprocess communication protocol. in other such embodiments, the components of an interactive controller and an application controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome wagering interleaved system may communicate by passing messages, parameters or the like. figs. 7a and 7b are diagrams of a structure of a user management and session controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. a user management and session controller may be constructed from or configured using one or more processing devices configured to perform the operations of the user management and session controller. in many embodiments, a wager user session can be constructed from or configured using various types of processing devices including, but not limited to, a mobile device such as a smartphone or the like, a personal digital assistant, a wireless device such as a tablet computer or the like, an electronic gaming machine, a personal computer, a gaming console, a set-top box, a computing device, a controller, a server, or the like. referring now to fig. 7a , in various embodiments, a user management and session controller 1104 , suitable for use as user management and session controller 150 of fig. 1a , includes a user management and session control module 1106 whose processes may include, but are not limited to, registering users of an augmented or replaced application outcome wagering interleaved system, validating users of an augmented or replaced application outcome wagering interleaved system using user registration data, managing various types of user sessions for users of the augmented or replaced application outcome wagering interleaved system, and the like. the user management and session controller 1104 may further include a datastore 1108 storing user data used to manage user registration and validation. the user management and session controller 1104 may further include a datastore 1110 storing user session data used to manage one or more user sessions. the various user management and session controller components can interface with each other via an internal bus 1112 and/or other appropriate communication mechanism. an interface 1114 allows the user management and session controller 1104 to operatively connect to one or more external devices, such as one or more application controllers, wager controllers and/or interactive controllers as described herein. the interface provides for receiving session telemetry data 1116 from the one more external devices. the user session telemetry data includes, but is not limited to, amounts of ac earned by one or more users, requests for entering into an augmented or replaced application outcome user session as described herein, and telemetry data regarding the progress of one or more users during an augmented or replaced application outcome user session. the interface 1114 may also provide for communicating secession control data 1118 used to manage a user session. in numerous embodiments, the interface between the user management and session controller and other systems/devices may be a wide area network (wan) such as the internet. however, other methods of communication may be used including, but not limited to, a local area network (lan), a universal serial bus (usb) interface, and/or some other method by which two electronic devices could communicate with each other. during operation of the user management and session controller, the external system communicates user session telemetry data to the user management and session controller. the user management and session controller receives the user session telemetry data and uses the user session telemetry data to generate user session control data as described herein. the user management and session controller communicates the user session control data to the external system. referring now to fig. 7b , user management and session controller 1104 includes a bus 1132 that provides an interface for one or more processors 1134 , random access memory (ram) 1136 , read only memory (rom) 1138 , machine-readable storage medium 1140 , one or more user output devices 1142 , one or more user input devices 1144 , and one or more communication interface and/or network interface devices 1146 . the one or more processors 1134 may take many forms, such as, but not limited to, a central processing unit (cpu), a multi-processor unit (mpu), an arm processor, a controller, a programmable logic device, or the like. in the example embodiment, the one or more processors 1134 and the random access memory (ram) 1136 form a user management and session controller processing unit 1199 . in some embodiments, the user management and session controller processing unit includes one or more processors operatively connected to one or more of a ram, rom, and machine-readable storage medium; the one or more processors of the user management and session controller processing unit receive instructions stored by the one or more of a ram, rom, and machine-readable storage medium via a bus; and the one or more processors execute the received instructions. in some embodiments, the user management and session controller processing unit is an asic (application-specific integrated circuit). in some embodiments, the user management and session controller processing unit is a soc (system-on-chip). examples of output devices 1142 include, but are not limited to, display screens, light panels, and/or lighted displays. in accordance with particular embodiments, the one or more processors 1134 are operatively connected to audio output devices such as, but not limited to speakers, and/or sound amplifiers. in accordance with many of these embodiments, the one or more processors 1134 are operatively connected to tactile output devices like vibrators, and/or manipulators. examples of user input devices 1144 include, but are not limited to, tactile devices including but not limited to, keyboards, keypads, touch screens, and/or trackballs; non-contact devices such as audio input devices; motion sensors and motion capture devices that the user management and session controller can use to receive inputs from a user when the user interacts with the user management and session controller 1104 . the one or more communication interface and/or network interface devices 1146 provide one or more wired or wireless interfaces for exchanging data and commands between the user management and session controller 1104 and other devices that may be included in an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. such wired and wireless interfaces include, but are not limited to: a universal serial bus (usb) interface; a bluetooth interface; a wi-fi interface; an ethernet interface; a near field communication (nfc) interface; a plain old telephone system (pots) interface; a cellular or satellite telephone network interface; and the like. the machine-readable storage medium 1140 stores machine-executable instructions for various components of a user management and session controller, such as but not limited to: an operating system 1148 ; one or more application programs 1150 ; one or more device drivers 1152 ; and augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system user management and session controller instructions 1154 for use by the one or more processors 1134 to provide the features of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system user management and session controller as described herein. in various embodiments, the machine-readable storage medium 1140 is one of a (or a combination of two or more of) a hard drive, a flash drive, a dvd, a cd, a flash storage, a solid state drive, a rom, an eeprom, and the like. in operation, the machine-executable instructions are loaded into memory 736 from the machine-readable storage medium 1140 , the rom 1138 or any other storage location. the respective machine-executable instructions are accessed by the one or more processors 1134 via the bus 1132 , and then executed by the one or more processors 1134 . data used by the one or more processors 1134 are also stored in memory 1136 , and the one or more processors 1134 access such data during execution of the machine-executable instructions. execution of the machine-executable instructions causes the one or more processors 1134 to control the user management and session controller 1104 to provide the features of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system user management and session controller as described herein although the user management and session controller 1104 is described herein as being constructed from or configured using one or more processors and machine-executable instructions stored and executed by hardware components, the user management and session controller can be composed of only hardware components in accordance with other embodiments. in addition, although the storage medium 1140 is described as being operatively connected to the one or more processors through a bus, those skilled in the art of processing devices will understand that the storage medium can include removable media such as, but not limited to, a usb memory device, an optical cd rom, magnetic media such as tape and disks. in some embodiments, the storage medium 1140 can be accessed by the one or more processors 1134 through one of the interfaces or using a communication link. furthermore, any of the user input devices or user output devices can be operatively connected to the one or more processors 1134 via one of the interfaces or using a communication link. in various embodiments, the user management and session controller 1104 may be used to construct other components of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system as described herein. in some embodiments, components of a user management and session controller and an application controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome wagering interleaved system may be constructed from or configured using a single device using processes that communicate using an interprocess communication protocol. in other such embodiments, the components of a user management and session controller and an application controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome wagering interleaved system may communicate by passing messages, parameters or the like. in some embodiments, components of a user management and session controller and a wager controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome wagering interleaved system may be constructed from or configured using a single device using processes that communicate using an interprocess communication protocol. in other such embodiments, the components of a user management and session controller and an application controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome wagering interleaved system may communicate by passing messages, parameters or the like. it should be understood that there may be many embodiments of a user management and session controller 1104 which could be possible, including forms where many modules and components of the user management and session controller are located in various servers and locations, so the foregoing is not meant to be exhaustive or all inclusive, but rather provide data on various embodiments of a user management and session controller 1104 . in numerous embodiments, any of a wager controller, an application controller, an interactive controller, or a user management and session controller as described herein can be constructed from or configured using multiple processing devices, whether dedicated, shared, or distributed in any combination thereof, or can be constructed from or configured using a single processing device. in addition, while certain aspects and features of augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system processes described herein have been attributed to a wager controller, an application controller, an interactive controller, or a user management and session controller, these aspects and features can be provided in a distributed form where any of the features or aspects can be provided by any of a user management and session controller, a wager controller, an application controller, and/or an interactive controller within an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system without deviating from the spirit of the invention. although various components of augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering systems are discussed herein, augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering systems can be configured with any component as appropriate to the specification of a specific application in accordance with embodiments of the invention. in certain embodiments, components of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system, such as a user management and session controller, an application controller, a wager controller, and/or an interactive controller, can be configured in different ways for a specific augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. in some embodiments, components of a user management and session controller, an interactive controller, an application controller, and/or a wager controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome wagering interleaved system may be constructed from or configured using a single device using processes that communicate using an interprocess communication protocol. in many embodiments, the components of a user management and session controller, an interactive controller, an application controller and a wager controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome wagering interleaved system may communicate by passing messages, parameters or the like. in addition, while certain aspects and features of augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system processes described herein have been attributed to a user management and session controller, a wager controller, an application controller, or an interactive controller, these aspects and features can be provided in a distributed form where any of the features or aspects can be provided by any of a user management and session controller, a wager controller, an application controller, and/or an interactive controller within an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. operation of augmented or replaced application outcome wagering interleaved systems fig. 8 is a sequence diagram of interactions between components of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. the components of the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system include a wager controller 902 , such as wager controller 102 of fig. 1a , an application controller 904 , such as application controller 112 of fig. 1a , and an interactive controller 906 , such as interactive controller 120 of fig. 1a . the process begins with the interactive controller 906 detecting a user performing a user interaction in a user interface of an interactive application provided by the interactive controller 906 . the interactive controller 906 communicates application telemetry data 908 to the application controller 904 . the application telemetry data includes, but is not limited to, the user interaction detected by the interactive controller 906 . the application controller 904 receives the application telemetry data 908 . upon determination by the application controller 904 that the user interaction indicates a wagering event, the application controller 904 communicates wager data 912 including a wager request to the wager controller 902 . the request for a wager event may include wager terms associated with a wagering proposition. the wager controller receives the wager data and uses the wager data to execute ( 913 ) a wager in accordance with a wagering proposition. the wager controller 902 communicates a wager outcome 914 of the executed wager to the application controller 904 . the application controller 904 receives the wager outcome and determines ( 915 ) interactive application instructions and resources 916 for the interactive application. in some embodiments, the application controller makes the determination using the wager outcome. in some embodiments, additional, enhanced or especially useful resources are allocated when the wager outcome is favorable to the user of the interactive application. in other embodiments, additional, enhanced or especially useful resources are allocated when the wager outcome is unfavorable to the user of the interactive application. in some embodiments, the wager outcome is not used to make the determination of the interactive application instructions and resources 916 as the user is awarded the interactive application instructions and resources 916 for wagering regardless of the wager outcome. the application controller 904 communicates the interactive application instructions and resources 916 to the interactive controller 906 . the application controller also communicates wagering telemetry data 920 including the wager outcome to the interactive controller 906 . the interactive controller 906 receives the interactive application instructions and resources 916 and wagering telemetry data 918 . the interactive controller 906 incorporates the received interactive application resources and executes the received interactive application instructions ( 918 ). the interactive controller updates ( 922 ) an application user interface of the interactive application provided by the interactive controller using the interactive application instructions and the resources, and updates ( 922 ) a wagering user interface using the wagering telemetry data. in several embodiments, a user can interact with an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system by using cr for wagering in accordance with a wagering proposition along with ac and elements in interactions with an interactive application. wagering can be executed by a wager controller while an interactive application can be executed by an interactive controller and managed with an application controller. fig. 9 is a collaboration diagram that illustrates how resources such as ac, cr, elements, and objects are utilized in an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. the collaboration diagram 1000 illustrates that cr 1002 , interactive application resources including elements and objects 1004 and ac 1006 can be utilized by a user 1008 in interactions with a wager controller 1010 , such as wager controller 102 of fig. 1a , an application controller 1012 , such as wager controller 112 of fig. 1 , and an interactive controller 1014 , such as interactive controller 120 of fig. 1a , of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. the contribution of elements and objects such as included in resources 1004 , can be linked to a user's access to credits, such as cr 1002 and/or ac 1006 . electronic receipt of these credits can come via a smart card, voucher or other portable media, or as received using a communication link from a server. in some embodiments, these credits can be drawn on demand from a user profile located in a database locally on an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system or in a remote server. a user's actions and/or decisions can affect an interactive application of interactive controller 1014 that consume and/or accumulate ac 1004 and/or resources 1004 in an interactive application executed by an interactive controller 1014 , a wager controller 101 and an application controller 1012 . the application controller 1012 can monitor the activities taking place within an interactive application executed by an interactive controller 1014 for wagering event occurrences. the application controller 1012 can also communicate the wagering event occurrences to the wager controller 1010 that triggers a wager of cr 1002 in accordance with a wagering proposition executed by the wager controller 1010 . in several embodiments, the user commences interaction with the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system by contributing credit to an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system such as, but not limited to, cr 1002 that may be credit in a real currency or may be credit in a virtual currency that is not fungible with a real currency, ac 1006 that may be application environment credits, and specified types of interactive application elements and/or objects 1004 . one or more of these contributions may be provided directly as currency and/or transferred in electronically. electronic transfer may come via a smart card, voucher or other portable media, or as transferred in using a communication link from a user data server or augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system user management and session controller. in many embodiments, contributions may be drawn on demand from user accounts located in servers residing on the network or in the cloud on a real time basis as the credits, elements and/or object are committed or consumed by the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system. generally, cr is utilized and accounted for by the wager controller 1010 ; and the resources 1004 and ac 1006 are utilized and accounted for by the application controller 1012 and/or the interactive controller 1014 . the user interacts (a) with an interactive application provided by the interactive controller 1014 with the interaction representing an action by the user within the context of the interactive application. the interactive controller 1014 receives the user interaction and communicates (b) the interaction to the application controller 1012 . the application controller 1012 receives the interaction and determines from the interaction whether or not a wager should be triggered. if a wager should be triggered, the application controller 1012 communicates (c) wager data about a wager in accordance with a wagering proposition associated with the interaction and thereby triggers a wager. the wager controller receives the wager data and executes the wager in accordance with the wagering proposition, and consumes (d) an appropriate amount of cr 1002 for the wager. the wager controller 1010 adjusts (e) the cr 1002 based upon a wager outcome of the wager and communicates (f) the wager outcome to the application controller 1012 as to the outcome of the wager triggered by the application controller 1012 . the application controller 1012 receives the wager outcome. the application controller determines what resources 1004 should be provided to the interactive controller and communicates (g) the resources 1004 to the interactive controller. the interactive controller receives the resources from the application control and integrates them into the execution of the interactive application provided by the interactive controller 1014 . in some embodiments, the application controller 1012 communicates (h) data about the wager outcome to the interactive controller. the interactive controller receives the wager outcome and displays the wager outcome to the user 1008 . in some embodiments, the application controller 1012 determines what resources and instructions to provide to the interactive controller 1014 for use by the interactive application provided by the interactive controller 1014 partially on the basis of the wager outcome. in some such embodiments, resources are provided in a case that the wager was a winning wager for the user. in other such embodiments, fewer or no resources are provided in a case of a losing wager. in some embodiments, the application controller 1012 determines what resources to provide based on internal logic of the application controller 1012 . in some such embodiments, the application controller 1012 employs a random result generator, such as a p/rng, to generate a random result and the random result is used to determine what resources are provided to the interactive controller 1014 . in several embodiments, the application controller 1012 determines an increment or a decrement of an amount of ac 1006 using the interactions received from the interactive controller. the increment or decremented amount is communicated (i) to the interactive controller for display to the user. in some embodiments, the application controller 1012 executes a wager of cr as a virtual currency, ac, elements or objects. in some such embodiments, the application controller 1012 employs a random result generator, such as a p/rng, to generate a random result and the random result is used to determine a wager outcome in cr as a virtual currency, ac, elements or objects. the following is description of an embodiment of the described collaboration where an interactive application provided by an interactive controller of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system is a first person shooter game. the process begins by a user selecting a machine gun to use in the game and then fires a burst of bullets at an opponent. the interactive controller can communicate to the application controller of the user's choice of weapon, that a burst of bullets was fired, and/or the outcome of the burst. the application controller communicates to the wager controller that 3 credits (cr) are to be wagered on the outcome of a wagering event to match the three bullets consumed. the wager controller then performs the wagering event and determines the result of the wager and may determine the winnings from a paytable. the wager controller consumes 3 credits of cr for the wager and executes the specified wager. by way of example, the wager controller may determine that the user hit a jackpot of 6 credits and returns the 6 credits to the cr and communicates to the application controller that 3 net credits were won by the user. the application controller communicates to the interactive controller to add 3 bullets to an ammunition clip. the interactive controller adds 3 bullets back to the ammo clip. the ammunition may be added by directly adding the ammunition to the clip or by allowing the user to find extra ammunition during use. the application controller logs the new user score (ac) in the game (as a function of the successful hit on the opponent) based on the interactive controller communication, and adds 2 extra points to the user score since a jackpot has been won. the application controller then adds 10 points to the user score (ac) given the success of the hit which in this example is worth 8 points, plus the 2 extra point. note that this example is only intended to provide an illustration of how credits flow in an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system, but is not intended to be exhaustive and only lists only one of numerous possibilities of how an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system may be configured to manage its fundamental credits. in many embodiments, user management and session controller 1020 , such as user account controller 150 of fig. 1a , of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system is used to store ac for use of the user. in such an embodiment, ac is generated by the application controller based on the user's use of the augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system and an amount of the ac is communicated to the user management and session controller 1020 . the user management and session controller stores the amount of ac between user sessions. in some embodiments, the user management and session controller communicates an amount of ac to the application controller at the start of a user session for use by the user during a user session. fig. 10 illustrates components and processes of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. the system includes an interactive controller 1202 , as described herein. in some embodiments, the interactive controller 1202 provides an interactive application. in some embodiments, the interactive application is an interactive game. in some embodiments, the interactive game is a skill-based game. in some embodiments, the interactive game is a chance-based game. in some embodiments, the interactive game may include random elements during gameplay. the advancement of the interactive game may be based on the random elements. in some embodiments, random elements may be dice rolls, shuffling of playing cards, drawing of objects, etc. in some embodiments, the random elements may be represented digitally in the interactive game, such as with the graphics of die rolling, or automatically incorporated into gameplay, such as when the interactive game randomly generates the contents of a box picked up by the user. in some embodiments, the random elements are determined by mechanics of the interactive application. in other embodiments, the random elements may be determined by mechanics of a wager controller, as described herein. as illustrated in fig. 10 , the random element in the interactive application 1202 is provided by a wagering event 1204 . in some embodiments, the wagering event results in a wagering outcome, generated by the wager controller. the wager controller provides the wagering outcome 1206 as well as an outcome (or random element) 1208 for the interactive application 1202 . the interactive application outcome 1208 is incorporated into the gameplay 1212 of the interactive application. the use of the interactive application outcome 1208 creates an altered interactive application state 1210 . the subsequent changes in the interactive application or the interactive application state parameterize subsequent wager requests. in another embodiment, the random element provided by the interactive application is augmented by the interactive application outcome 1208 generated by the wagering event 1204 , rather than replacing it. in an example embodiment, the interactive controller may receive an application outcome generated by a wager controller, and may also generate a random outcome, and advancement of the interactive application may be based on both the application outcome generated by the wager controller and the interactive controller generated outcome. in another embodiment, the interactive application state of the interactive application can accumulate changes over a number of prior rounds, over a number of prior interactive application sessions, and subsequently alter the parameters of the wagering event. in some embodiments, during interaction with the interactive application, when a random element is used in the interactive application, a wagering event occurs. the result of the wagering event generates a wagering outcome and/or in-application objects for the user. the distribution of wagering results and in-application objects for the user may occur in parallel or in sequence. these objects may be cards, dice roll results, or any other randomized element found within the interactive application. the user can then use the in-application results to continue gameplay; the choices made by the user(s) alter the state of the interactive application. the state of the interactive application is then used to parameterize the wagering event. in an example embodiment, the interactive application may be an interactive game where users score the points by rolling five dice to make certain combinations. in this embodiment, the dice can be rolled up to three times in a turn to try to make one of thirteen possible scoring combinations. an interactive game session consists of thirteen rounds during which the user chooses which scoring combination is to be used in that round. once a combination has been used in the game, it cannot be used again. the scoring combinations may have varying point values, some of which are fixed values and others of which have the cumulative value of the dice. in this embodiment, instead of the outcome of the roll of the five dice being generated by the interactive controller, the wager controller generates the outcome and the outcome is also used in making a wagering outcome. based on the roll, the player may choose which scoring combination to use during that round. that choice eliminates that combination option from future scoring. the reduction in options changes the state of the interactive game. the change of game state is then communicated to the wager controller, which may change the parameters of the wagering event. in the example embodiment, a dice roll result of five identical dice (e.g., 3, 3, 3, 3, 3) holds the game's highest point value of 50. the probability of rolling this result in a first roll (that is, without rerolling any individual dice) of any turn is 1 in 1296. if during gameplay, a user rolls five identical dice results in the first roll, this may be communicated to the wager controller. in one embodiment, obtaining the result of five identical dice on the first roll would alter the wagering event to allow for large payout. the probability of the result for any three-roll turn is approximately 1 in 22 attempts. similarly, this information may be communicated to the wager controller to allow for different parameterization of the wager. alternatively, user choices may create sequences that are then used by the wager controller. consider the above example of the dice game; each turn a user may accept the original roll or decide to reroll specific dice. the final sequence of dice at the end of the round may be saved, with specific sequences changing the wagering event. the sequences may be combined between rounds. for instance, if the first roll by a user is: 2, 3, 4, 4, 4, and the second roll is 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, the overall sequence may be combined. if a special wagering event occurs when a player rolls five of the same dice in a row, neither round would sufficient to trigger the event. however, if the sequences are combined to form: 2, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, the user has achieved the goal of five identical dice and the special wagering event is triggered. the sequence contains the triggering element, and this information may be communicated to the wager controller, and change the parameters of the wager. in another embodiment, the interactive application outcome may be based on a draw from cards. these cards may be specific to the interactive application, or they may be standard playing cards. in some embodiments, rather than drawing cards from a deck within the context of the interactive application, a wagering event would occur, and an outcome is generated. based on the outcome, the player may receive cards in the interactive application. the cards played, kept, or discarded change the game state. the change of game state is then communicated to the wager controller, which may change the parameters of the wagering event. as described herein, the sequence of cards received by the user may be communicated to the gambling game and alter the parameters of future wagers. fig. 11 is a sequence diagram of interactions between components of an augmented or replaced application outcome interleaved wagering system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. the system includes an interactive controller 1302 , an application controller 1304 , and a wager controller 1306 , each as described herein. in some embodiments, the interactive controller 1302 provides an interactive application. in some embodiments, the interactive application is an interactive game. in some embodiments, the interactive game is a skill-based game. in some embodiments, the interactive game is a chance-based game. in some embodiments, execution of the interactive game includes a randomly generated outcome. in an example embodiment, the interactive game may use results of a dice roll in order to advance gameplay. in the example embodiment, a first user may compete against a second user and the results of the competition may be based on one or more rolls of dice. in some embodiments, the competition may be based on two random outcomes and a wager outcome may be based on the same two random outcomes. in this way, the interactive application may be advanced by the random outcomes generated and the wager outcome may be determined without generating additional random outcomes. the interactive controller 1302 communicates, to the application controller 1304 , first application telemetry ( 1308 ). in some embodiments, the first application telemetry includes a request for a random outcome. in some embodiments, the requested random outcome is used during the execution of the interactive application provided by the interactive controller 1302 . in some embodiments, the first application telemetry also includes interactive application state information. in some embodiments, the interactive application state information may be used to create application outcome parameters, which may be associated with the request for random outcome. in an example embodiment, an interactive application may request a random outcome, but previously generated random outcomes may be eliminated from consideration. in this example embodiment, an identification of previously generated random outcomes may be included in the interactive application state information. application outcome parameters may be generated by the interactive controller or the application controller. the application controller 1304 receives, from the interactive controller 1302 , the application telemetry ( 1308 ). the application controller 1304 communicates, to the wager controller 1306 , a first application outcome request ( 1310 ). in some embodiments, the interactive controller uses the outcome from the first application outcome request to advance the interactive application. in some embodiments, the first application outcome request includes application outcome parameters associated with the request. the wager controller 1306 receives, from the application controller 1304 , the first application outcome request ( 1310 ). the wager controller 1306 generates a first application outcome ( 1312 ). in some embodiments, the first application outcome is based on application outcome parameters. in some embodiments, the wager controller 1306 stores the first application outcome in a local or remote storage. in some embodiments, the first application outcome is associated with the interactive controller 1302 and/or the application controller 1304 . in some embodiments, the first application outcome is associated with a user id associated with the user of the interactive application. in this case, the user id associated with the user of the interactive application is communicated when a second application outcome request is made, as described herein. the wager controller 1306 communicates, to the application controller 1304 , a first application outcome ( 1314 ). the application controller 1304 receives, from the wager controller 1306 , the first application outcome ( 1314 ). the application controller 1304 communicates, to the interactive controller 1302 , the first application outcome ( 1316 ). the interactive controller 1302 receives, from the application controller 1304 , the first application outcome ( 1316 ). in some embodiments, the interactive controller 1302 uses the received first application outcome to advance the interactive application. in some embodiments, the received first application outcome may be an outcome of a dice throw, and actions may take place in the interactive application based on the first application outcome. in some embodiments, further application outcomes may be used to further advance the interactive application. the interactive controller 1302 communicates, to the application controller 1304 , second application telemetry ( 1318 ). in some embodiments, the second application telemetry includes a request for a second random outcome. in some embodiments, the requested random outcome is used during the execution of the interactive application provided by the interactive controller 1302 . in some embodiments, the second application telemetry also includes interactive application state information. in some embodiments, the interactive application state information may be used to create application outcome parameters, which may be associated with the request for random outcome. in some embodiments, the second application telemetry also includes an identifier associated with the interactive controller 1302 or the user of the interactive application such that the wager controller 1306 may identify the previously generated application outcomes (e.g., the first application outcome). in some embodiments, the first application outcome may be included in the second application telemetry. the application controller 1304 receives, from the interactive controller 1302 , the second application telemetry ( 1318 ). the application controller 1304 communicates, to the wager controller 1306 , a second application outcome request ( 1320 ). the second application outcome request may include the second application telemetry, as described herein. the wager controller 1306 receives, from the application controller 1304 , the second application outcome request ( 1320 ). the wager controller 1306 generates a second application outcome ( 1322 ). in some embodiments, the second application outcome is based on application outcome parameters. in some embodiments, the wager controller 1306 stores the second application outcome in a local or remote storage. in some embodiments, the second application outcome is associated with the interactive controller 1302 and/or the application controller 1304 . in some embodiments, the second application outcome is associated with a user id associated with the user of the interactive application. in this case, the user id associated with the user of the interactive application is communicated when a subsequent application outcome request is made. the wager controller 1306 also determines a wager outcome ( 1324 ). the wager outcome may be determined based on the first application outcome and the second application outcome. in an example embodiment, if the first application outcome is dice rolls of 3, 4, and 5, and the second application outcome is dice rolls of 2, 4, and 6, a wager outcome may be determined based on the combined dice rolls of 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, and 6. various paytables may be used to determine whether the outcome is a winning outcome and how much should be awarded. in some embodiments, the paytable to be used is based on the interactive application. in an example embodiment, the presence of two 4's in the combined application outcome may result in a winning wager outcome. in another example embodiment, the presence of five consecutive numbers (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) may result in a winning wager outcome. the wager controller 1306 communicates, to the application controller 1304 , the second application outcome and the wager outcome ( 1326 ). the application controller 1304 receives, from the wager controller 1306 , the second application outcome and the wager outcome ( 1326 ). the application controller 1304 communicates, to the interactive controller 1302 , the second application outcome and the wager outcome ( 1328 ). the interactive controller 1302 receives, from the application controller 1304 , the second application outcome and the wager outcome ( 1328 ). while the above description may include many specific embodiments of the invention, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as examples of embodiments thereof. it is therefore to be understood that the present invention can be practiced otherwise than specifically described, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. thus, embodiments of the present invention described herein should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.
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183-754-721-315-422
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US
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[
"US"
] |
G02B27/09
| 1990-01-31T00:00:00 |
1990
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[
"G02"
] |
matching optics for gaussian beams
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a system of matching optics for gaussian beams. the matching optics system is positioned between a light beam emitter (such as a laser) and the input optics of a second optics system whereby the output from the light beam emitter is converted into an optimum input for the succeeding parts of the second optical system. the matching optics arrangement includes the combination of a light beam emitter, such as a laser with a movable afocal lens pair (telescope) and a single movable lens placed in the laser's output beam. the single movable lens serves as an input to the telescope. if desired, a second lens, which may be fixed, is positioned in the beam before the adjustable lens to serve as an input processor to the movable lens. the system provides the ability to choose waist diameter and position independently and achieve the desired values with two simple adjustments not requiring iteration.
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1. a matching optical system for matching gaussian beams to another optical system comprising: emitting means for producing a beam of light having an axis; a first movable lens disposed on said axis remote from said emitting means for translation along said axis; a movable afocal lens pair disposed for translation along said axis said lens pair being located on said axis more remote from said emitting beam than said first movable lens and; said first movable lens disposed for receiving said light beam from said emitting means and providing an output having a waist whose diameter varies with the translation of said movable lens, said output serving as an input to said afocal lens pair, said afocal lens pair providing a second output waist whose position varies with the translation of said afocal lens but whose diameter remains constant irrespective of the translation of said afocal lens pair. 2. a matching optical system for gaussian beams as set forth in claim 1 wherein said afocal lens pair is a telescope. 3. a matching optical system for gaussian beams as set forth in claim 2 wherein said emitting means is an argon laser source. 4. a matching optical system for gaussian beams as set forth in claim 3 including a fixed lens disposed along said axis of said beam adjacent to said emitting means for providing said light from said emitting means with an output waist of predetermined diameter. 5. a matching optical system for gaussian beams as set forth in claim 4 wherein said movable lens has a position range enabling said movable lens to be positioned approximately its focal length remote from the waist formed by said fixed lens. 6. a matching optical system for gaussian beams as set forth in claim 5 wherein said another optical system is a laser velocimeter. 7. a matching optical system for gaussian beams as set forth in claim 3 wherein said movable lens has a position range enabling said movable lens to be positioned approximately its focal length remote from the waist formed by said fixed lens. 8. a matching optical system for gaussian beams as set forth in claim 7 wherein said another optical system is a laser velocimeter. 9. a matching optical system for gaussian beams as set forth in claim 3 including a single lens disposed adjacent to said emitting means.
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origin of the invention the invention disclosed herein was made in the performance of work under a nasa contract and is subject to public law 96-517 (35 u.s.c. .sctn.200 et seq.). the contractor has not elected to retain title in this invention. field of the invention the present invention is directed to an optical system comprised of an arrangement of optical elements which provide for matching the available gaussian input beam from a light beam emitter to the specific input requirements of some other optical system. background of the invention in some prior art optical systems, when it was required to precisely match an input gaussian beam to the input requirements of an optical system, it was necessary to have two or more adjustable optical features in the design, and the optical elements required iterative adjustment as each adjustment of an individual optical element would affect the output waist diameter and the output waist location. alternatively, another approach often taken was to give up on getting a really good match and to use a single adjustment to simultaneously change both waist size and waist location, but not independently. beam-shaping optical systems are well known in the art. u.s. pat. no. 4,318,594 issued to hiroshi hanada on mar. 9, 1982, discloses a beam-shaping optical system for treating or collimating the beam emitted from the exit surface of a semiconductor laser. u.s. pat. no. 4,705,367, issued to alan c. eckbreth et al. on nov. 10, 1987, is directed to a variable length optical system for generating a constant diameter focal spot. a feature of applicant's invention, not found in the prior art, is the provision of a single movable lens in combination with a movable afocal pair (telescope) wherein the single movable lens serves as an input to the telescope to provide an optical system for matching the available gaussian input beam to the specific input requirements of some other optical system. one example of such an optical system would be a system wherein the output of an argon laser is to be converted into the optimum input for the succeeding parts of a laser velocimeter system. some laser velocimeter systems are disclosed in u.s. pat. nos. 4,148,585, issued on apr. 10, 1979, to bargeron et al.; 4,346,990, issued on aug. 31, 1982, to rhodes; and 4,697,922, issued on oct. 6, 1987, to gunter et al. in such velocimeter systems, a relatively long "stack" of beam processing components, such as beam splitters (spacers), bragg cells, etc., are used, and it is necessary to keep the beam small enough to negotiate the various apertures in the stack. the optical system of the present invention provides such capabilities. summary of the invention accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide matching optics for gaussian beams wherein the output is adjustable to provide an optimum input to an arbitrary optical system. a feature of the invention is that proper selection of the output waist diameter and position is independently achieved by two simple adjustments not requiring iteration. other objects and advantages of the present invention is achieved by the combination of an afocal lens pair (telescope) with a single movable lens serving as input to the afocal lens pair and possibly using a fixed lens which serves as an input processor to the movable lens. one application of the invention is the combination with a laser velocimeter wherein the output serves as a matching input for the velocimeter. brief description of the drawing the single drawing is a schematic representation of the matching optics system of the present invention. description of the present embodiment as shown in the drawing, a matching optics system 10 is shown positioned between a light beam emitter, such as a laser 14, (for example, an argon laser), and a second or final receiver optical system 26. the term "matching optics" as used herein defines an optical system which is positioned between the output of the light beam emitter and a receiver optical system to "match" the available gaussian output from the light emitter to the specific input requirements of the receiver optics by providing a waist having a predetermined diameter and position relative to the input optics of the receiver optical system. the matching optics system of the present invention may include a positive lens 16 (having a focal length f1) placed at a position along the beam near the laser. lens 16 may be fixed, if desired, and is used to transform the laser waist diameter of its confocal parameter (which is related to waist diameter). a second positive lens 18, whose position can be adjusted (translated) along the beam, is positioned next along the beam. it is convenient if the range of adjustment includes the position placing the lens approximately its own focal length, f2, beyond the waist, w2, formed by lens 16 (which is the region in which the diameter of the lens's output waist varies most rapidly for a given amount of adjustment of the lens along the beam). following the adjustable lens, an afocal (parallel light in yields parallel light out in the geometic optics approximation) telescope 20 is placed in the beam. of course, an afocal pair means that two lenses or other focusing elements are separated by a distance equal to the algebraic sum of their focal lengths. it is known that if the input lens 22 of telescope 20 has a focal length f3 and the output lens 24 has a focal length f4, the magnification of the telescope is m=(f4/f3). if w3 is the diameter of the input waist to the telescope and w5 is the diameter of the output waist from the telescope, w5/w3=m. however, a little known fact here is that w5/w3=m regardless of the distance that the input waist, w3, is from the telescope. this is quite different from the geometric optics results for afocal lens pairs and much simpler than expected from the complicated equation for transformation of a gaussian waist by a single lens. the distance between different lenses and the output waist is shown in the drawing wherein l1=the distance between lens 16 and lens 18, l2=the distance between lens 18 and lens 22, l3=the distance between lens 22 and lens 24, l4=the distance between lens 16 the output waist w5. further, the distance of waist w5 from lens f4 is l4 minus l5. if, for example, the distance l2 is decreased by one unit (by moving telescope 20 one unit closer to lens 18), the distance between lens 24 and output waist w5 will lengthen by m.sup.2 units without changing the diameter of output waist w5. as telescope 20 has been moved one unit toward lens 18 this will, of course, cause the distance between lens 18 and output waist w5 to lengthen m squared minus one units (m.sup.2 -1). obviously then, by sliding (translating) the afocal telescope along the beam, we can place its output waist anywhere along the beam that we wish since the distance between input and output waist changes. the change in position of the output waist will be (m.sup.2 -1) times as much as the change in position of the telescope. if desired, one can generate negative distances between input and output waists. the diameter and location of w5 is chosen to match the input of the receiver optical system, indicated by the numeral 26 in the drawing. as stated previously, such an optical system may include the optical system of a velocimeter. in operation, the single adjustable lens 18 is adjusted to make the output waist of the telescope be the desired size. then, the telescope position is adjusted to bring the waist to a desired location. an example of the parameters of a matching system designed according to this invention is as follows. the virtual waist w1 within a laser was taken to be 0.9 mm in diameter, and the first lens 16 (f1, 200 mm focal length) was placed 1,200 mm from the position of the laser's virtual waist. this put that lens quite close to the output end of the laser. the second lens 18 (f.sub.2, 100 mm focal length) was placed anywhere from 325 to 345 mm from lens 16. an afocal telescope 20 (f3, -52.45 mm focal length, and f4, 200 mm focal length) came next, with the distance between lens 22 and lens 24 equal to 147.55 mm. the distance from lens 18 to the input lens 22 of the telescope was varied from 50 mm to 350 mm. assuming a 500 mm wavelength for the light, the calculated diameter of output waist w5 varied from 1.952 mm to 1.194 mm as the distance between lens 16 and 18 was varied from 325 mm to 345 mm. the location of the output waist w5 changed by several meters as the position of the telescope was changed without affecting the waist diameter previously set by the position of lens 18. in some cases, the first fixed lens 16 will be unnecessary, either because space is not critical and a long focal length lens (long enough, for instance, to reach into a laser where its internal virtual waist is located) may be used for the adjustable single lens or because the input waist requirement of the second (final) optical system is of a size and accessibility not requiring the extra processing lens. wherever a lens is used in the example, a different focusing element, such as a mirror or catadioptric, could be used. although positive lenses could be used throughout the system, negative lenses are not excluded, where appropriate. this invention uses relatively few parts (one lens and a telescope, or two lenses and a telescope) to provide, easy, non-iterative adjustment of both waist diameter and waist position along a gaussian beam. it should be seen that applicant has provided a matching optical system for gaussian beams which includes the combination of an afocal lens pair (telescope) with a single movable lens serving as an input to the telescope and, where desired, a fixed lens serving as an input processor to the movable lens. such combination of optical elements gives the user the ability to choose output waist diameter and position independently and achieve the desired values with two simple adjustments not requiring iteration.
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184-298-296-724-873
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JP
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[
"US",
"JP"
] |
G01D11/24,G01N27/407,G01N27/409
| 2010-08-10T00:00:00 |
2010
|
[
"G01"
] |
gas sensor
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a gas sensor suppresses the deterioration of gas tightness caused by failure of a sealing material. the gas sensor includes: a housing; a sensor element arranged inside the housing; a sealing material filling a gap between the sensor element and the housing; an insulation member arranged on a proximal end side of the sealing material; and an annular metal ring arranged on a proximal end side of the insulation member. the sealing material, the insulation member and the metal ring are fixed under pressure by caulking from a proximal end side to a distal. a proximal-end facing surface of an inner peripheral portion of the metal ring is spaced apart from the caulking portion in an opposing region where an inner end of the caulking portion and the metal ring face each other in an opposed manner.
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1. a gas sensor comprising: a cylindrical housing which extends in a longitudinal direction of the gas sensor; a sensor element inserted into the inside of the housing while having a distal end side thereof projecting from a distal end of the housing; a sealing material which is filled in a gap between the sensor element and the housing; a cylindrical insulation member which is arranged on a proximal end side of the sealing material so as to surround the sensor element and having at least an outer surface of the proximal end portion thereof spaced apart from an inner surface of the housing; and an annular metal ring which is arranged on a proximal end side of the insulation member and has an outer peripheral portion thereof projecting outward in a radial direction from the proximal end portion of the insulation member, wherein the sealing material, the insulation member and the metal ring are fixed by caulking in a pressed state from a proximal end side to a distal end side by a caulking portion which is formed by bending a proximal end portion of the housing inward, the caulking portion is brought into close contact with a whole proximal-end facing surface of the outer peripheral portion of the metal ring, and a portion of an inner end of the caulking portion is gradually spaced apart in the longitudinal direction from a radially inner end portion of a proximal-end facing surface of the metal ring at an opposing region where the caulking portion and the metal ring face each other in an opposed manner in the longitudinal direction. 2. a gas sensor according to claim 1 , wherein an inner end of the caulking portion is positioned on a more outside area in the radial direction than the inner surface of the metal ring. 3. a gas sensor according to claim 1 , wherein a contact portion between the caulking portion and the metal ring is positioned more inside in the radial direction than an outer surface of the insulation member. 4. a gas sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the inner surface of the metal ring is positioned more outside in the radial direction than the inner surface of the insulation member. 5. a gas sensor according to claim 1 , wherein a distal-end facing surface of the metal ring is brought into face contact with the insulation member. 6. a gas sensor according to claim 5 , wherein a cross section of the metal ring cut along a plane extending in the longitudinal direction has a rectangular shape. 7. a gas sensor according to claim 1 , wherein an outer surface of the insulation member is formed into a straight shape. 8. a gas sensor comprising: a cylindrical housing which extends in a longitudinal direction of the gas sensor; a sensor element inserted into the inside of the housing while having a distal end side thereof projecting from a distal end of the housing; a sealing material which is filled in a gap between the sensor element and the housing; a cylindrical insulation member which is arranged on a proximal end side of the sealing material so as to surround the sensor element and having at least an outer surface of the proximal end portion thereof spaced apart from an inner surface of the housing; and an annular metal ring which is arranged on a proximal end side of the insulation member and has an outer peripheral portion thereof projecting outward in a radial direction from the proximal end portion of the insulation member, wherein the sealing material, the insulation member and the metal ring are fixed by caulking in a pressed state from a proximal end side to a distal end side by a caulking portion which is formed by bending a proximal end portion of the housing inward, and a distal-end facing surface of the outer peripheral portion of the metal ring is positioned downward more than an imaginary line extending from a proximal-end facing surface of the insulation member. 9. a gas sensor according to claim 8 , wherein the caulking portion is brought into close contact with the whole proximal-end facing surface of the outer peripheral portion of the metal ring, and at the inner peripheral portion of the metal ring formed inside the outer peripheral portion, at least a radially inner end portion of the proximal-end facing surface of the metal ring in an opposing region where the caulking portion and the metal ring face each other in an opposed manner in the longitudinal direction is spaced apart from the caulking portion.
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cross-reference to related patent applications this application claims the benefit of japanese patent application no. 2010-179403, filed aug. 10, 2010, all of which are incorporated by reference herein. field of the invention the present invention relates to a gas sensor which includes a sensor element for detecting concentration of a gas to be detected. background of the invention as a gas sensor for detecting concentration of oxygen or nox in an exhaust gas discharged from an automobile or the like, there has been known a gas sensor including a sensor element which uses a solid electrolyte. as shown in fig. 10 , this type of gas sensor is configured such that a flange portion 3 a is formed on a bottomed cylindrical sensor element (oxygen sensor element in this example) 3 in the vicinity of the center of the sensor element 3 , and the sensor element 3 is inserted into and held on the inside of a cylindrical housing (main body fitting) 200 (jp-a-2007-285769 ( fig. 11 )). a stepped portion 200 e is formed on an inner peripheral surface of the housing 200 , and a cylindrical ceramic holder 5 is arranged on a proximal end side of the stepped portion 200 e by way of a packing 12 . by bringing the flange portion 3 a of the sensor element 3 into contact with the ceramic holder 5 from a proximal end side by way of a packing (not shown in the drawing), the flange portion 3 a is brought into contact with the stepped portion 200 e in an indirect manner. further, in a gap defined between the sensor element 3 and the housing 200 in the radial direction on a proximal end side of the flange portion 3 a , a cylindrical sealing material (talc powder) 6 and an insulation member (ceramic sleeve) 50 are arranged. a metal ring (flat washer) 60 is arranged on a proximal end side of the insulation member 50 , a caulking portion 200 a is formed by bending a proximal end portion of the housing 200 inward so that the insulation member 50 is pressed toward a distal end side and collapses the sealing material 6 by pressing whereby the whole sensor element 3 is sealed while being fixed by caulking. further, a cylindrical outer sleeve 400 is joined to the proximal end portion of the housing 200 so as to hold a lead line and a terminal mounted on the proximal end side of the sensor element 3 and to cover the proximal end portion of the sensor element 3 . on the other hand, a distal end of the sensor element 3 is covered with a protector 7 . by threadedly mounting a male threaded portion 200 d of the housing 200 of the gas sensor manufactured in this manner in a threaded hole formed in an exhaust pipe or the like, the distal end of the sensor element 3 is exposed in the inside of the exhaust pipe whereby the sensor element 3 can detect a gas to be detected (exhaust gas). summary of the invention however, with respect to the technique disclosed in jp-a-2007-285769, gas tightness between the sensor element 3 and the housing 200 is lowered when the gas sensor is subjected to thermal cycle thus giving rise to a drawback that a gas to be detected outside the sensor flows into the inside of the sensor (inside of the outer cylinder 400 ). it is thought that when the gas sensor is heated, the housing 200 made of metal expands larger than the sealing material 6 and the insulation member 50 both of which are made of ceramic so that the caulked portion 200 a is elongated toward the proximal end side in the longitudinal direction (ex direction in fig. 10 ) whereby the caulking is loosened thus making the sealing by the sealing material 6 insufficient. accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a gas sensor which can suppress the deterioration of gas tightness obtained by a sealing material. to overcome the above-mentioned drawback, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gas sensor which includes: a cylindrical housing which extends in the axial direction; a sensor element which has a distal end side thereof projected from a distal end of the housing and is inserted into and is arranged in the inside of the housing; a sealing material which is filled in a gap defined between the sensor element and the housing; a cylindrical insulation member which is arranged on a proximal end side of the sealing material so as to surround the sensor element and has at least an outer surface of the proximal end portion thereof spaced apart from an inner surface of the housing; and an annular metal ring which is arranged on a proximal end side of the insulation member and has an outer peripheral portion thereof projected outward in the radial direction from the proximal end portion of the insulation member, wherein the sealing material, the insulation member and the metal ring are fixed by caulking in a pressed state from a proximal end side to a distal end side by a caulking portion which is formed by bending a proximal end portion of the housing inward, and the caulking portion is brought into close contact with the whole proximal-end facing surface of the outer peripheral portion of the metal ring, and at an inner peripheral portion of the metal ring formed inside the outer peripheral portion, at least a radially inner end portion of a proximal-end facing surface of the metal ring in an opposing region where the caulking portion and the metal ring face each other in an opposed manner in the axial direction is spaced apart from the caulking portion. due to such a constitution, when a stress which presses the outer peripheral portion of the metal ring downward (toward a distal end) is applied to the whole metal ring by caulking and the gas sensor is heated so that the caulking portion is elongated, the metal ring springs back in the direction opposite to the direction that the stress is applied. due to this spring-back, a distal-end facing surface (distal end) side of the metal ring presses the insulation member downward toward a distal end and hence, loosening of caulking can be prevented whereby the deterioration of gas tightness obtained by the sealing material can be suppressed. to be more specific, since the outer peripheral portion of the metal ring projects outward in the radial direction from the proximal end portion of the insulation member, a center axis of the metal ring is offset outward in the radial direction from a center axis of the insulation member in the radial direction. accordingly, the center axis of the metal ring is positioned more outside in the radial direction than a fulcrum where a caulking load is supported and hence, in terms of moment, on a proximal-end facing surface of the metal ring, a major portion of caulking load is applied to an outer side of the proximal-end facing surface of the metal ring in the radial direction. accordingly, the above-mentioned stress is generated thus bringing about a spring effect. further, the caulking portion is brought into close contact with the whole proximal-end facing surface of the outer peripheral portion of the metal ring and hence, a caulking load is surely applied to the outer peripheral portion whereby the above-mentioned stress is further increased. still further, at the inner peripheral portion of the metal ring, at least the radially inner end portion of the proximal-end facing surface of the metal ring in the opposing region where the caulking portion and the metal ring face each other in an opposed manner in the axial direction is spaced apart from the caulking portion and hence, the caulking load is hardly applied to the inner peripheral portion side of the metal ring and a major portion of the caulking load is applied to the outer peripheral portion side of the metal ring thus surely bringing about the above-mentioned spring-back effect. due to the above-mentioned constitution, the loosening of caulking can be prevented and hence, the deterioration of gas tightness obtained by the sealing material can be suppressed. here, “the proximal-end facing surface of the metal ring in the opposing region where the caulking portion and the metal ring face each other in an opposed manner in the axial direction in the inner peripheral portion of the metal ring” indicates the whole proximal-end facing surface of the inner peripheral portion of the metal ring when an inner end of the caulking portion is arranged more inside than the metal ring in the radial direction, for example. on the other hand, “the proximal-end facing surface of the metal ring in the opposing region where the caulking portion and the metal ring face each other in an opposed manner in the axial direction in the inner peripheral portion of the metal ring” indicates a portion of the proximal-end facing surface of the inner peripheral portion of the metal ring which is arranged outside a position where the proximal-end facing surface faces an inner end of the caulking portion in an opposed manner in the radial direction when the inner end of the caulking portion is arranged more outside than the metal ring in the radial direction, for example. according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gas sensor which includes: a cylindrical housing which extends in the axial direction; a sensor element which has a distal end side thereof projected from a distal end of the housing and is inserted into and is arranged in the inside of the housing; a sealing material which is filled in a gap defined between the sensor element and the housing; a cylindrical insulation member which is arranged on a proximal end side of the sealing material so as to surround the sensor element and has at least an outer surface of the proximal end portion thereof spaced apart from an inner surface of the housing; and an annular metal ring which is arranged on a proximal end side of the insulation member and has an outer peripheral portion thereof projected outward in the radial direction from the proximal end portion of the insulation member, wherein the sealing material, the insulation member and the metal ring are fixed by caulking in a pressed state from a proximal end side to a distal end side by a caulking portion which is formed by bending a proximal end portion of the housing inward, and a distal-end facing surface of the outer peripheral portion of the metal ring is positioned on a more distal-end side than a proximal-end facing surface of the proximal end portion of the insulation member. due to such a constitution, when a stress which presses the outer peripheral portion of the metal ring downward (toward a distal end) is applied to the whole metal ring by caulking and the gas sensor is heated so that the caulking portion is elongated, the metal ring springs back in the direction opposite to the direction that the stress is applied. due to this spring-back, a distal-end facing surface (distal end) side of the metal ring presses the insulation member downward toward a distal end and hence, the loosening of caulking can be prevented whereby the deterioration of gas tightness obtained by the sealing material can be suppressed. to be more specific, by applying a sufficient caulking load to an extent that the outer peripheral portion of the metal ring is positioned on a more distal end side than the proximal-end facing surface of the proximal end portion of the insulation member, the above-mentioned spring-back effect can be increased and hence, the loosening of caulking can be prevented whereby the deterioration of gas tightness obtained by the sealing material can be suppressed. here, “a distal-end facing surface of the outer peripheral portion of the metal ring is positioned on a more distal-end side than a proximal-end facing surface of the proximal end portion of the insulation member” indicates that the metal ring forcibly enters a gap defined between the insulation member and the housing. further, in the above-mentioned gas sensor, it is preferable that the caulking portion is brought into close contact with the whole proximal-end facing surface of the outer peripheral portion of the metal ring, and at the inner peripheral portion of the metal ring formed inside the outer peripheral portion, at least a radially inner end portion of the proximal-end facing surface of the metal ring where the caulking portion and the metal ring face each other in an opposed manner in the axial direction is spaced apart from the caulking portion. due to such a constitution, a caulking load is hardly applied to the inner peripheral portion of the caulking portion, and a major portion of the caulking load is applied to the outer peripheral portion side of the metal ring thus surely bringing about the above-mentioned spring back effect. further, in the gas sensor of the present invention, an inner end of the caulking portion may be positioned more outside in the radial direction than the inner surface of the metal ring. due to such a constitution, the position at which a caulking load is applied to the metal ring is arranged further closer to an outer peripheral side than an inner peripheral side of the metal ring. accordingly, a stress which presses the outer peripheral side of the metal ring downward (toward a distal end) can be easily applied and hence, the above-mentioned spring back effect can be easily acquired correspondingly. further, in the gas sensor of the present invention, it is preferable that a contact portion between the caulking portion and the metal ring is positioned more inside in the radial direction than an outer surface of the insulation member. although it is preferable that a caulking load is applied to the outer peripheral side of the metal ring, when a position where the caulking load is applied is excessively close to the outer peripheral side of the metal ring, only the outer peripheral portion of the metal ring is deformed thus giving rise to a possibility that the spring back effect is decreased. to the contrary, when the contact portion between the caulking portion and the metal ring is positioned more inside in the radial direction than the outer surface of the insulation member, it is possible to acquire the sufficient spring back effect while applying a caulking load to the outer peripheral side of the metal ring. further, in the gas sensor of the present invention, the inner surface of the metal ring may be positioned more outside in the radial direction than the inner surface of the insulation member. along with pressing the outer peripheral side of the metal ring downward with a load generated by caulking, the inner peripheral side of the metal ring is pressed upward (toward a distal end side). here, due to such a constitution, a possibility that the inner surface of the metal ring is caught by an outer surface of the sensor element is decreased and hence, caulking can be surely performed. further, in the gas sensor of the present invention, a distal-end facing surface of the metal ring may be brought into face contact with the insulation member. due to such a constitution, it is possible to secure an area where the distal-end facing surface of the metal ring is brought into contact with a proximal-end facing surface of the insulation member and hence, a spring force generated by the above-mentioned spring back can be surely applied to these members. as one of means for bringing the distal-end facing surface of the metal ring into face contact with the insulation member, it is preferable that a cross section of the metal ring cut along a plane extending in the axial direction has a rectangular shape. due to such a constitution, since the distal-end facing surface of the metal ring is a planar surface, an area where the distal-end facing surface of the metal ring is brought into contact with the proximal-end facing surface of the proximal end portion of the insulation member is increased whereby a spring force generated by the above-mentioned spring back can be surely applied to these members. further, the proximal-end facing surface of the metal ring is also a planar surface and hence, an area where the metal ring is brought into contact with the caulking portion is also increased whereby a spring force generated by the spring back can be further surely applied to these members. further, in the gas sensor of the present invention, an outer surface of the insulation member may be formed into a straight shape. when a flange portion is formed on the insulation member, there exists a possibility that cracks occur in the flange portion due to a load of the caulking portion. however, by forming the outer surface of the insulation member into a straight shape, no cracks occur in the insulation member. according to the present invention, it is possible to acquire a gas sensor which suppresses the deterioration of gas tightness obtained by a sealing material. brief description of the drawings these and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily appreciated when considered in connection with the following detailed description and appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements in the various views, and wherein: fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a gas sensor according to a first embodiment of the present invention taken along a plane extending in the axial direction of the gas sensor; fig. 2 is a partially enlarged view of fig. 1 ; fig. 3a and fig. 3b are views showing a stress which is generated in caulking a metal ring and the manner of operation of a spring back corresponding to the stress; fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship among the metal ring, an insulation member, and a housing of a gas sensor according to a second embodiment of the present invention; fig. 5a and fig. 5b are views showing the manner of operation of the gas sensor when an inner surface of the metal ring is positioned more outside in the radial direction than an inner surface of the insulation member; fig. 6 is a view showing an example where a shape of a cross section of the metal ring is not a rectangular shape; fig. 7 is a view showing an example in which a proximal end portion of the insulation member has a diameter smaller than a diameter of other portions of the insulation member; fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the gas sensor according to the first embodiment of the present invention when an inner end of a caulking portion is arranged more inside in the radial direction than an inner surface of the metal ring; fig. 9 is a view showing a magnitude of a bearing pressure by simulation when a distance in the radial direction between an outer surface of an outer peripheral portion of the metal ring and an outer surface of a proximal end portion of the insulation member is changed; and fig. 10 is a view showing the structure around a caulking portion of a conventional gas sensor. detailed description of the invention description of the preferred embodiments hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention are explained. fig. 1 shows the cross-sectional structure of a gas sensor 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention by cutting the gas sensor 100 along a plane extending in the axial direction (in the direction toward a proximal end from a distal end). in this embodiment, the gas sensor 100 is an oxygen sensor which is inserted into an exhaust pipe of an automobile and has a distal end (a side indicated by an arrow f in fig. 1 ) thereof exposed in an exhaust gas thus detecting oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas. a sensor element 3 is a known oxygen sensor element which constitutes an oxygen concentration cell in which a pair of electrodes is stacked on a solid electrolytic body having oxygen ion conductivity and outputs a detection value corresponding to an oxygen quantity. here, a lower side of the gas sensor 100 in fig. 1 (a side indicated by an arrow f) forms a distal end side of the gas sensor 100 , and an upper side of the gas sensor 100 in fig. 1 forms a proximal end side of the gas sensor 100 . the gas sensor 100 is an assembly where the sensor element 3 is assembled in a housing (main fitting) 20 . the sensor element 3 is constituted of a solid electrolytic body having a cylindrical shape whose diameter is narrowed toward a distal end thereof in a tapered shape, and an inner electrode and an outer electrode (not shown in the drawing) which are formed on an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface of the solid electrolytic body respectively. a reference gas atmosphere is created in an inner space of the sensor element 3 , and the gas detection is performed in such a manner that a gas to be detected is brought into contact with an outer surface of the sensor element 3 . a rod-like heater 15 is inserted into the inner space of the sensor element 3 . a flange portion 3 a which projects outward in the radial direction is formed on a portion of the sensor element 3 in the vicinity of the center of the sensor element 3 . on the other hand, a stepped portion 20 e which narrows a diameter thereof inward is formed on an inner peripheral surface of the housing 20 at a position close to a distal end of the housing 20 , and a cylindrical ceramic holder 5 is arranged on a proximal end side of the stepped portion 20 e by way of a packing 12 . by inserting the sensor element 3 into the inside of the housing 20 and the ceramic holder 5 and by bringing the flange portion 3 a of the sensor element 3 into contact with the ceramic holder 5 from a proximal end side by way of a packing (not shown in the drawing), the flange portion 3 a of the sensor element 3 is brought into contact with the stepped portion 20 e from the proximal end side in an indirect manner. further, a cylindrical sealing material (talc powder) 6 is filled in a gap which is defined between the sensor element 3 and the housing 20 in the radial direction on a proximal end side of the flange portion 3 a , and a cylindrical insulation member (ceramic sleeve) 10 is arranged on a proximal end side of the sealing material 6 . a metal ring (stainless steel-made flat washer) 30 is arranged on a proximal end side of the insulation member 10 , and a caulking portion 20 a is formed by bending a proximal end portion of the housing 20 inward so that the insulation member 10 is pressed toward a distal end side and collapses the sealing material 6 by pressing whereby the insulation member 10 and the sealing material 6 are fixed by caulking and also a gap defined between the sensor element 3 and the housing 20 is sealed. here, there exists a possibility that cracks or the like occur when a proximal end of the insulation member 10 is directly caulked and hence, the caulking is performed by way of the metal ring 30 . here, a diameter of the inner surface of the housing 20 is enlarged in the vicinity of the proximal end of the insulation member 10 so that at least an outer surface 10 bf of a proximal end portion 10 b of the insulation member 10 is spaced apart from the inner surface of the housing 20 . an outer diameter of the metal ring 30 is set larger than an outer diameter of the insulation member 10 so that, as described later, an outer peripheral portion 30 a of the metal ring 30 projects outward in the radial direction from the outer surface 10 bf of the insulation member 10 . the specification of the outer peripheral portion 30 a of the metal ring 30 is described later. further, a cylindrical outer sleeve 40 is joined to a proximal end of the housing 20 for holding lead lines 41 and terminal fittings 71 , 91 which are arranged on a proximal end side of the sensor element 3 and for covering the proximal end portion of the sensor element 3 . to be more specific, a cylindrical separator 111 having an insulation property is fixed to a proximal-end-side inner surface of the outer sleeve 40 by caulking, and proximal portions 74 , 94 of the terminal fittings 71 , 91 are respectively inserted into and fixed to two through holes formed in the separator 111 . connection end portions 75 , 95 are formed on proximal ends of the respective proximal portions 74 , 94 respectively, and the lead lines 41 , 41 are connected to the connection end portions 75 , 95 respectively by caulking. a cylindrical grommet 131 is fixed to an inner side of the outer sleeve 40 on a proximal end side of the separator 111 by caulking, and the lead lines 41 , 41 are respectively pulled out to the outside from four through holes (only two through holes are shown in fig. 1 ) formed in the grommet 131 . when the outer sleeve 40 is arranged to cover the proximal end of the housing 20 in a state where the terminal fittings 71 , 91 project toward a distal end side of the outer sleeve in this manner, the cylindrical terminal fitting 71 is fitted in a sleeve of the sensor element 3 and is electrically connected with a lead of a reference electrode on the inner surface of the sensor element 3 . the terminal fitting 91 is fitted on an outer peripheral surface of the sensor element 3 and is electrically connected with a lead of a detection electrode formed on the outer surface of the sensor element 3 . further, a distal end of the outer sleeve 40 is fitted on the proximal end portion 20 b of the housing 20 , and the outer sleeve 40 is fixed to the housing 20 by welding both the outer sleeve 40 and the housing 20 . a through hole 131 a is formed in the center of the grommet 131 , and the through hole 131 a is communicated with an inner space of the sensor element 3 . further, a water-repellent ventilation filter 140 is interposed in the center hole formed in the grommet 131 and hence, a reference gas (atmospheric air) can be introduced into the inner space of the sensor element 3 while preventing outside water from passing through the ventilation filter 140 . on the other hand, a cylindrical protector 7 is fitted on the distal end portion 20 f of the housing 20 , and the distal end of the sensor element 3 projecting from the housing 20 is covered with the protector 7 . the protector 7 is formed by mounting a bottomed cylindrical outer protector 7 b and a bottomed cylindrical inner protector 7 a having the duplicate structure to the housing by the welding or the like, wherein the outer and inner protectors 7 a , 7 b have a plurality of hole portions (not shown in the drawing) and are made of metal (for example, stainless steel) respectively. here, a polygonal flange portion 20 c which projects outward in the radial direction and is engageable with a hexagonal wrench or the like is formed on a portion of the housing 20 near the center of the housing 20 , and a male threaded portion 20 d is formed on an outer surface of the housing 20 between the flange portion 20 c and the distal end portion 20 f . on a stepped portion between a distal end surface of the flange portion 20 c and a proximal end of the male threaded portion 20 d , a gasket 14 which prevents the leaking of a gas when the gas sensor is mounted on an exhaust pipe is fitted. by engaging the male threaded portion 20 d of the housing 20 with a threaded hole formed in the exhaust pipe or the like, the distal end of the sensor element 3 is exposed in the inside of the exhaust pipe so that a gas to be detected (exhaust gas) can be detected. next, the positional relationship among the metal ring 30 , the insulation member 10 and the housing 20 according to the first embodiment is explained in conjunction with fig. 2 . an outer diameter of the metal ring 30 is set larger than an outer diameter of the insulation member 10 so that the outer peripheral portion 30 a of the metal ring 30 projects outward in the radial direction from the outer surface 10 bf of the proximal end portion 10 b of the insulation member 10 . here, the outer peripheral portion 30 a of the metal ring 30 is a portion of the metal ring 30 which is positioned more outside in the radial direction than an imaginary line ax which extends in the axial direction from the outer surface 10 bf of the proximal end portion 10 b of the insulation member 10 . a portion of the metal ring 30 which is positioned more inside in the radial direction than the outer peripheral portion 30 a is referred to as “inner peripheral portion 30 b”. the caulking portion 20 a is brought into close contact with a whole proximal-end facing surface 30 j of the outer peripheral portion 30 a out of a proximal-end facing surface 30 e of the metal ring 30 . further, an inner end 20 ap of the caulking portion 20 a is partially spaced apart from a proximal-end facing surface 30 h of the inner peripheral portion 30 b out of the proximal-end facing surface 30 e of the metal ring 30 (a radially inner end portion of the proximal-end facing surface 30 h ). here, in the inner peripheral portion 30 b of the metal ring 30 , a portion where the caulking portion 20 a and the metal ring 30 face each other in an opposed manner in the axial direction (in the vertical direction in fig. 2 ) is indicated as a facing region r. in the facing region r, it is not always necessary to bring the caulking portion 20 a and the metal ring 30 into contact with each other in the axial direction, and the caulking portion 20 a and the metal ring 30 may be arranged close to each other. for example, in, this embodiment, the inner end 20 ap of the caulking portion 20 a is positioned more outside in the radial direction than an inner surface 30 i of the metal ring 30 , and the inner end 20 ap is spaced apart from the metal ring 30 in the axial direction. further, as shown in fig. 8 , when an inner end 21 ap of the caulking portion 21 is arranged more inside in the radial direction than the inner surface 30 i of the metal ring 30 , the facing region r indicates the whole inner peripheral portion 30 b and hence, it is necessary to hold a caulking portion 21 a in a non-contact state with the metal ring 30 at least on an inner end of the metal ring 30 . further, in this embodiment, the inner surface 30 i of the metal ring 30 is positioned more outside in the radial direction than an inner surface 10 i of the insulation member 10 . however, it is not a requisite to position the inner surface 30 i more outside in the radial direction than the inner surface 10 i , and the inner surface 30 i may be made coplanar with the inner surface 10 i . here, in view of the relationship which allows the insertion of the sensor element 3 , there is no case where the inner surface 30 i is positioned more inside in the radial direction than the inner surface 10 i. as described above, the outer peripheral portion 30 a of the metal ring 30 projects outward in the radial direction from the outer surface 10 bf of the proximal end portion 10 b of the insulation member 10 and hence, as shown in fig. 3a , center axis 30 ce of the metal ring 30 is offset outward in the radial direction from a center axis 10 ce of the insulation member 10 in the radial direction. that is, when a caulking load generated by the caulking portion 20 a is applied to the proximal-end facing surface 30 e of the metal ring 30 (to be more specific, the proximal-end facing surface 30 j of the outer peripheral portion 30 a ), the center axis 30 ce is positioned more outside in the radial direction than a fulcrum on a proximal-end facing surface 10 bd of the proximal end portion 10 b of the insulation member 10 which supports such a caulking load (the center axis 10 ce of the insulation member 10 in the radial direction). accordingly, in terms of moment, on the proximal-end facing surface 30 e of the metal ring 30 , a large portion of a load p 1 generated by the caulking portion 20 a is applied to a portion of the metal ring 30 outside the center axis 30 ce in the radial direction. to the contrary, on a distal-end facing surface 30 d of the metal ring 30 , a major portion of a repulsive force p 2 from the insulation member 10 side is applied to a portion of the metal ring 30 more inside in the radial direction than the center axis 30 ce. accordingly, to consider the metal ring 30 as a whole, a stress (bending moment) s 1 which presses the outer peripheral portion 30 a of the metal ring 30 downward (toward a distal end) is applied to the metal ring 30 . here, the stress s 1 is generated due to the positional relationship with the fulcrum of the above-mentioned insulation member 10 so long as the outer peripheral portion 30 a (outer surface 30 f ) of the metal ring 30 projects outward in the radial direction from the outer surface 10 bf of the proximal end portion 10 b of the insulation member 10 , and at least the inner surface 30 i of the metal ring 30 is coplanar with the inner surface 10 i of the insulation member 10 or the inner surface 30 i is positioned outside the inner surface 10 i . however, as described later, when the inner surface 30 i is positioned outside the inner surface 10 i , the stress s 1 is further increased and hence, such positional relationship is preferable. the caulking portion 20 a is brought into close contact with the whole proximal-end facing surface 30 j of the outer peripheral portion 30 a of the metal ring 30 and hence, the load p 1 generated by the caulking portion 20 a is surely applied to the outer peripheral portion 30 a whereby the stress s 1 is further increased. in addition, a gap g is defined between a portion of the proximal-end facing surface 30 h of the inner peripheral portion 30 b of the metal ring 30 which is arranged more inside in the radial direction than a position (facing region r) where the metal ring 30 faces the inner end 20 ap of the caulking portion 20 a in an opposed manner and the caulking portion 20 a and hence, the inner end 20 ap and a portion of the inner peripheral portion 30 b are spaced apart from each other. accordingly, a position of the caulking portion 20 a where the caulking portion 20 a is brought into contact with the proximal-end facing surface 30 e of the metal ring 30 and a caulking load is applied to the metal ring 30 is positioned on an outer peripheral portion 30 a side of the metal ring 30 . due to such a constitution, the stress s 1 explained in conjunction with fig. 3a and fig. 3b which presses the outer peripheral portion 30 a side of the metal ring 30 downward (toward a distal end) is easily applied to the metal ring 30 and hence, the above-mentioned spring back effect can be surely acquired. on the other hand, as shown in fig. 3b , when the gas sensor 100 is heated, the caulking portion 20 a made of metal is more elongated in the longitudinal direction (in the ex direction in fig. 3b ) than the insulation member 10 made of ceramic or the like. here, the metal ring 30 springs back in the direction s 2 opposite to the direction that the stress s 1 is applied (that is, in the direction that the outer peripheral portion 30 a of the metal ring 30 returns upward (toward a proximal end)). further, due to this spring-back, the distal-end facing surface 30 d of the metal ring 30 presses the insulation member 10 downward toward a distal end (indicated by an arrow px) and hence, the loosening of caulking can be prevented whereby the deterioration of gas tightness obtained by the sealing material 6 can be suppressed. when the outer peripheral portion 30 a (outer surface 30 f ) of the metal ring 30 excessively projects outward from the outer surface 10 bf of the proximal end portion 10 b of the insulation member 10 or when a thickness of the metal ring 30 is excessively small, there exists a possibility that the metal ring 30 exceeds an elastic limit thereof and is plastically deformed at the time of caulking so that the above-mentioned spring back effect cannot be acquired. accordingly, it is preferable to adjust these factors such that the metal ring 30 does not exceed the elastic limit thereof by caulking. for example, the metal ring 30 may be formed using stainless steel (for example, sus430). as described above, even when the caulking portion 20 a is expanded in the longitudinal direction by heat, a spring force of the metal ring 30 which is elastically deformed remains so that a force in the direction which pushes the insulation member 10 downward toward a distal end and tightens the sealing material (talc powder) 6 remains. accordingly, the deterioration of the gas tightness at a high temperature can be suppressed, and the gas tightness can be held even after the thermal cycle. further, in fig. 2 , a distal-end facing surface 30 d 2 of the outer peripheral portion 30 a of the metal ring 30 is positioned on a more distal end side than the proximal-end facing surface 10 bd of the proximal end portion 10 b of the insulation member 10 . here, the distal-end facing surface 30 d 2 of the metal ring 30 is a surface positioned in the vicinity of the outer peripheral portion 30 a of the metal ring 30 and projects downward (toward a distal end side) from the distal-end facing surface 30 d which is a portion of the metal ring 30 brought into contact with the insulation member 10 . that is, the metal ring 30 forcibly enters a gap a defined between the insulation member 10 and the housing 20 and hence, the distal-end facing surface 30 d and the distal-end facing surface 30 d 2 are not made coplanar with each other. to differentiate both the distal-end facing surface 30 d and the distal-end facing surface 30 d 2 from each other, symbols 30 d , 30 d 2 are respectively given. in this manner, a major portion of a caulking load is applied to an outer side of the metal ring 30 to an extent that the distal-end facing surface 30 d of the metal ring 30 is bent downward more than an imaginary line l which indicates an extending line extended from the proximal-end facing surface 10 bd of the insulation member 10 (the imaginary line l passing the distal-end facing surface 30 d ). accordingly, as shown in fig. 3 , the stress s 1 which presses the outer peripheral portion 30 a of the metal ring 30 downward (toward the distal end) is increased. further, the above-mentioned spring back effect is also increased along with the increase of the stress s 1 and hence, the loosening of caulking can be prevented in the same manner as described above whereby the deterioration of gas tightness obtained by the sealing material 6 can be suppressed. further, as shown in fig. 3b , it is preferable that a contact portion 30 g between the caulking portion 20 a and the metal ring 30 is positioned more inside in the radial direction than the outer surface 10 bf of the insulation member 10 (that is, the proximal-end facing surface 30 h of the inner peripheral portion 30 b of the metal ring 30 ). due to such a constitution, it is possible to prevent a phenomenon that only the outer peripheral portion 30 a of the metal ring 30 is deformed while applying a caulking load to the outer peripheral portion 30 a side of the metal ring 30 and hence, it is possible to acquire a sufficient spring back effect. further, it is preferable that a cross section of the metal ring 30 taken along a plane in the axial direction of the gas sensor 100 has a rectangular shape. in this case, the distal-end facing surface 30 d and the proximal-end facing surface 30 e of the metal ring 30 become a planar surface respectively so that an area where the metal ring 30 is brought into contact with the caulking portion 20 a and an area where the metal ring 30 is brought into contact with the proximal-end facing surface 10 bd of the proximal end portion 10 b of the insulation member 10 are increased respectively. accordingly, a spring force generated by the above-mentioned spring back can be surely applied to these members. the metal ring 30 having a rectangular cross section can be manufactured by blanking a flat plate, for example. by forming the distal-end facing surface 30 d of the metal ring into a shape which allows the distal-end facing surface 30 d to be in face contact with the proximal-end facing surface 10 bd of the insulation member 10 , at least a spring force generated by the spring back can be further surely applied to these members. further, it is preferable that the inner end 20 ap of the caulking portion 20 a is positioned more outside in the radial direction than the inner surface 30 i of the metal ring 30 . due to such a constitution, a position where a caulking load is applied to the metal ring 30 is arranged closer to an outer peripheral side than an inner peripheral side of the metal ring 30 . accordingly, a stress which presses the outer peripheral side of the metal ring 30 downward (toward a distal end) can be easily applied to the metal ring 30 and hence, the above-mentioned spring back effect can be easily acquired correspondingly. next, a gas sensor according to a second embodiment of the present invention is explained in conjunction with fig. 4 . here, the gas sensor according to the second embodiment has the substantially same constitution as the first embodiment except for a shape of a metal ring 300 . accordingly, in fig. 4 , the positional relationship among the metal ring 300 , an insulation member 10 and a housing 20 corresponding to the positional relationship shown in fig. 2 is shown as a cross-sectional view, while the explanation of other constitutions of gas sensor of the second embodiment is omitted. in fig. 4 , a distal-end facing surface 300 d 3 of the metal ring 300 is arranged parallel to an imaginary line l or is arranged above the imaginary line l and hence, the metal ring 300 does not forcibly enter a gap defined between the insulation member 10 and the housing 20 , and distal-end facing surfaces 300 d , 300 d 3 are made coplanar with each other. also in such a gas sensor, an outer diameter of the metal ring 300 is set larger than an outer diameter of the insulation member 10 and hence, an outer peripheral portion 300 a of the metal ring 300 projects outward in the radial direction from an outer surface 10 bf of a proximal end portion 10 b of the insulation member 10 . further, a caulking portion 20 a is brought into close contact with a whole proximal-end facing surface 300 j of an outer peripheral portion 300 a of the metal ring 300 . further, an inner end 20 ap of the caulking portion 20 is partially spaced apart from a proximal-end facing surface 300 h of the inner peripheral portion 300 b of the metal ring 300 (radially inner end portion of the proximal-end facing surface 300 h ). in this embodiment, an inner end 20 ap of the caulking portion 20 a is positioned more outside in the radial direction than an inner surface 300 i of the metal ring 300 . further, in this embodiment, the inner surface 300 i of the metal ring 300 is positioned more outside in the radial direction than an inner surface 10 i of the insulation member 10 . however, it is not a requisite to position the inner surface 300 i more outside in the radial direction than the inner surface 10 i , and the inner surface 300 i may be made coplanar with the inner surface 10 i . here, in view of the relationship which allows the insertion of the sensor element 3 , there is no case where the inner surface 300 i is positioned more inside in the radial direction than the inner surface 10 i. as described above, the outer peripheral portion 300 a of the metal ring 300 projects outward in the radial direction from the outer surface 10 bf of the proximal end portion 10 b of the insulation member 10 and hence, as shown in fig. 3a showing the first embodiment, a center axis 300 ce of the metal ring 300 is offset outward in the radial direction from a center axis 10 ce of the insulation member 10 in the radial direction. that is, when a caulking load generated by the caulking portion 20 a is applied to the proximal-end facing surface 300 e of the metal ring 300 (the outer peripheral portion 300 a ), the center axis 30 ce is positioned more outside in the radial direction than a fulcrum on a proximal-end facing surface 10 bd of the proximal end portion 10 b of the insulation member 10 which supports such a caulking load (the center axis 10 ce of the insulation member 10 in the radial direction). accordingly, in terms of moment, on the proximal-end facing surface 300 e of the metal ring 300 , a large portion of a load p 1 generated by the caulking portion 20 a is applied to a portion of the metal ring 300 outside the center axis 300 ce in the radial direction. to the contrary, on a distal-end facing surface 300 d of the metal ring 300 , a major portion of a repulsive force p 2 from the insulation member 10 side is applied to a portion of the metal ring 300 more inside in the radial direction than the center axis 300 ce. accordingly, to consider the metal ring 300 as a whole, a stress (bending moment) s 1 which presses the outer peripheral portion 300 a of the metal ring 300 downward (toward a distal end) is applied to the metal ring 300 . here, the stress s 1 is generated due to the positional relationship with the fulcrum of the above-mentioned insulation member 10 so long as the outer peripheral portion 300 a (outer surface 300 f ) of the metal ring 300 projects outward in the radial direction from the outer surface 10 bf of the proximal end portion 10 b of the insulation member 10 , and at least the inner surface 300 i of the metal ring 300 is coplanar with the inner surface 10 i of the insulation member 10 or the inner surface 300 i is positioned outside the inner surface 10 i . however, as described later, when the inner surface 300 i is positioned outside the inner surface 10 i , the stress s 1 is further increased and hence, such positional relationship is preferable. the caulking portion 20 a is brought into close contact with the whole proximal-end facing surface 300 j of the outer peripheral portion 300 a of the metal ring 300 and hence, the load p 1 generated by the caulking portion 20 a is surely applied to the outer peripheral portion 300 a whereby the stress s 1 is further increased. in addition, a gap g is defined between a portion of the proximal-end facing surface 300 h of the inner peripheral portion 300 b of the metal ring 300 which is arranged more outside in the radial direction than a position where the metal ring 300 faces the inner end 20 ap of the caulking portion 20 a in an opposed manner and the caulking portion 20 a and hence, the inner end 20 ap and a portion of the inner peripheral portion 300 b are spaced apart from each other. accordingly, a position of the caulking portion 20 a where the caulking portion 20 a is brought into contact with the proximal-end facing surface 300 e of the metal ring 300 and a caulking load is applied to the metal ring 300 is positioned on an outer peripheral portion 300 a side of the metal ring 300 . due to such a constitution, the stress s 1 explained in conjunction with fig. 3 which presses the outer peripheral portion 300 a side of the metal ring 300 downward (toward a distal end) is easily applied to the metal ring 300 and hence, the above-mentioned spring back effect can be surely acquired. on the other hand, as shown in fig. 3b which shows the first embodiment, when the gas sensor 100 is heated, the caulking portion 20 a made of metal is more elongated in the longitudinal direction (in the ex direction in fig. 3 ) than the insulation member 10 made of ceramic or the like. here, the metal ring 300 springs back in the direction s 2 opposite to the direction that the stress s 1 is applied (that is, in the direction that the outer peripheral portion 300 a of the metal ring 300 returns upward (toward a proximal end)). further, due to this spring-back, the distal-end facing surface 300 d of the metal ring 300 presses the insulation member 10 downward toward a distal end (indicated by an arrow px) and hence, the loosening of caulking can be prevented whereby the deterioration of gas tightness obtained by the sealing material 6 can be suppressed. as described above, even when the caulking portion 20 a is expanded in the longitudinal direction by heat, a spring force of the metal ring 300 which is elastically deformed remains so that a force which pushes the insulation member 10 downward toward a distal end and tightens the sealing material (talc powder) 6 remains. accordingly, the deterioration of the gas tightness at a high temperature can be suppressed, and the gas tightness can be held even after the thermal cycle. further, also in the second embodiment, it is preferable that a contact portion between the caulking portion 20 a and the metal ring 300 is positioned more inside in the radial direction than the outer surface 10 bf of the insulation member 10 (that is, the proximal-end facing surface 300 h of the inner peripheral portion 300 b of the metal ring 300 ). due to such a constitution, it is possible to prevent phenomenon that only the outer peripheral portion 300 a of the metal ring 300 is deformed while applying a caulking load to the outer peripheral portion 300 a side of the metal ring 300 and hence, it is possible to acquire a sufficient spring back effect. in the first and second embodiments, the inner surface 30 i , 300 i of the metal ring 30 , 300 is positioned more outside in the radial direction than the inner surface 10 i of the insulation member 10 . an advantageous effect acquired by such a constitution is explained in conjunction with fig. 5a and fig. 5b by taking a metal ring 31 which has an inner surface 31 i thereof made coplanar with the inner surface 10 i of the insulation member 10 as an example. firstly, when the caulking is made while applying a major portion of a caulking load to an outer peripheral side of the metal ring 31 by the caulking portion 20 a ( fig. 5a ), the outer peripheral side of the metal ring 31 is pressed downward, and along with such downward pressing, an inner peripheral side of the metal ring 31 is pressed upward (toward a proximal end side) ( fig. 5b ). when the inner surface 31 i of the metal ring 31 is made coplanar with the inner surface 10 i of the insulation member 10 , there may be a case where, when the inner peripheral portion side of the metal ring 31 is pressed upward, the inner surface 31 i is caught by an outer surface of the sensor element 3 or the like and hence, the caulking operation becomes difficult. accordingly, as shown in fig. 2 and fig. 4 , by positioning the inner surface 30 i of the metal ring 30 more outside in the radial direction than the inner surface 10 i of the insulation member 10 , the above-mentioned catch is decreased and hence, the caulking can be surely performed. here, as shown in fig. 6 , a cross section of a metal ring 32 taken along a plane in the axial direction of the gas sensor 100 may have a shape different from a rectangular shape (a circular cylindrical shape in an example shown in fig. 6 ). as such a metal ring 32 , a metal hollow ring having a circular shape, an elliptical shape or a tubular shape can be named. it is needless to say that a solid ring may be used. the metal ring 32 may also preferably be configured such that a distal-end facing surface 32 d 2 of an outer peripheral portion 32 a is positioned below an imaginary line l (toward a distal end side). however, in the case of the metal ring 32 , a surface of the metal ring 32 is not a planar surface and hence, it is not always the case that an outermost periphery of the metal ring 32 projects downward toward a distal end side, and there may be a case where a portion of the metal ring 32 which is slightly inside an outer periphery is positioned below the imaginary line l. accordingly, it is sufficient that an outer peripheral portion of the metal ring 32 which projects outward in the radial direction from the proximal end portion 10 b of the insulation member 10 is positioned below the imaginary line (toward a distal end side). further, as shown in fig. 7 , a stepped portion 11 d may be formed by narrowing an outer surface 11 bf of a proximal end portion 11 b of an insulation member 11 than a diameter of an outer surface of a remaining portion of the insulation member 11 . that is, it is sufficient that at least an outer surface 30 f of the metal ring 30 projects outward at a proximal end portion 11 b of the insulation member 11 , and it is unnecessary for the metal ring 30 to project outward at a remaining portion of the insulation member 11 . here, it is preferable that the outer surface 11 bf of the insulation member 11 is formed into a straight shape since cracks do not occur in the insulation member 10 . further, in the first and second embodiments, the inner end 20 ap of the caulking portion 20 a is positioned more outside in the radial direction than the inner surface 30 i , 300 i of the metal ring 30 , 300 . however, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and, as shown in fig. 8 , an inner end 21 ap of a caulking portion 21 a may be positioned more inside in the radial direction than the inner surface 30 i of the metal ring 30 . also in this case, the caulking portion 21 a is brought into close contact with a whole proximal-end facing surface 30 j of an outer peripheral portion 30 a of the metal ring 30 , and with respect to the proximal-end facing surface 30 h of the inner peripheral portion 30 b of the metal ring 30 , a gap g is defined between a radially inner end portion 30 t and the caulking portion 21 a and hence, the caulking portion 21 a and a portion of the inner peripheral portion 30 b are spaced apart from each other. accordingly, a position where the caulking portion 21 a is brought into contact with the proximal-end facing surface 30 e of the metal ring 30 and a caulking load is applied to the metal ring 30 is arranged on an outer peripheral portion 30 a side of the metal ring 30 and hence, the above-mentioned spring back effect can be surely acquired. in the first embodiment, the inner end 20 ap and the portion of the inner peripheral portion 30 b are spaced apart from each other. however, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned constitution, and the inner end 20 ap and the inner peripheral portion 30 b may be brought into close contact with each other provided that the distal-end facing surface 30 d 2 of the outer peripheral portion 30 a of the metal ring 30 is positioned on a more distal end side than the proximal-end facing surface 10 bd of the proximal end portion 10 b of the insulation member 10 (that is, the metal ring 30 forcibly enters a gap defined between the insulation member 10 and the housing 20 ). it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and the present invention covers various modifications and equivalents which are included in the technical concept and the scope of the present invention. example as a simulation, a magnitude of spring back (repulsive force) is experimentally studied by changing the distance a (see fig. 2 ) in the radial direction between the outer surface 30 f of the outer peripheral portion of the metal ring 30 and the outer surface 10 bf of the proximal end portion 10 b of the insulation member 10 . in the simulation, the caulking-portion structure of the gas sensor shown in fig. 2 is used, and materials (to be more specific, thermal expansion coefficients, young's moduli and the like) and positions of the respective constitutional parts are set. a thickness t of the metal ring 30 is set to 2.0 mm, and sus430 is used as a material of the metal ring 30 . then, the caulking portion 20 a is pressed downward by 0.4 mm toward a distal end side at a normal temperature (20° c.) and, thereafter, the load is removed. a repulsive force which is generated due to a change in position of the respective constitutional parts in the above caulking operation is analyzed as a bearing pressure applied to a distal-end facing surface (an interface between the insulation member 10 and the sealing material 6 ) of the insulation member 10 from a sealing material 6 side. the repulsive force (bearing pressure) can be calculated based on a force which attempts to return the constitutional parts to original positions corresponding to young's moduli when positions of the respective constitutional parts are displaced. next, the gas sensor 100 is heated to 450° c., and the change in position of the respective constitutional parts which is brought about by elongation caused by the thermal expansion of the respective constitutional parts is calculated. further, the above-mentioned bearing pressure at a temperature of 450° c. is analyzed based on young's modules of the respective constitutional parts corresponding to such change in position. a result of the analysis carried out by changing the distance a to 0 mm and 0.3 mm is shown in fig. 9 . here, under the condition where the distance a is set to 0.3 mm, as shown in fig. 2 , the inner end 20 ap of the caulking portion 20 a is spaced apart from the metal ring 30 . as can be clearly understood from fig. 9 , it is understood that by projecting the outer surface 30 f of the outer peripheral portion of the metal ring 30 outward from the outer surface 10 bf of the proximal end portion 10 b of the insulation member 10 , the bearing pressure is elevated so that the spring back is increased.
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184-486-635-962-963
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US
|
[
"US"
] |
B65H5/14
| 1984-12-07T00:00:00 |
1984
|
[
"B65"
] |
paper gripper bar
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an improved paper gripper bar is described. the upper and lower portions are made from extruded aluminum and hinge together for their entire length for greater stiffness. two or three spring clips provide a bias for closing the bar. the paper is held between the bottom ends of the spring clips and the upper bar when the bar is in the closed position. finally, the clips are assembled into grooves in the upper and lower portions so that no additional parts are required to maintain the gripper bar parts in their proper positions.
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1. a paper sheet gripper bar, for gripping a paper sheet, comprising: an upper gripper and a lower gripper, each of said grippers extending the length of said sheet, and being fabricated from a single rigid piece of material, the rear edges of said grippers being shaped to interlock to form a hinge, a plurality of springs, each spring exerting a force tending to close the space between the front edges of the grippers, each of said springs comprising a flat piece of spring material bent into a shape which encircles the top, rear and bottom of said bar, and having a lower end further bent upward to grip the paper between said lower end and said upper gripper when the bar is closed on a paper. 2. the bar of claim 1 wherein the grippers comprise extruded aluminum. 3. the bar of claim 2 further comprising an end bar brazed to each end of said bar for coupling said bar to a means for transporting said bar along a paper path. 4. the bar of claim 1 further comprising a pin for opening said bar, extending through a hole in one gripper and contacting an inside edge of the other gripper, said pin being driven by a stationary cam in the paper path. 5. the bar of claim 1 wherein said grippers have machined depressions in which said springs are fitted during assembly, said depressions thus maintaining said springs in place.
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background of the invention gripper bars of various designs are commonly used in printers, copiers, duplicators, and the like, for gripping the leading edge of the paper and pulling it through the paper path. the gripper must hold the leading edge securely, but without damaging it. in addition, the gripper must be structurally stiff without being overly heavy, complex or expensive. the gripper must open wide enough to allow easy entry of the paper and then close on the paper without requiring extensive machinery for this opening and closing process. finally, the bar must operate reliably through years of service. summary of the invention the gripper bar described herein comprises upper and lower grippers held together by two or three spring clips. these grippers are single pieces of extruded aluminum, and therefore combine the properties of corrosion resistance, light weight and structural stiffness. to the extent that the other parts must be fitted to these members, the locations of the attachment points are either machined in or brazed on, both of these processes being common and simple machine shop operations. the grippers are also extruded in such a shape that the two bars fit together in the fashion of a hinge along their entire length, further enhancing their mutual stiffness. the two grippers are held together with two or three spring steel clips which almost completely encircle the two grippers. these clips force the two grippers together to clamp down onto the paper. in fact, the actual points of contact between the gripper bar and paper occur between the ends of the lower portions of the clips and the adjacent points on the upper gripper. the gripper bar is opened against the force of the spring clips to accept the paper by two cylindrical nylon pins, one at each end of the bar, which in turn are driven by a wedge shaped cam. in operation, the gripper bar is pulled along the paper path by a chain, and is opened and closed by being pulled over the stationary cams. ideally, the effective opening between members should be as wide as possible when the bar is open to lessen the chance of the paper missing the bar. in this case, the lower end of each clip and the upper gripper are shaped into a v-shaped entrance portion when the bar is open to minimize the possibility that the paper will not enter the bar properly. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is an overview of the entire gripper bar assembly. figs. 2 and 3 are cross sectional end views of the gripper bar showing the pin for opening the gripper bar. figs. 4 and 5 are cross sectional end views of the gripper bar showing the operation of the spring clips. figs. 6 and 7 are views of the lower gripper. figs. 8 and 9 are views of the upper gripper. figs. 10 and 11 are views of the spring clips. detailed description of the invention fig. 1 is an overall view of the gripper bar. the upper gripper 20 is captured during assembly in the groove at the rear of the lower gripper 21 to form a hinge at axis 22. two or three spring clips 23 bias the two grippers into contact with the paper 24. an end block 25 is brazed onto the end of the lower gripper 21. the two holes 26 in the end block 25 allow the attachment of the gripper bar to the driving chain by two pins. fig. 2 shows the construction of the opening mechanism. a nylong pin 27 is captured in a hole drilled into the end block 25. the hole 31 has a larger diameter at the top, as does the pin 27. the pin is therefore captured by the end block 25 and the upper gripper 20. the end block 25 is pulled along the track from right to left over the stationary cam 28 which engages the pin 27 to open the gripper bar. fig. 3 is the same view, but in the open position. fig. 4 is a cross sectional view showing the entire spring clip 23. the upper end of the clip is biased against the top of the upper gripper 20, and the lower end of the clip fits into a machined slot 30 in the lower gripper 21. the lower end of the clip 23 is bent upward and contacts the paper 24 between its end and the rounded portion of the upper gripper at contact point 34. fig. 5 shows the gripper in a slightly open position, gripping a paper 24. fig. 6 is a top view of the lower gripper 21, in which the machined slot 30 has been cut. as can be seen from this view, the slot restrains the clip from moving to the right or left after assembly. also shown in this view is the two diameters of the hole 31 in which the nylon pin 27 is contained. finally, the end blocks 25 are brazed beneath the ends of the lower gripper 21 in the position shown. fig. 7 is an end view of fig. 6. the groove 32 captures the rear portion of the upper gripper after assembly so that the upper and lower grippers effectively are rotatably joined together in a hinged relationship at this axis. one of the two holes 26 for the drive pins is shown. it actually is a slot since the pins are mounted on a chain, and the distance between pins is a bit shorter when the chain is traveling in an arc than it is when the chain portion is traveling along a straight section. therefore, one hole is round to maintain position on the chain while the other is a slot to make up for the variation in distance. fig. 8 is a cross section of the upper gripper 21. the rear portion 32 of this gripper is rounded to fit into the rear portion of the lower gripper. fig. 9 is a top view of this upper gripper 20. there is a recessed portion 33 in the top of this upper gripper into which the top portion of the spring clip fits. the recess 33 is just deep enough to prevent the chip from sliding to the right or left. figs. 10 and 11 are side and bottom views of the stainless steel clip 23. in fig. 10, the bottom of the clip is to the right. the bottom end is bent into a hook shape to engage the paper. there are two slots 40 cut into the upper gripper 20 which line up with the slot 30 in the lower gripper 21 and with the slot 41 in the bottom of the spring clip 23 to form a continuous opening through the gripper bar, from top to bottom, in two places. this opening can be used, in conjunction with a light beam and a light sensor, to detect the presence of a paper in the gripper bar. the slot 41 in the clip 23 also separates the bottom of the clip 23 into two separate spring loaded contacts for holding the paper. while the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. in addition, many modifications may be made without departing from the essential teachings of the invention.
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185-771-972-260-611
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US
|
[
"US",
"EP",
"HK",
"CN"
] |
H05B44/00,H05B37/02,G09G3/32,G09G3/34,G09G5/12,H01L33/00,H01L33/62,H01L33/64,H05B33/12,G09F9/33,G06F3/14
| 2013-12-24T00:00:00 |
2013
|
[
"H05",
"G09",
"H01",
"G06"
] |
method, system and apparatus for dynamically monitoring and calibrating display tiles
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a method, system and apparatus for dynamically monitoring and calibrating display tiles are provided. the apparatus comprises: an array of light emitting devices; one or more light emitting devices paired with light emitting devices of the array; one or more sensors configured to detect an optical characteristic and/or an electrical characteristic of the one or more paired light emitting devices; and, circuitry configured to: drive the array; drive each of the one or more further light emitting devices under same conditions as light emitting devices of the array; temporarily drive each of the one or more paired light emitting devices under different conditions from the array; and, adjust driving of the array based on the optical characteristic and/or electrical characteristic of the one or more paired light emitting devices detected at sensor(s) when the one or more paired light emitting devices are driven under the different conditions.
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1 - 22 . (canceled) 23 . a device comprising: a first light emitting device; a second light emitting device; at least one sensor configured to detect one or more of an optical characteristic and an electrical characteristic of the second light emitting device; and, circuitry configured to: drive the first light emitting device and the second light emitting device under same conditions and different conditions; and, adjust driving of the first light emitting device based on one or more of the optical characteristic and the electrical characteristic of the second light emitting device detected at the at least one sensor when the second light emitting device is temporarily driven under the different conditions. 24 . the device of claim 23 , further comprising a light guide configured to guide light from the second light emitting device to the at least one sensor. 25 . the device of claim 23 , wherein the first light emitting device is part of an array of light emitting devices. 26 . the device of claim 23 , further comprising a chassis, and the first light emitting device and the second light emitting device are located on opposite sides of the chassis. 27 . the device of claim 23 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to drive the second light emitting device in a test pattern when temporarily driving the second light emitting device under the different conditions from the first light emitting device. 28 . the device of claim 23 , wherein the optical characteristic comprises one or more of a colour coordinate, a white point, and an intensity of the second light emitting device. 29 . the device of claim 23 , wherein the electrical characteristic comprises one or more of an operating power, an operating voltage and an operating current of the second light emitting device. 30 . the device of claim 23 , further comprising at least one or more temperature sensors configured to measure a temperature difference between the first light emitting device and the second light emitting device, wherein adjusting driving of the first light emitting device is further based on the temperature difference. 31 . a method comprising: driving a first light emitting device and a second light emitting device under same conditions and under different conditions; detecting, using at least one sensor, one or more of an optical characteristic and an electrical characteristic of the second light emitting device when driven under the different conditions; and, adjusting driving of the first light emitting device based on one or more of the optical characteristic and the electrical characteristic of the second light emitting device. 32 . the method of claim 31 , further comprising further adjusting driving the first light emitting device based on a temperature difference between the first light emitting device and the second light emitting device. 33 . a system comprising: light emitting tiles, each comprising: a first light emitting device; a second light emitting device; at least one sensor configured to detect one or more of an optical characteristic and an electrical characteristic of the second light emitting device; and, circuitry configured to: drive the first light emitting device and the second light emitting device under same conditions and different conditions; and, adjust driving of the first light emitting device based on one or more of the optical characteristic and the electrical characteristic of the second light emitting device detected at the at least one sensor when the second light emitting device is temporarily driven under the different conditions; and at least one computing device in communication with the light emitting tiles, the at least one computing device configured to: receive, from respective sensors of each of the light emitting tiles, one or more of a respective optical characteristic and a respective electrical characteristic of a respective second light emitting device when respectively driven under respective different conditions; determine one or more of a common optical characteristic and a common electrical characteristic from one or more of the respective optical characteristic and the respective electrical characteristic; and, communicate one or more of the common optical characteristic and the common electrical characteristic to one or more of the light emitting tiles so that respective circuitry can drive each respective first light emitting device according to one or more of the common optical characteristic and the common electrical characteristic. 34 . the system of claim 33 , where the common characteristic comprises one or more of a common white point, at least one common colour coordinate, a common intensity, a common operating power, a common operating voltage and a common operating current. 35 . a device comprising: light emitting devices; a sensor configured to detect an electrical characteristic of one or more of the light emitting devices; and, circuitry configured to: drive the light emitting devices in a first pattern; temporarily drive the one or more of the light emitting devices in a test pattern different from the first pattern; and, adjust driving of the light emitting devices in the first pattern based on the electrical characteristic detected at the sensor when the one or more of light emitting devices are driven according to the test pattern. 36 . the device of claim 35 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to temporarily drive the one or more of the light emitting devices in the test pattern by driving the one or more of the light emitting devices to one or more of a given current and a given voltage. 37 . the device of claim 36 , wherein the sensor is further configured to one or more of: detect the electrical characteristic of the one or more of the light emitting devices by measuring one or more of a resulting voltage and a resulting power, when the one or more of the light emitting devices is driven to the given current; and, detect the electrical characteristic of the one or more of the light emitting devices by measuring one or more of a resulting current and the resulting power, when the one or more of the light emitting devices is driven to the given voltage. 38 . the device of claim 36 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to temporarily drive one or more of the light emitting devices to provide the test pattern by individually and sequentially driving one or more of the light emitting devices to one or more of a given current and a given voltage while the first pattern is being provided at the light emitting devices. 39 . the device of claim 36 , wherein the test pattern comprises a random test pattern. 40 . the device of claim 36 , wherein the test pattern comprises one or more raster patterns. 41 . the device of claim 36 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to temporarily drive the one or more of the light emitting devices in the test pattern by interrupting driving of the first pattern.
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field the specification relates generally to displays, and specifically to a method, system and apparatus for dynamically monitoring and calibrating display tiles. background light emitting diode (led) wall installations are composed of a plurality of discrete led tiles, each consisting of an array of discrete red/green/blue (rgb) leds. care is taken in manufacturing led tiles to ensure that good color uniformity exists across the individual leds of each tile by: careful color and intensity binning of the leds during manufacture; and, measuring the optical characteristics of each individual led after assembly to apply a correction factor so that every led is color and intensity calibrated to each other within a single tile. extending this level of led to led brightness and color accuracy from tile to tile is not trivial: for any given led wall installation, all led tiles are selected from the same color bins and calibrated as part of the same production lot. hence an end user is required to purchase 10% to 20% extra led tiles at build time, to have the additional led tiles available in the event of a future tile failure requiring replacement, and/or to have the flexibility to reconfigure the wall at a future date. summary in general, this disclosure is directed to a device comprising a display tile, and/or a light emitting tile, for use in a display wall. the light emitting tiles can be physically tiled together and can be controlled to display an image, with each of the light emitting tiles providing a portion of the image. respective light emitting devices located, for example, interior to a given light emitting tile, and are driven similar to light emitting devices that form a respective portion of the image at the given light emitting tile. hence, the interior light emitting devices can be colloquially referred to being “paired” with and/or “twinned” with light emitting devices of the display tile. periodically, a test pattern is provided at the interior twinned light emitting devices, and one or more optical characteristics of the given light emitting tile are measured using an optical sensor receiving light from the twinned light emitting devices. a central computing device that is, for example providing the image to the light emitting tiles, receives the one or more optical characteristics (e.g. brightness and/or intensity and/or a colour coordinate and/or a white point and/or a color space) of the light emitting tiles, and one more or more optical characteristics of one or more of the light emitting tiles in the display wall can be adjusted to match neighbouring light emitting tiles. however, the twinned light emitting devices need not be located interior to the light emitting tile. in this specification, elements may be described as “configured to” perform one or more functions or “configured for” such functions. in general, an element that is configured to perform or configured for performing a function is enabled to perform the function, or is suitable for performing the function, or is adapted to perform the function, or is operable to perform the function, or is otherwise capable of performing the function. it is understood that for the purpose of this specification, language of “at least one of x, y, and z” and “one or more of x, y and z” can be construed as x only, y only, z only, or any combination of two or more items x, y, and z (e.g., xyz, xyy, yz, zz, and the like). similar logic can be applied for two or more items in any occurrence of “at least one . . . ” and “one or more . . . ” language. an aspect of the present specification provides a device comprising: an array of light emitting devices; one or more further light emitting devices paired with respective light emitting devices of the array; one or more sensors configured to detect one or more of an optical characteristic and an electrical characteristic of the one or more further light emitting devices; and, circuitry configured to: drive the array of light emitting devices; drive each of the one or more further light emitting devices under same conditions as respective paired light emitting devices of the array; temporarily drive each of the one or more further light emitting devices under different conditions as the respective paired light emitting devices of the array; and, adjust driving of the array of light emitting devices based on one or more of the optical characteristic and the electrical characteristic of the one or more further light emitting devices detected at the one or more sensors when the one or more further light emitting devices are driven under the different conditions. the device can further comprise a light guide configured to guide light emitted from the one or more further light emitting devices to the one or more sensors, when the one or more sensors includes an optical sensor. the light guide can comprise one or more of at least one light pipe, at least one light channeling film and at least one optical fibre. the device can further comprise a chassis configured to support the array. the one or more further light emitting devices and the one or more sensors can be located on a side of the chassis opposite the array. the device can further comprise a light guide configured to guide the light from the one or more further light emitting devices to the one or more sensors, when the one or more sensors can comprise an optical sensor. the circuitry can be further configured to drive the one or more further light emitting devices in a test pattern when temporarily driving each of the one or more further light emitting devices under the different conditions as the respective paired light emitting devices of the array. the circuitry can be further configured to drive the one or more further light emitting devices in the test pattern by controlling the one or more further light emitting devices to emit one or more of white light, light in a greyscale, red light, green light and blue light. the circuitry can be further configured to temporarily drive each of the one or more further light emitting devices under different conditions by driving each of the one or more further light emitting devices in a test pattern. the optical characteristic can comprise one or more of a colour coordinate, a white point, and an intensity of the one or more further light emitting devices. the electrical characteristic can comprise one or more of an operating power, an operating voltage and an operating current of the one or more further light emitting devices. the device can further comprise at least one or more temperature sensors configured to measure a temperature difference between the array and the one or more further light emitting devices, wherein adjusting driving of the array is further based on the temperature difference. another aspect of the specification provides a method comprising: driving an array of light emitting devices; driving each of one or more further light emitting devices under same conditions as respective paired light emitting devices of the array; temporarily driving each of the one or more further light emitting devices under different conditions than the respective paired light emitting devices of the array; detecting, using one or more sensors, one or more of a optical characteristic and an electrical characteristic of the one or more further light emitting devices when driven under the different conditions; and, adjust driving of the array of light emitting devices based on one or more of the optical characteristic and the electrical characteristic of the one or more further light emitting devices. a further aspect of the specification provides a system comprising: a plurality of light emitting tiles, each can comprise: an array of light emitting devices; one or more further light emitting devices paired with respective light emitting devices of the array; one or more sensors configured to detect one or more of a optical characteristic and an electrical characteristic of the one or more further light emitting devices; and, circuitry configured to: drive the array of light emitting devices; drive each of the one or more further light emitting devices under same conditions as respective paired light emitting devices of the array; and, temporarily drive each of the one or more further light emitting devices under different conditions as the respective paired light emitting devices of the array; and at least one computing device in communication with the plurality of light emitting tiles, the at least one computing device configured to: receive, from respective sensors of each of the plurality of light emitting tiles, one or more of a respective optical characteristic and a respective electrical characteristic of respective one or more further light emitting devices when respectively driven under respective different conditions; determine one or more of a common optical characteristic and a common electrical characteristic from one or more of the respective optical characteristic and the respective electrical characteristic; and, communicate one or more of the common optical characteristic and the common electrical characteristic to one or more of the plurality of light emitting tiles so that respective circuitry can drive each respective array according to one or more of the common optical characteristic and the common electrical characteristic. the common characteristic can comprise one or more of a common white point, at least one common colour coordinate, a common intensity, a common operating power, a common operating voltage and a common operating current. another aspect of the specification provides a device comprising: an array of light emitting devices; a sensor configured to detect an electrical characteristic of one or more of the light emitting devices; and, circuitry configured to: drive the array of light emitting devices to provide an image; temporarily drive each of the light emitting devices to provide a test pattern; and, adjust driving of the array of light emitting devices to provide the image based on the electrical characteristic of the one or more light emitting devices detected at the sensor when the one or more light emitting devices are driven according to the test pattern. the circuitry can be further configured to temporarily drive each of the light emitting devices to provide the test pattern by driving each of the light emitting devices to one or more of a given current and a given voltage. the sensor can be further configured to one or more of: detect the electrical characteristic of one or more of the light emitting devices by measuring one or more of a resulting voltage and a resulting power, when each of the light emitting devices is driven to the given current; and, detect the electrical characteristic of one or more of the light emitting devices by measuring one or more of a resulting current and the resulting power, when each of the light emitting devices is driven to the given voltage. the circuitry can be further configured to temporarily drive each of the light emitting devices to provide the test pattern by individually and sequentially driving each of the light emitting devices to one or more of a given current and a given voltage while the image is being provided at the array. a sequence in which each of the light emitting devices is driven in the test pattern can be random. a sequence in which each of the light emitting devices is driven can comprise one or more raster patterns. the circuitry can be further configured to temporarily drive each of the light emitting devices to provide the test pattern by interrupting displaying of image and providing the test pattern brief descriptions of the drawings for a better understanding of the various implementations described herein and to show more clearly how they may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings in which: fig. 1 depicts a front view of a device comprising a light emitting tile, according to non-limiting implementations. fig. 2 depicts a schematic side view of the device of fig. 1 , according to non-limiting implementations. fig. 3 depicts the device of fig. 2 in operation with twinned light emitting devices being driven under similar conditions to an array of light emitting devices, according to non-limiting implementations. fig. 4 depicts the device of fig. 2 in operation with twinned light emitting devices being driven under different conditions than an array of light emitting devices, according to non-limiting implementations. fig. 5 depicts a schematic side view of the device of fig. 1 , according to alternative non-limiting implementations. fig. 6 depicts example brightness vs. aging curves of light emitting devices at different temperatures, according to non-limiting implementations. fig. 7 depicts a method for dynamically monitoring and calibrating display tiles and/or light emitting tiles, according to non-limiting implementations. fig. 8 depicts a system of display tiles implementing the method of fig. 7 , according to non-limiting implementations. fig. 9 depicts the system of fig. 8 after a brightness of one of the display tiles is adjusted without interrupting an image displayed thereupon, according to non-limiting implementations. fig. 10 depicts a schematic side view of the device of fig. 1 , according to alternative non-limiting implementations. fig. 11 depicts a schematic side view of the device of fig. 1 , according to alternative non-limiting implementations. fig. 12 depicts a method for dynamically monitoring and calibrating display tiles andjor light emitting tiles, according to alternative non-limiting implementations. detailed description figs. 1 and 2 respectively depict a front view and a side schematic view of a device 100 comprising a light emitting tile which can be arranged in an array of other light emitting tiles to form a display wall. device 100 comprises: an array 101 of light emitting devices 103 (only two of which are indicated in figs. 1 and 2 ); one or more further light emitting devices 105 paired with respective light emitting devices 103 of the array 101 ; an optical sensor 107 configured to detect one or more optical characteristics of one or more further light emitting devices 105 ; and, circuitry 109 configured to: drive array 101 of light emitting devices 103 ; drive each of the one or more further light emitting devices 105 under same conditions as respective paired light emitting devices 105 of array 101 ; temporarily drive each of one or more further light emitting devices 105 under different conditions as respective paired light emitting devices 103 of array 101 ; and, adjust driving of array 101 of light emitting devices 103 based on the optical characteristic of one or more further light emitting devices 105 detected at optical sensor 107 when one or more further light emitting devices 105 are driven under the different conditions. in depicted implementations, device 100 further comprises a light guide 111 configured to guide light emitted from one or more further light emitting devices 105 to optical sensor 107 . light guide 111 can include, but is not limited to, one or more of at least one light pipe, a light mixing device, at least one light channeling film and at least one optical fibre. as depicted, light guide 111 comprises a light channeling film that accepts light from one or more further light emitting device 105 and channels the light to optical sensor 107 . the light channeling film can be supported, at least in part, by a frame 113 and/or a chassis and/or internal supporting members within device 100 . in depicted implementations, device 100 further comprises the frame 113 configured to support array 101 . frame 113 can be further configured to connect to one or more of another device, similar to device 100 , in a display wall, and a display wall frame, and the like. in general, however, device 100 is configured to be incorporated into a display wall. frame 113 can comprise any suitable combination of plastic and/or metal, and can further comprise fasteners and/or fastening devices for fastening device 100 to other similar devices and/or a display wall frame and/or a display wall. furthermore, while depicted in schematic, frame 113 can enclose further light emitting devices 105 , sensor 107 , circuitry 109 , light guide 111 and any other elements of device 100 ; alternatively, device 100 can further comprise a chassis enclosing elements of device 100 , and frame 113 can be integrated with and/or attached to the chassis. in implementations including a chassis different from frame 113 , the chassis can alternatively be configured to connect to one or more of another device, similar to device 100 , in a display wall, and a display wall frame, and the like. in general, array 101 is driven by circuitry 109 to display images, video and the like, by controlling each light emitting device 103 in array 101 to form the images, video and the like, for example by controlling the voltage and current of each of light emitting device 105 to emit light of a given color and/or at a given brightness. in other words, each light emitting device 103 comprises a pixel in array 101 . circuitry 109 hence generally comprises a processor 120 interconnected with a memory 122 and a communication interface 124 (referred interchangeably hereafter as interface 124 ). processor 120 can be implemented as a plurality of processors, including but not limited to one or more central processors (cpus) and/or a plurality of transistors. processor 120 is configured to communicate with memory 122 comprising a non-volatile storage unit (e.g. erasable electronic programmable read only memory (“eeprom”), flash memory, and the like) and a volatile storage unit (e.g. random access memory (“ram”), and the like). programming instructions that implement the functional teachings of device 100 as described herein are typically maintained, persistently, in memory 122 and used by processor 120 which makes appropriate utilization of volatile storage during the execution of such programming instructions. in some implementations, processor 120 comprises at least a portion of memory 122 , for example as on-board random access memory (ram). it is further appreciated that memory 122 is an example of computer readable media that can store programming instructions executable on processor 120 . furthermore, memory 122 is also an example of a memory unit and/or memory module. interface 124 is generally configured to interconnect with light emitting devices 103 of array 101 , further light emitting devices 105 , optical sensor 107 , and with one or more of respective circuitry of other similar devices and/or a computing device for controlling device 100 . for example, the computing device can provide an image to be provided at array 101 . circuitry 109 can further comprise a power supply and/or a connector to a power supply external to device 100 . in specific non-limiting implementations, each light emitting device 103 and each further light emitting device 105 can comprise one or more light emitting diodes (leds), for example a red led, a green led and a blue led. in these implementations, circuitry 109 can drive each led in each light emitting device 103 to a color commensurate with a respective pixel in an image being displayed at array 101 . however, in other implementations, array 101 and/or each light emitting device 103 can comprise a plasma device, and organic light emitting diode (oled) device, a liquid crystal device (lcd) and the like. regardless, each further light emitting device 105 and its paired and/or twinned light emitting device 103 in array 101 are of a same type: for example, each further light emitting device 105 and its paired light emitting device 103 are each a similar type led, a similar type plasma device, a similar type oled device, a similar type lcd, etc. further, when the light emitting devices 103 are chosen from a common bin, so that all light emitting devices 103 are of a similar color and/or brightness, each further light emitting device 105 is also chosen from the same common bin. optical sensor 107 can include, but is not limited to one or more of a brightness detector, an intensity detector, a photodetector, a colorimeter, a white point detector, a colour coordinate detector and the like. indeed, optical sensor 107 is generally configured to detect one or more optical characteristics including, but not limited to one or more of brightness, intensity, a color, a colour coordinate, a white point, a color space and the like. further, while output from optical sensor 107 is described herein with respect to one or more optical characteristics, such output can be represented in terms of signals and/or data that is proportional to one or more optical characteristics. for example, optical sensor 107 can be configured to output a value to circuitry 109 that corresponds to a measured brightness, for example on a scale of 0 to 255, and/or as a variable current, but that need not directly represent brightness in a given units systems, such as lumens and the like. while, as depicted, circuitry 109 is shown as being in communication with two light emitting devices 103 of array 101 , for example via interface 124 and links depicted in broken lines for clarity, it is appreciated that circuitry 109 is configured to control all light emitting devices 103 . similarly, while fig. 2 depicts two further light emitting devices 105 , it is appreciated that device 100 can comprise as few as one further light emitting device 105 and as many as a same number of light emitting devices 103 in array 101 . circuitry 109 is further in communication with each one or more further light emitting devices 105 of array 101 , via interface 124 and links depicted in broken lines for clarity. the links depicted in broken lines can comprise any combination of wiring and/or connections and/or wireless connections and/or communications between circuitry 109 and light emitting devices 103 , 105 . as depicted, array 101 is generally arranged on and/or at an external side of frame 113 and/or an outward facing side of frame 113 . as depicted, one or more further light emitting devices 105 and optical sensor 107 are located on a side of frame 113 opposite array 101 , for example an internal surface of frame 113 , and/or an inward facing side of frame 113 . frame 113 is hence further configured to hide one or more of one or more further light emitting devices 105 , optical sensor 107 and light guide 109 . in other words, frame 113 is further configured to shield light emitted by one or more further light emitting devices 105 , for example, from a viewer viewing array 101 . in depicted implementations, light guide 111 is also located on the same side of frame 113 as one or more further light emitting devices 105 and optical sensor 107 . one or more further light emitting devices 105 and optical sensor 107 are located at and/or on and/or mounted to a same surface of frame 113 ; in implementations where light guide 111 comprises a light channeling film, light guide 111 can be located about parallel to the surface where one or more further light emitting devices 105 and optical sensor 107 are located. however, in other implementations, one or more further light emitting devices 105 and optical sensor 107 can be located in any suitable position where one or more further light emitting devices 105 can be driven under the same conditions as respective paired light emitting devices 103 , and where optical sensor 107 can detect light emitted by one or more further light emitting devices 105 . for example, light guide 111 can comprise one or more optical fibers and/or one or more light pipes, and the like, for channeling light to optical sensor 107 ; in such implementations, one or more further light emitting devices 105 and/or optical sensor 107 can be located anywhere within device 100 and/or external to frame 113 . however, one or more further light emitting devices 105 and/or optical sensor 107 could alternatively be located on an exterior of device 100 ; in some of these implementations, frame 113 , and/or a chassis of device 100 , can hide one or more further light emitting devices 105 and/or optical sensor 107 , for example from a viewer of array 101 . in some implementations, one or more further light emitting devices 105 can be clustered together, and a light gathering side of optical sensor 107 can face one or more further light emitting devices 105 to collect light there from, obviating light guide 111 . attention is next directed to fig. 3 , which is substantially similar to fig. 2 , with like elements having like numbers. however, fig. 3 depicts one of further light emitting devices 105 emitting light 222 towards light guide 111 , which collects light 222 and guides light 222 to optical sensor 107 . when light guide 111 comprises at least one light channeling film, areas of the light channeling film proximal each of the one or more further light emitting devices 105 are configured to collect light 222 , and an area of light channeling film proximal optical sensor 107 is configured to emit light 222 towards a light collecting side of optical sensor 107 . as depicted circuitry 109 can be in further communication with optical sensor 107 , via interface 124 and a link depicted as a dash/dot line for clarity. the link depicted in dash/dot lines can comprise any combination of wiring and/or connections and/or wireless connections and/or communications between circuitry 109 and optical sensor 107 . as described above, optical sensor 107 is generally configured to detect one or more optical characteristics including, but not limited to one or more of brightness, intensity, a color, a colour coordinate, a white point, a color space and the like, for example when light 222 is collected at optical sensor 107 . for example, light 222 interacts with optical sensor 107 and optical sensor 107 converts light 222 into a signal and/or data which, as depicted, can be conveyed to circuitry 109 , the signal and/or data indicative of the one or more optical characteristics of light 222 . in general, when circuitry 109 is driving one or more further light emitting devices 105 and a respective paired light emitting device 103 under the same conditions, each of one or more further light emitting devices 105 and a respective paired light emitting device 103 emits light in a similar manner, and further experiences the same general operating conditions and/or general ambient conditions. hence, in fig. 3 , light 222 emitted by a further light emitting devices 105 and light 232 emitted by a respective paired light emitting device 103 is similar, however travelling in different directions. in particular, light 222 is emitted towards light guide 111 and light 232 is emitted outwards from frame 113 , for example as a pixel in an image being provided at array 101 . while only one of each of one or more further light emitting devices 105 and a respective paired light emitting device 103 is depicted as emitting respective light 222 , 232 , it is appreciated that: each light emitting device 103 can emit light as part of an image provided at array 101 ; and, each one or more further light emitting devices 105 is driven under the same conditions as a respective paired light emitting device 103 to emit light similar to light from a respective light emitting device 103 . in other words, a each one or more further light emitting devices 105 is driven as a single pixel of the image provided at array 101 , and further driven in the same manner as the respective paired light emitting device 103 hence, one or more further light emitting devices 105 are generally paired with a respective one of light emitting devices 103 of array 101 , i.e. a respective paired light emitting device 103 . in other words, circuitry 109 generally drives each one or more further light emitting device 105 under the same conditions as a respective paired light emitting device 103 of array 101 , for example the same voltage and current characteristics. each one or more further light emitting device 105 is also a same type of device as a respective paired light emitting device 103 of array 101 . hence, as each one or more further light emitting device 105 is a same type of device as a respective paired light emitting device 103 , and is driven under the same conditions as a respective paired light emitting device 103 , and experiences the same operating conditions and/or ambient conditions, each one or more further light emitting device 105 ages in a similar manner as a respective paired light emitting device 103 . however, circuitry 109 is further configured to temporarily drive each of the one or more further light emitting devices 105 under different conditions as the respective paired light emitting devices 103 of array 101 , for example to measure an optical characteristic at optical sensor 107 , when each of the one or more further light emitting devices 105 is driven according a test pattern, as described hereafter. attention is next directed to fig. 4 , which is substantially similar to figs. 2 and 3 , with like elements having like numbers. however, in contrast to fig. 3 , in fig. 4 , circuitry 109 is temporarily driving one or more further light emitting devices 105 at conditions different from a respective paired light emitting device 103 . hence, light 422 emitted from one or more further light emitting devices 105 is different from light 432 emitted from a respective paired light emitting devices 103 . for example, circuitry 109 can be further configured to drive one or more further light emitting devices 105 in a test pattern when temporarily driving each of the one or more further light emitting devices 105 under the different conditions from the respective paired light emitting devices 103 of array 101 . specifically, circuitry 109 continues to drive array 101 of light emitting devices 103 to provide the image without interruption while simultaneously, and temporarily, driving one or more further light emitting devices 105 according to different conditions, such as a test pattern. hence, tests can be performed on one or more further light emitting devices 105 without interrupting array 101 . in specific non-limiting implementations, circuitry 109 is further configured to drive the one or more further light emitting devices 105 in the test pattern by controlling one or more further light emitting devices 105 to emit one or more of white light, light in a grey scale, red light, green light and blue light. hence, the optical characteristic measured by optical sensor 107 can include, but is not limited to one or more of a color, a colour coordinate, a white point, a brightness, and an intensify of one or more further light emitting devices 105 . circuitry 109 can be further configured to periodically drive the one or more further light emitting devices in the test pattern, for example, once a minute, once an hour, once a minute, and/or on-demand. the test pattern can comprise simultaneously driving all of one or more further light emitting devices 105 in a same pattern: for example all of one or more further light emitting devices 105 can be controlled to simultaneously emit one or more of white light, light in a grey scale, red light, green light and blue light. the one or more of white light, light in a grey scale, red light, green light and blue light simultaneously emitted by one or more further light emitting devices 105 is collected by optical sensor 107 , and hence a signal and/or data produced by optical sensor 107 comprises an average of all of one or more further light emitting devices 105 . an average a colour coordinate, an average white point and/or an average brightness and/or an average intensity of one or more further light emitting devices 105 , and hence array 101 , can then be determined. alternatively, the test pattern can comprise simultaneously driving all of one or more further light emitting devices 105 to sequentially emit red, green and blue light (in any order): for example all of one or more further light emitting devices 105 can be controlled to simultaneously emit red light, then green light, and then blue light. the red light, green light, and blue light sequentially emitted by one or more further light emitting devices 105 is collected by optical sensor 107 , and hence a signal and/or data produced by optical sensor 107 comprises average red light, average green light and average blue light of all of one or more further light emitting devices 105 . an average red point, and average green point, and an average blue point (and/or an average brightness of each) of one or more further light emitting devices 105 , and hence array 101 , can then be determined. using such a test pattern a color space of array 101 can be determined, for example a cie (international commission on illumination and/or commission internationale de l'eclairage) color space. alternatively, the test pattern can comprise driving one or more further light emitting devices 105 in a sequence, for example one at a time, to emit one or more of white light, light in a grey scale, red light, green light and blue light. the one or more of white light, light in a grey scale, red light, green light and blue light is collected by optical sensor 107 , and hence sequential signals and/or data produced by optical sensor 107 comprises a sequential measurement of individual colour coordinates and/or white points of one or more further light emitting devices 105 ; in this manner, depending on how many further one or more further light emitting devices 105 , image burn-in at array 101 can be detected. for example, presuming that about 1 in 10 of light emitting devices 103 in array 101 is paired with a further light emitting device 105 , and that that the distribution of paired light emitting devices 103 is about evenly distributed across array 101 , image burn-in can be detected. for example, a colour coordinates, white points and/or brightness and/or intensity can be compared across one or more further light emitting devices 105 and, when difference there between is above a threshold difference, it can be determined that image burn-in is occurring and/or that the one or more further light emitting devices 105 are degrading and/or changing differently. alternatively, the test pattern can comprise sequentially driving all of one or more further light emitting devices 105 to sequentially emit red, green and blue light (in any order): for example one or more further light emitting devices 105 can be controlled to sequentially emit red light, then green light, and then blue light. the red light, green light, and blue light sequentially emitted by one or more further light emitting devices 105 is collected, in sequence, by optical sensor 107 , and hence a signal and/or data produced by optical sensor 107 comprises red light, average green light and average blue light of each of one or more further light emitting devices 105 . respective red points, green points, and blue points (and/or an average brightness of each) of each one or more further light emitting devices 105 , and hence respective paired light emitting devices 103 of array 101 , can then be determined. using such a test pattern a color space of one or more further light emitting devices 105 , and hence respective paired light emitting devices 103 of array 101 , can then be determined, for example a cie color space. such a test pattern can also be used to detect image burn-in and specifically image burn-in specific to red, green and/or blue component image burn-in. in any event, once one or more optical characteristics of one or more further light emitting devices 105 is determined, circuitry 109 can then adjust driving of array 101 based on the optical characteristic measured by optical sensor 107 . for example, circuitry 109 can communicate (using interface 124 ) the one or more optical characteristics measured by optical sensor 107 to an external computing device that is monitoring one or more optical characteristics of a plurality of devices similar to device 100 , for example, light emitting tiles in a display wall. the computing device can determine one or more common optical characteristics for each of the light emitting tiles, for example one or more of a common brightness, a common intensity, a common a colour coordinate, a common white point, a common color space, and the like, and communicate the one or more common optical characteristics to each of the light emitting tiles, including device 100 . such implementations are described in more detail below with reference to figs. 8 and 9 . hence, circuitry 109 can receive the one or more common optical characteristics and adjust driving of array 101 based thereupon, for example by changing driving voltages and/or driving currents of light emitting devices 103 in array. whether array 101 has been successfully adjusted can be tested by again driving one or more further light emitting devices 105 in the test pattern and again measuring one or more optical characteristics thereof using optical sensor 107 . in some implementations, a temperature difference can occur between array 101 and one or more further light emitting devices 105 ; as aging of some light emitting devices can be temperature dependent, in some implementations temperature sensors can further be incorporated into device 100 . in some implementations, device 100 can hence further comprise cooling apparatus (e.g. cooling fans and the like), for cooling one or more further light emitting devices 105 to a temperature similar to array 101 . however, in other implementations, one or more temperature sensors can be used to determine a temperature difference between array 101 and one or more further light emitting devices 105 . for example, attention is next directed. fig. 5 which is substantially similar to fig. 2 , with like elements having like numbers, but with an “a” appended thereto. hence, device 100 a comprises an array 101 a of light emitting devices 103 a , one or more further light emitting devices 105 a , an optical sensor 107 a , circuitry 109 a , a light guide 111 a , and a frame 113 a . circuitry 109 a comprises a processor 120 a , a memory 122 a and a communication interface 124 a . for clarity, links between circuitry 109 a , one light emitting device 103 a and one further light emitting device 105 a and are indicated via broken lines, however it is appreciated that circuitry 109 a is in also in communication with all light emitting devices 103 a of array 101 a and all one or more further light emitting devices 105 a . in these implementations, however, device 100 a further comprise at least one temperature sensor 501 - 1 , 501 - 2 configured to measure a temperature difference between array 101 a and one or more further light emitting devices 105 a , wherein adjusting driving of array 101 a is further based on the temperature difference. for example, as depicted, device 100 a comprises: a first temperature sensor 501 - 1 located proximal and/or adjacent array 101 a ; and a second temperature sensor 501 - 2 located proximal and/or adjacent one or more further light emitting devices 105 a . temperature sensors 501 - 1 , 501 - 2 will be interchangeably referred to hereafter, collectively, as temperature sensors 501 and, generically, as a temperature sensor 501 . each temperature sensor 501 can comprise one or more of a thermocouple, a thermistor, a thermometer and the like. further, while output from each temperature sensor 501 is described herein with respect to temperature, such output can be represented in terms of signals and/or data that is proportional to temperature. for example, each temperature sensor 501 can be configured to output a value to circuitry 109 a that corresponds to a given temperature, for example on a scale of 0 to 255, and/or as a variable current, but that need not directly represent temperature in a given units system, such as degrees celsius, and the like. temperature sensor 501 - 1 is generally configured to measure a temperature proximal and/or adjacent array 101 a , and temperature sensor 501 - 2 is generally configured to measure a temperature proximal and/or adjacent one or more further light emitting devices 105 a . hence, for example, temperature sensor 501 - 1 can be located at an external surface of frame 113 a proximal and/or adjacent array 101 a , and temperature sensor 501 - 2 can be located at an internal surface of frame 113 a proximal and/or adjacent one or more further light emitting devices 105 a . in some implementations, temperature sensor 501 - 2 is located in a space defined by light guide 111 a and an internal surface of frame 113 a. in any event, as one or more further light emitting devices 105 a can be located in a confined space and/or on a separate substrate from array 101 , a temperature of one or more further light emitting devices 105 a can be different than a respective temperature of array 101 a , and hence one or more further light emitting devices 105 a can age differently than light emitting devices 103 a at array 101 a . for example a temperature of one or more light emitting devices 105 a can be higher or lower than light emitting devices 103 a at array 101 . however, general aging behaviours aging of light emitting devices 103 a , 105 a at different temperatures can be pre-determined and hence, when a temperature difference between one or more further light emitting devices 105 a and light emitting devices 103 a is determined, and the aging behaviour is pre-determined, aging of light emitting devices 103 a can be determined from one or more optical characteristics of one or more further light emitting devices 105 a. for example, attention is next directed to fig. 6 which depicts pre-determined relative brightness aging characteristics of leds at three different temperatures, t 1 , t 2 , and t 3 , where t 1 <t 2 and t 2 <t 3 . specifically each curve in fig. 6 depicts brightness (brightness axis) as a function of time (time axis) for leds at temperatures t 1 , t 2 , t 3 . hence, when a brightness 601 of one or more further light emitting devices 105 a is determined at temperature t 3 , and array 101 a is determined to be at temperature t 1 , then the corresponding brightness of a respective paired light emitting device 103 a will be brightness 603 , or along a line parallel to the brightness axis. hence, a temperature based correction factor can be applied to brightness 601 to derive brightness 603 there from. further, while fig. 6 shows relative brightness aging characteristics of leds, similar data for other optical characteristics and/or other types of light emitting devices can be determined. for example aging characteristics of light emitting devices 103 a , 105 a can be determined at a factory and/or during manufacture. in any event, data corresponding to the curves of fig. 6 , and the like, can be stored at one or more of memory 122 a of circuitry 109 a and a memory of a computing device in communication with device 100 a , so that a correction factor can be applied to one or more optical characteristics measured by optical sensor 107 a to determine one or more optical characteristics of array 101 . heretofore, implementations have been discussed in which an optical sensor is used to detect an optical characteristic of further light emitting devices 105 , 105 a . however, in other implementations, an electrical sensor can be used to detect an electrical characteristic of further light emitting devices. for example, attention is now directed to fig. 10 , which is substantially similar to fig. 2 , with like elements having like numbers, however with a “b” appended thereto. hence, fig. 10 depicts a device 100 b comprises an array 101 b of light emitting devices 103 b , one or more further light emitting devices 105 b , circuitry 109 b , and a frame 113 b . circuitry 109 b comprises a processor 120 b , a memory 122 b and a communication interface 124 b . for clarity, two links between circuitry 109 b , light emitting devices 103 b and further light emitting device 105 b are indicated via broken lines, however it is appreciated that circuitry 109 b is in also in communication with all light emitting devices 103 b of array 101 b and all one or more further light emitting devices 105 b . in contrast to devices 100 , 100 a , however, device 100 b comprises an electrical sensor 1007 . hence, fig. 10 depicts a side schematic view of a device 100 b comprising a light emitting tile which can be arranged in an array of other light emitting tiles to form a display wall. specifically, device 100 b comprises: an array 101 b of light emitting devices 103 b (only two of which are indicated in fig. 10 ); one or more further light emitting devices 105 b paired with respective light emitting devices 103 b of the array 101 b ; an electrical sensor 1007 configured to detect one or more electrical characteristics of one or more further light emitting devices 105 b ; and, circuitry 109 b configured to: drive array 101 b of light emitting devices 103 b ; drive each of the one or more further light emitting devices 105 b under same conditions as respective paired light emitting devices 105 b of array 101 b ; temporarily drive each of one or more further light emitting devices 105 under different conditions as respective paired light emitting devices 103 b of array 101 b ; and, adjust driving of array 101 b of light emitting devices 103 b based on the electrical characteristic of one or more further light emitting devices 105 detected at optical sensor 107 when one or more further light emitting devices 105 are driven under the different conditions. in contrast to device 100 , device 100 b does not include an optical sensor and a light guide. rather circuitry 109 b comprises electrical sensor 1007 . alternatively, electrical sensor 1007 can be located external to circuitry 109 b , though, in such implementations, electrical sensor 1007 is in communication with circuitry 109 b. electrical sensor 1007 can comprise an analog to digital converter (adc) configured to measure one or more of an operating power, an operating voltage, and an operating current, particularly when circuitry 109 b is driving one or more further light emitting devices 109 b differently from array 101 b . further, while output from electrical sensor 1007 is described herein with respect to one or more electrical characteristics, such output can be represented in terms of signals and/or data that is proportional to one or more optical characteristics. for example, electrical sensor 1007 can be configured to output a value to circuitry 109 b that corresponds to measured power (and/or a measured voltage and/or a measured current), for example on a scale of 0 to 255 (and the like, and/or higher or lower than 255), that need not directly represent an electrical characteristic in a given units systems, such as watts, volts, amps, and the like. in these implementations, circuitry 109 b can temporarily drive further light emitting devices 105 b according to a test pattern for example, a given operating voltage and/or a given operating current, and electrical sensor 1007 can measure the resulting operating power of one or more further light emitting devices 109 b , either individually and/or in total. for example, for the test pattern, circuitry 109 b can drive each of the one or more further light emitting devices 105 b according to the same operating voltage, and electrical sensor 1007 can measure the resulting operating current (and/or the resulting operating power); alternatively, for the test pattern, circuitry 109 b can drive each of the one or more further light emitting devices 105 b according to the same operating current, and electrical sensor 1007 can measure the resulting operating voltage (and/or the resulting operating power). either way, power consumption of each of the one or more further light emitting devices 105 b can be determined over time, and hence aging of each of the one or more further light emitting devices 105 b can be tracked and/or determined using electrical characteristics of the one or more further light emitting devices 105 b in other words, the operating power and/or operating voltage and/or operating current can change over time, as array 101 b and one or more further light emitting devices 105 b age; hence the change in operating power and/or operating voltage and/or operating current can provide an indication of the aging, which can be used to adjust driving of array 101 b. in some implementations, temperature corrections can be applied to the electrical characteristics, similar to the optical characteristics, as described above. in any event, once one or more electrical characteristics of one or more further light emitting devices 105 b is determined, circuitry 109 b can then adjust driving of array 101 b based on the optical characteristic measured by electrical sensor 1007 . for example, circuitry 109 b can communicate (using interface 124 b ) the one or more electrical characteristics measured by electrical sensor 1007 to an external computing device that is monitoring one or more electrical characteristics of a plurality of devices similar to device 100 b , for example, light emitting tiles in a display wall. the computing device can determine one or more common electrical characteristics for each of the light emitting tiles, for example one or more of a common power, a common voltage and a common current, when each of the light emitting tiles are driven under similar conditions, and the like, and communicate the one or more common electrical characteristics to each of the light emitting tiles, including device 100 . such implementations are described in more detail below with reference to figs. 8 and 9 . in some implementations, device 100 , device 100 a and/or device 100 b can include both an optical sensor and an electrical sensor. hence, display tiles and/or light emitting tiles described herein can include one or more sensors configured to detect one or more of an optical characteristic and an electrical characteristic of one or more further light emitting devices which are paired and/or twinned with light emitting devices of an array. attention is now directed to fig. 7 which depicts a flowchart illustrating a method 700 for dynamically monitoring and calibrating display tiles and/or light emitting tiles, according to non-limiting implementations. in order to assist in the explanation of method 700 , it will be assumed that method 700 is performed using device 100 . furthermore, the following discussion of method 700 will lead to a further understanding of device 100 and its various components. however, it is to be understood that device 100 and/or method 700 can be varied, and need not work exactly as discussed herein in conjunction with each other, and that such variations are within the scope of present implementations. it is appreciated that, in some implementations, method 700 is implemented in device 100 by circuitry 109 and/or processor 120 . for example, circuitry 109 can store an application in memory 122 comprising instructions for implementing method 700 . it is to be emphasized, however, that method 700 need not be performed in the exact sequence as shown, unless otherwise indicated; and likewise various blocks may be performed in parallel rather than in sequence; hence the elements of method 700 are referred to herein as “blocks” rather than “steps”. it is also to be understood that method 700 can be implemented on variations of device 100 as well, including, but not limited to, device 100 a , and device 100 b . it is further assumed in the following discussion that device 100 can comprise an electrical sensor similar to electrical sensor 1007 . at blocks 701 and blocks 703 , circuitry 109 drives array 101 of light emitting devices 103 , and drives each of one or more further light emitting devices 105 under same conditions as respective paired light emitting devices 103 of array 101 , as described above. blocks 701 and 703 are generally performed in parallel with each other so that one or more further light emitting devices 105 and respective paired light emitting devices 103 age in the same manner. at block 705 , circuitry 109 temporarily drives each of one or more further light emitting devices 105 under different conditions than respective paired light emitting devices 103 of array 101 , for example by periodically controlling one or more further light emitting devices 105 to provide a test pattern, either simultaneously or sequentially, as described above. while block 705 is occurring, circuitry continues to drive array 101 under the same conditions of blocks 701 , 703 . hence, while the test pattern, and the like, is being provided at one or more further light emitting devices 105 , images continue to be provided at array 101 without interruption. at block 707 one or more of an optical characteristic and an electrical characteristic of one or more further light emitting devices 105 is detected using a sensor, for example optical sensor 107 and/or an electrical sensor similar to electrical sensor 1007 , when one or more further light emitting devices 105 are driven under the different conditions of block 707 . it is appreciated that blocks 705 , 707 are performed in parallel so that circuitry 109 temporally drives one or more further light emitting devices 105 , for example, in the test pattern, while receiving a signal representative of one or more optical characteristics of one or more further light emitting devices 105 . at block 709 , circuitry 109 adjusts driving of array 101 of light emitting devices 103 based on one or more of the optical characteristic and the electrical characteristic of one or more further light emitting devices 105 . block 709 can include, but is not limited to, communicating the one or more of the optical characteristic and the electrical characteristic detected at block 707 to a computing device, and receiving, from the computing device, data for adjusting driving of array 101 of light emitting devices 105 based on one or more of the optical characteristic and the electrical characteristic of one or more further light emitting devices 105 . in other words, the computing device can determine a brightness and/or an intensity, and/or a colour coordinate, and/or a white point and/or a color space, and/or an operating power and/or an operating voltage and/or an operating current and the like, at which array 101 is to operate, at least under given conditions (e.g. similar electrical conditions) and communicate such operating conditions and/or one or more of the optical characteristic and the electrical characteristic to circuitry 109 so that circuitry 109 can adjust driving of array 101 . in some implementations, block 709 can be optional when an adjustment to array 101 is not performed, for example when the one or more of the optical characteristic and the electrical characteristic of one or more further light emitting devices 105 are indicative of array 101 operating within given operating conditions. attention is next directed to fig. 8 , which schematically depicts a system comprising: a plurality of light emitting tiles 801 - 1 , 801 - 2 , 801 - 3 , 801 - 4 , and at least one computing device 802 in communication with plurality of light emitting tiles 801 - 1 , 801 - 2 , 801 - 3 , 801 - 4 , for example via links 803 - 1 , 803 - 2 , 803 - 3 , and 803 - 4 . plurality of light emitting tiles 801 - 1 , 801 - 2 , 801 - 3 , 801 - 4 will be interchangeably referred to hereafter, collectively, as light emitting tiles 801 and, generically, as a light emitting tiles 801 . links 803 - 1 , 803 - 2 , 803 - 3 , 803 - 4 will be interchangeably referred to hereafter, collectively, as links 803 and, generically, as a link 803 . each light emitting tile 801 is similar one or more of device 100 , device 100 a and device 100 b and hence, each light emitting tile 801 comprises: an array of light emitting devices; one or more further light emitting devices paired with respective light emitting devices of the array; a sensor configured to detect one or more of an optical characteristic and an electrical characteristic of the one or more further light emitting devices; and, circuitry configured to: drive the array of light emitting devices; drive each of the one or more further light emitting devices under same conditions as respective paired light emitting devices of the array; and, temporarily drive each of the one or more further light emitting devices under different conditions as the respective paired light emitting devices of the array. each link 803 can comprise any combination of wired and/or wireless links. further, while links 803 as depicted show light emitting tiles 801 and computing device 802 connected in series, in other implementations, light emitting tiles 801 can be connected in parallel to computing device 802 . in general, however, links 803 comprise a computer bus over which computing device 802 communicates with light emitting tiles 801 . computing device 802 is generally configured to provide an image, including but not limited to a plurality of images, video and the like, to light emitting tiles 801 ; each light emitting tile 801 is configured to provide, at a respective array of light emitting devices, similar to array 101 , a portion of the image. hence, light emitting tiles 801 comprise one or more of a display wall, a video wall and the like. however, in other implementations the system of fig. 8 can further include a “sender unit” configured to receive a video signal (for example an video signal from a computer could be an input), and one or more “receiver units” in communication with the “sender unit”; the one or more “receiver units” would be responsible for distributing an appropriate portion of a video signal to each of light emitting tiles 801 ; such “receiver units” could also manage the colour correction described hereafter. computing device 802 can comprise a receiver unit. further, while four light emitting tiles 801 are depicted from a side view, and stacked one on top of each other, system 800 can comprise any number of light emitting tiles 801 in any configuration. computing device 802 generally comprises a processor 820 interconnected with a memory 822 and a communication interface 824 . processor 820 can be implemented as a plurality of processors, including but not limited to one or more central processors (cpus) and/or a plurality of transistors. processor 820 is configured to communicate with a memory 822 comprising a non-volatile storage unit (e.g. erasable electronic programmable read only memory (“eeprom”), flash memory, and the like) and a volatile storage unit (e.g. random access memory (“ram”), and the like). programming instructions that implement the functional teachings of computing device 802 as described herein are typically maintained, persistently, in memory 822 and used by processor 820 which makes appropriate utilization of volatile storage during the execution of such programming instructions. in some implementations, processor 820 comprises at least a portion of memory 822 , for example as on-board random access memory (ram). it is further appreciated that memory 822 is an example of computer readable media that can store programming instructions executable on processor 820 . furthermore, memory 822 is also an example of a memory unit and/or memory module. in particular, it is appreciated that memory 822 stores application 845 , that, when processed by processor 820 , enables processor 820 and/or computing device 802 to: receive, from respective optical sensors of each of the plurality of light emitting tiles 801 , respective one or more of a respective optical characteristic and a respective electrical characteristic of respective one or more further light emitting devices when respectively driven under respective different conditions; determine one or more of a common optical characteristic and a common electrical characteristic from one or more of the respective optical characteristic and the respective electrical characteristic; and, communicate the one or more of the common optical characteristic and the common electrical characteristic to the plurality of light emitting tiles 801 so that respective circuitry can drive each respective array according to one or more of the common optical characteristic and the common electrical characteristic. for example, the common characteristic can comprise a common a colour coordinate, a common white point, a common color space, a common brightness, a common intensity, a common operating power, a common operating voltage and a common operating current. further, application 845 is an example of programming instructions executable on processor 820 and/or computer-readable program code for operation of computing device 802 . processor 820 also connects to communication interface 824 (interchangeably referred to interchangeably as interface 824 ), which can be implemented as one or more radios and/or connectors and/or network adaptors, configured to communicate with light emitting tiles 801 . it will be appreciated that interface 824 is configured to correspond with network architecture that is used to implement links 803 to the one or more communication networks, including but not limited to any suitable combination of usb (universal serial bus) cables, serial cables, wireless links, bluetooth links, nfc (near field communication) links, wlan (wireless local area network) links, wifi links and the like, and/or a combination. fig. 8 also depicts a respective optical characteristic 850 - 1 , 850 - 2 , 850 - 3 , 850 - 4 of each light emitting tile 801 . respective optical characteristics 850 - 1 , 850 - 2 , 850 - 3 , 850 - 4 will be interchangeably referred to hereafter, collectively, as optical characteristics 850 and, generically, as a optical characteristic 850 . for example, each optical characteristic 850 can comprises one or more of a respective brightness, a respective intensity, a respective colour coordinate, a respective white point, and a respective color space of each light emitting tile 801 , for example as emitted as part of a respective portion of an image being provided at light emitting tiles 801 . however, each optical characteristic 850 can also correspond to an electrical characteristic, for example, an operating power when driven under given conditions, such as a given voltage or a given current. as depicted, each of optical characteristics 850 - 1 , 850 - 3 , 850 - 4 are similar to one another, while optical characteristic 850 - 2 is different from optical characteristics 850 - 1 , 850 - 3 , 850 - 4 (i.e. light emitting tile 801 - 2 is brighter or dimmer than light emitting tiles 801 - 1 , 801 - 3 , 801 - 4 , and/or light emitting tile 801 - 2 has a different colour coordinate, a different white point and/or a different color space than light emitting tiles 801 - 1 , 801 - 3 , 801 - 4 ) in some implementations, each light emitting tile 801 can periodically communicate respective data 855 - 1 , 855 - 2 , 855 - 3 , 855 - 4 over links 803 to computing device 802 . data 855 - 1 , 855 - 2 , 855 - 3 , 855 - 4 will be interchangeably referred to hereafter, collectively, as data 855 and, generically, as data 855 . computing device 802 can periodically poll and/or query each light emitting tiles 801 for respective data 855 , and/or each light emitting tile 801 can periodically transmit respective data 855 to computing device 802 . regardless, prior to communicating data 855 , each light emitting tile 801 performs a measurement of respective optical characteristic and/or a respective electrical characteristic of respective further light emitting devices using one or more respective sensors (e.g. similar to optical sensor 107 and/or electrical sensor 1007 ) without interrupting providing a respective portion of an image at a respective array of light emitting devices, as described above. in other words, blocks 701 - 707 of method 700 are implemented at each light emitting tile 801 . each set of data 855 comprises data indicative of one or more of an optical characteristic and an electrical of respective further light emitting devices, for example data representative of a respective brightness, a respective intensity, a respective colour coordinate, a respective white point, a respective color space, a respective power, a respective current and/or a respective current, as described above. hence, computing device 802 receives, from respective optical sensors (e.g. optical sensor 107 ) of each of plurality of light emitting tiles 801 , one or more of a respective optical characteristic and a respective electrical characteristic of respective one or more further light emitting devices (e.g. further light emitting devices 105 ) when respectively driven under respective different conditions from respective arrays of light emitting devices. in implementations where temperature correction factors are used, as described above with respect to figs. 5 and 6 , data 855 can reflect such a correction factor and/or such a correction factor can be applied at computing device 802 . computing device 802 can then compare data 855 with one another, and/or with desired operating conditions of light emitting tiles 801 stored at memory 822 , and determine one or more of a common optical characteristic and a common electrical characteristic of the respective optical characteristics represented by data 855 . for example, presuming that data 855 - 2 is representative of light emitting tile 801 - 2 being brighter than light emitting tiles 801 - 1 , 801 - 3 , 801 - 4 , computing device 802 can determine that brightness of light emitting tile 801 - 2 is to be reduced to match at least neighbouring light emitting tiles 801 - 1 , 801 - 3 , and/or that an electrical characteristic of light emitting tile 801 - 2 is to be changed to reduce the brightness of light emitting tile 801 - 1 . in this instance, the common optical characteristic comprises a brightness to which all light emitting tiles 801 are to be controlled and/or the common electrical characteristic comprises a power, and the like, to which all light emitting tiles 801 are to be controlled so that the brightness of all light emitting tiles 801 are similar. alternatively, the common optical characteristic comprises a white point to which all light emitting tiles 801 are to be controlled. alternatively, the common optical characteristic comprises a colour coordinate to which all light emitting tiles 801 are to be controlled. in yet a further alternative, the common optical characteristic comprises a color space to which all light emitting tiles 801 are to be controlled. the common electrical characteristic can hence correspond to a power, and the like, that corresponds to a colour coordinate, a white point and/or a color space to which all light emitting tiles 801 are to be controlled in yet further implementations, the common optical characteristic comprises an optical characteristic that is within a given range and/or an electrical characteristic that is within a given range. for example, when the common optical characteristic comprises a common colour coordinate, a common white point and/or brightness (and/or the common electrical characteristic corresponds to such), each respective colour coordinate and/or white point and/or brightness of each respective light emitting tile 801 can be controlled to within a given difference of one another: for example a target color difference could be about 0.003 δu′v′, and a target intensity difference could be less than about 3%. computing device 802 then communicates the common optical characteristic and/or the common electrical characteristic to one or more of plurality of light emitting tiles 801 so that respective circuitry (similar to circuitry 109 ) can drive each respective array according to the common optical characteristic and/or the common electrical characteristic. when the common electrical characteristic is used, the common electrical characteristic can comprise a power, and the like, to which each respective array is to be driven under given conditions. the common electrical characteristic can also be represented in terms of one or more scaling factors for increasing or decreasing power of respective arrays to provide brightness matching, color matching, colour coordinate matching, white point matching, and the like between light emitting tiles 801 . for example, as depicted in fig. 9 , which is substantially similar to fig. 8 , with like elements having like numbers, computing device 802 transmits data 901 to at least light emitting tile 801 - 2 to cause circuitry of light emitting tile 801 - 2 to reduce the brightness of the respective array. hence, as depicted in fig. 9 , optical characteristic 850 - 2 now appears similar to optical characteristics 850 - 1 , 850 - 3 , 850 - 4 . in other words, the brightness of light emitting tile 801 - 2 has been reduced to a brightness and/or intensity similar to the other light emitting tiles 801 . alternatively, a white point of one or more of light emitting tiles 801 can be changed so that each light emitting tile 801 has a similar white point. alternatively, a colour coordinate of one or more of light emitting tiles 801 can be changed so that each light emitting tile 801 has a similar white point. alternatively, a color space of one or more of light emitting tiles 801 can be changed so that each light emitting tile 801 has a similar color space. furthermore, such changing of optical characteristics and/or electrical characteristics of one or more of light emitting tiles 801 occurs without the use of external measurement equipment and/or without interrupting displaying an image at light emitting tiles 801 . in specific non-limiting implementations, device 100 comprises an led wall tile in a display wall of led wall tiles; for each led wall tile, an additional set of “back-facet” leds (e.g. 1, 4, 9, 16, or 25 pcs) are added on the rear side of the tile, shining backward. additionally, each led receives the same drive stimulation as its “twin-led” on the front of the panel, to ensure that the rear led experiences the same driving and usage scenarios as the leds on the front side of the tile. being on the rear then allows ample space for a light pipe/mixing device and appropriate optical detector/optical sensor to be installed that can sample the optical colour and intensity data characteristics of the leds, as their performance changes due to time (aging) and operating temperature. when a measurement occurs, the rear leds can be disconnected from the front leds to display an appropriate test pattern of the measurement algorithm and, once the measurement is completed, the rear leds can be reconnected to the main array. it is generally assumed that the rear leds are accurately reporting/mirroring the performance of the leds in the primary array on the front of the tile, since the rear leds can generally installed at a factory from the same bins, and hence were calibrated with the same precision, and experienced the identical drive content and ambient environmental conditions as the front leds. in any event, once the measurement occurs, then neighbor-colour-matching algorithms can be used so produce a tightly matched display array (an example target color difference could be 0.003 au′v′ for colour, and <3% for intensity), even when a tile of unknown origin has been inserted into the display wall. this removes the requirement of having to treat an led wall purchase as an entire “screen” of a fixed number of tiles; instead each individual tile can be treated as a truly modular and discrete item. this enables the flexibility for led walls to be created quickly with available components of varying age and history. hence, disclosed herein is a display tile (and/or a light emitting tile), in which optical characteristics and/or electrical characteristics can be monitored and changed without interrupting displaying of an image at the display tile. by providing one or more light emitting devices (“paired devices” and/or “twinned devices”) which are paired with light emitting devices of an array of light emitting devices providing an image at the display tile, and by driving the one or more paired devices in a similar manner to the paired light emitting devices of the array, the one or more paired devices age in a manner similar to the light emitting devices of the array. hence, it can be assumed that the optical characteristics and/or electrical characteristics of the one or more paired devices represent the optical characteristics and/or electrical characteristics of the array. based on measurements of the one or more paired devices, the optical characteristics and/or electrical characteristics of the array can be adjusted, for example to match neighbouring display tiles. attention is now directed to fig. 11 , which is substantially similar to fig. 2 , with like elements having like numbers, however with a “c” appended thereto. hence, fig. 11 depicts a device 100 c comprises an array 101 c of light emitting devices 103 c , circuitry 109 c , and a frame 113 c . circuitry 109 c comprises a processor 120 c , a memory 122 c and a communication interface 124 c . for clarity, links between circuitry 109 c and two light emitting devices 103 c are indicated via broken lines, however it is appreciated that circuitry 109 c is in also in communication with all light emitting devices 103 c of array 101 c . in contrast to device 100 , 100 a , however, device 100 b comprises an electrical sensor 1007 c , similar to electrical sensor 1007 . as depicted, device 100 c does not include further light emitting devices, similar to further light emitting devices 105 , and/or an optical sensor, similar to optical sensor 107 ; however, in other implementations, device 100 c can further comprises light emitting devices, similar to further light emitting devices 105 , and/or an optical sensor, similar to optical sensor 107 (and a light guide etc.). hence, fig. 11 depicts a side schematic view of a device 100 c comprising a light emitting tile which can be arranged in an array of other light emitting tiles to form a display wall. device 100 c can otherwise appear similar to device 100 of fig. 1 . specifically, device 100 c comprises: an array 101 c of light emitting devices 103 c ; a sensor 1007 c configured to detect an electrical characteristic of one or more of the light emitting devices 103 c ; and, circuitry 109 c configured to: drive array 101 c of light emitting devices 103 c to provide an image; temporarily drive each of light emitting devices 103 c to provide a test pattern; and, adjust driving of array 101 c of light emitting devices 103 c to provide the image based on the electrical characteristic of one or more light emitting devices 103 c detected at sensor 1007 c when one or more light emitting devices 103 c are driven according to the test pattern. in contrast to device 100 , device 100 c does not include an optical sensor and a light guide. rather circuitry 109 c comprises electrical sensor 1007 c , for example, an adc, similar to electrical sensor 1007 . alternatively, electrical sensor 1007 c can be located external to circuitry 109 c , though, in such implementations, electrical sensor 1007 c is in communication with circuitry 109 c. similar to implementations described above with reference to fig. 10 , circuitry 109 c can be further configured to temporarily drive each of light emitting devices 103 c to provide the test pattern by driving each of light emitting devices 103 c to one or more of a given current and a given voltage. hence, sensor 1007 c can be further configured to one or more of: detect the electrical characteristic of one or more of light emitting devices 103 c by measuring one or more of a resulting voltage and a resulting power, when each of light emitting devices 103 c is driven to the given current; and, detect the electrical characteristic of one or more of light emitting devices 103 c by measuring one or more of a resulting current and the resulting power, when each of light emitting devices 103 c is driven to the given voltage. in other words, sensor 1007 c measures a power characteristic of each of light emitting devices 103 c , under the test pattern conditions, so that aging of the light emitting devices 103 c can be tracked over time. the test pattern can hence be run periodically in order to track individual aging of each of light emitting devices 103 c , and driving array 101 c can be adjusted based on the test pattern measurements, so that each of light emitting devices 103 c are operating within given conditions. hence, if one or more light emitting devices 103 c are aging faster than others, driving of the one or more light emitting devices 103 c can be adjusted when array 101 c provides the image so that visual artifacts, due to light emitting devices 103 c aging at different rates, can be reduced. in some implementations, one or more of the given current and the given voltage is below a respective given current and a respective given voltage at which light emitting devices 103 c emit light. in other implementations, one or more of the given current and the given voltage is above a respective given current and a respective given voltage at which light emitting devices 103 c emit light. in other words, the test pattern can include light emitting devices 103 c being driven to emit light or not emit light. in some implementations, circuitry 109 c is further configured to temporarily drive each of light emitting devices 103 c to provide the test pattern by interrupting displaying of image and providing the test pattern. in other words, in these implementations, circuitry 109 c temporarily stops driving array 101 c to provide the image and, instead, temporarily provides the test pattern. in these implementations, the test pattern can include, but is not limited to, rastering through each light emitting device 103 c by turning each light emitting device 103 c on to a given power or a given voltage and then off, turning all light emitting devices 103 c to a given power or a given voltage, and the like, so that sensor 1007 c can measure power, and the like, at each light emitting device 103 c. however, in other implementations, circuitry 109 c is further configured to temporarily drive each of light emitting devices 103 c to provide the test pattern by individually and sequentially driving each of light emitting devices 103 c to one or more of a given current and a given voltage while the image is being provided at the array 101 c . in other words, each light emitting device 103 c is individually and sequentially stopped from providing a portion of the image so that the test pattern can be provided at each light emitting device 103 c , even as other light emitting devices 103 c continue to provide the image around a light emitting device 103 c upon which a test is currently being perforated. in other words, providing the image at array 101 c is not interrupted, at any given time, except a light emitting device 103 c where the test pattern is being provided. in the implementations, the test pattern is provided by driving each light emitting device 103 c , one at a time, to a given current or a given voltage, so that the resulting power, or the like, can be measured by sensor 1007 c. in some of these implementations, the sequence in which each of light emitting devices 103 c is driven comprises a raster pattern; in other words, circuitry can start in one corner of array 101 c and raster through each light emitting device 103 c. however, such a regular pattern might also be eye catching to a viewer as each light emitting device 103 c rasters through the test pattern. hence, in alternative implementations, the sequence in which each of light emitting devices 103 c is driven in the test pattern can be random, which is less likely to catch the eye of a viewer. however, other test patterns and/or sequences are within the scope of present implementations. attention is now directed to fig. 12 which depicts a flowchart illustrating a method 1200 for dynamically monitoring and calibrating display tiles and/or light emitting tiles, according to non-limiting implementations. in order to assist in the explanation of method 1200 , it will be assumed that method 1200 is performed using device 100 c . furthermore, the following discussion of method 1200 will lead to a further understanding of device 100 c and its various components. however, it is to be understood that device 100 c and/or method 1200 can be varied, and need not work exactly as discussed herein in conjunction with each other, and that such variations are within the scope of present implementations. it is appreciated that, in some implementations, method 1200 is implemented in device 100 c by circuitry 109 c and/or processor 120 c . for example, circuitry 109 c can store an application in memory 122 c comprising instructions for implementing method 1200 . it is to be emphasized, however, that method 1200 need not be performed in the exact sequence as shown, unless otherwise indicated; and likewise various blocks may be performed in parallel rather than in sequence; hence the elements of method 1200 are referred to herein as “blocks” rather than “steps”. it is also to be understood that method 1200 can be implemented on variations of device 100 c as well. at block 1201 , circuitry 109 c drives array 101 c of light emitting devices 103 c to provide an image. at block 1203 , circuitry 109 c temporarily drives each of light emitting devices 103 c to provide a test pattern. at block 1205 , circuitry 109 c ; adjusts driving of array 101 c of light emitting devices 103 c based on the electrical characteristic of the one or more light emitting devices 103 c detected at sensor 1007 c when the one or more light emitting devices 103 c are driven according to the test pattern. in any event, in this manner, aging of each individual light emitting device 103 c can be tracked, for example, when method 1200 implemented periodically. further, in some implementations, blocks 1201 and 1203 can be implemented simultaneously so that providing of the image at array 101 c is not completely interrupted, but rather individual pixels/light emitting devices 103 c of the image can be tested randomly and/or in a raster pattern and/or in another pattern. those skilled in the art will appreciate that in some implementations, the functionality of devices 100 , 100 a , 100 b , 100 c , 801 and computing device 802 can be implemented using pre-programmed hardware or firmware elements (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (asics), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (eeproms), etc.), or other related components. in other implementations, the functionality of devices 100 , 100 a , 100 b , 100 c , 801 and computing device 802 can be achieved using a computing apparatus that has access to a code memory (not shown) which stores computer-readable program code for operation of the computing apparatus. the computer-readable program code could be stored on a computer readable storage medium which is fixed, tangible and readable directly by these components, (e.g., removable diskette, cd-rom, rom, fixed disk, usb drive). furthermore, it is appreciated that the computer-readable program can be stored as a computer program product comprising a computer usable medium. further, a persistent storage device can comprise the computer readable program code. it is yet further appreciated that the computer-readable program code and/or computer usable medium can comprise a non-transitory computer-readable program code and/or non-transitory computer usable medium. alternatively, the computer-readable program code could be stored remotely but transmittable to these components via a modem or other interface device connected to a network (including, without limitation, the internet) over a transmission medium. the transmission medium can be either a non-mobile medium (e.g., optical and/or digital and/or analog communications lines) or a mobile medium (e.g., microwave, infrared, free-space optical or other transmission schemes) or a combination thereof. persons skilled in the art will appreciate that there are yet more alternative implementations and modifications possible, and that the above examples are only illustrations of one or more implementations. the scope, therefore, is only to be limited by the claims appended hereto.
|
186-276-378-193-119
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
A47L15/48,F26B9/00
| 1995-05-18T00:00:00 |
1995
|
[
"A47",
"F26"
] |
dish drier
|
a dish drier including a housing having an inner vertical wall, an outer vertical wall, the inner vertical wall being provided with a plurality of rails, a plurality of racks supported on the rails, a groove formed between the inner vertical wall and the outer vertical wall, two doors slidably fitted in the groove, a recess formed at a lower portion, and a receptacle received in the recess, a container mounted on a top of the housing, a steam generator installed in the container, a hot air blower arranged in the container, a first inverted u-shaped member mounted on an inner vertical wall of the housing, having a plurality of perforations, and connected with the steam generator, and a second inverted u-shaped member mounted on an inner vertical wall of the housing, having a plurality of perforations, and connected with the hot air blower.
|
1. a dish drier comprising: a housing having an inner vertical wall, an outer vertical wall, said inner vertical wall being provided with a plurality of rails, a plurality of racks supported on the rails, a groove formed between the inner vertical wall and the outer vertical wall, two doors slidably fitted in the groove, a recess formed at a lower portion, a receptacle received in the recess, and an inner bottom formed with a convergent surface having an opening in communication with said recess; a container mounted on a top of said housing; a steam generator installed in said container; a hot air blower arranged in said container; a first inverted u-shaped member mounted on an inner wall of said housing, having a plurality of perforations, and connected with said steam generator; and a second inverted u-shaped member mounted on an inner wall of said housing, having a plurality of perforations, and connected with said hot air blower.
|
background of the invention 1. field of the invention this invention relates to an improved dish drier. 2. description of the prior art it has been found that the conventional dish drier is simply a container which is provided with a heating element at the bottom thereof. however, such a dish drier must take a long period of time to dry the dishes and cannot be used for sterilizing the dishes. furthermore, the water dripping down from the dishes may even cause electric leakage thereby resulting accidents. therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a dish drier which can obviate and mitigate the above-mentioned drawbacks. summary of the invention this invention relates to an improved dish drier. it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a dish drier which utilizes steam to sterilize the dish. it is another object of the present invention to provide a dish drier which is safe in use. it is still another object of the present invention to provide a dish drier which is simple in construction. it is still another object of the present invention to provide a dish drier which is easy to manufacture. it is a further object of the present invention to provide a dish drier which is low in cost. other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out. the invention accordingly consists of features of constructions and method, combination of elements, arrangement of parts and steps of the method which will be exemplified in the constructions and method hereinafter disclosed, the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims following. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a perspective view of a dish drier according to the present invention; fig. 2 is an exploded view of the dish drier; fig. 3 is a sectional view of the dish drier; fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the structure of the first inverted u-shaped member; fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of the dish drier; and fig. 6 is a sectional view showing the arrangement of the first and second inverted u-shaped members. detailed description of the preferred embodiment for the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings. specific language will be used to describe same. it will, nevertheless, be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alternations and further modifications in the illustrated device, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. with reference to the drawings and in particular to figs. 1 and 2 thereof, the dish drier according to the present invention comprises a housing 8. a container 2 is mounted on the top of the housing 8, in which are fitted a steam generator 3 and a hot air blower 4. the steam generator 3 and the hot air blower 4 may be of any conventional design well to those skilled in the art and are not considered a part of the invention. the steam generator 3 includes a holder for receiving water 52 (see fig. 3) which is provided with a cover 31. the container 2 is provided at the top with a covering plate 1 which has a first opening 11 for enabling the cover 31 to be removed and a second opening for mounting a net 12. the net 12 is just located above the hot air blower 4. the container 2 is provided with a control panel on which are mounted a switch 21, a steam indicating light 22, and a drying indicating light 23. the switch 21, the steam indicating light 22 and the drying indicating light 23 are electrically connected with the steam generator 3 and the hot air blower 4 by well known means which is not considered a part of the invention. a first inverted u-shaped member 5 formed with a plurality of perforations 51 is arranged on the inner vertical wall of the housing 8 and connected with the steam generator 3 (see figs. 4, 5 and 6). a second inverted u-shaped member 6 formed with a plurality of perforations 61 is arranged on the inner vertical wall of the housing 8 and connected with the hot air blower 4 (see figs. 4, 5 and 6). the housing 8 is formed with a groove 80 between its outer vertical wall and inner vertical wall adapted to receive two movable doors 9. the inner vertical wall of the housing 8 is provided with a plurality of rails 81 for mounting a plurality of racks 7 for supporting dishes 84 (see fig. 3). the inner bottom of the housing 8 has a convergent surface 82 formed with an opening 821 so that the water 85 dropping down from the dishes 84 can be collected in a receptacle 10 which is received in a recess 83 formed at the lower portion of the housing 8. the water 85 can be conveniently poured out from the receptacle 10. when in use, the steam generator 3 will produce steam which will be discharged into the housing through the perforations 51 of the first inverted u-shaped member 5. in the meantime, the hot air blower 4 will blow hot air into the housing. hence, the dishes in the housing 8 will be sterilized and dried rapidly. in addition, the water dropping from the dishes 84 will be collected in the receptacle 10. the invention is naturally not limited in any sense to the particular features specified in the forgoing or to the details of the particular embodiment which has been chosen in order to illustrate the invention. consideration can be given to all kinds of variants of the particular embodiment which has been described by way of example and of its constituent elements without thereby departing from the scope of the invention. this invention accordingly includes all the means constituting technical equivalents of the means described as well as their combinations.
|
186-758-164-585-020
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
H04L12/28,B63H25/02,B64C39/02,G01C21/16,G01C21/20,G01S19/42,G05D1/00,G05D1/02,G05D1/10,G07C5/00,H04L67/025,H04L67/125,H04W4/38,H04W4/44,H04W12/02,H04W12/033,H04L9/40,H04L67/01,H04L67/10
| 2008-08-11T00:00:00 |
2008
|
[
"H04",
"B63",
"B64",
"G01",
"G05",
"G07"
] |
mobile premises automation platform
|
a system including a drone or unmanned vehicle configured to perform surveillance of a premises. the drone surveillance includes autonomous navigation and/or remote or optional piloting around the premises. the drone includes a controller coupled to a plurality of sensors configured to collect drone data and security data at the premises, wherein the controller is configured to generate control data for the drone and the premises using the drone data and the security data. a remote device coupled to the drone includes a user interface configured to present the drone data, the security data, and/or the control data.
|
1 . a method comprising: detecting, by a drone associated with a premises, locations of a plurality of premises devices configured to determine security data at the premises, wherein the drone comprises an unmanned vehicle and one or more sensors configured to determine drone data; receiving, by the drone via a first communication protocol and from a first premises device of the plurality of premises devices, a first portion of the security data; receiving, by the drone via a second communication protocol and from a second premises device of the plurality of premises devices, a second portion of the security data; determining, based on the drone data and the security data, control data associated with controlling the drone; and causing output, via a user interface and at a user device, of one or more of the drone data, the security data, the control data, or the locations of the plurality of premises devices. 2 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the drone is configured to at least one of: access a pre-programmed premises patrol route or determine a premises patrol route for use in a patrol state. 3 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the user interface is configured to output, based on the locations of the plurality of premises devices, a floor plan, wherein the floor plan comprises one or more of a two-dimensional map or a three-dimensional map of the premises. 4 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising a remote server located external to the premises and configured to communicate with the drone, wherein the remote server is configured to receive at least a portion of the drone data and the control data. 5 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the user interface is configured to receive control inputs associated with one or more of the drone or the plurality of premises devices, wherein movement of one or more of the drone or the plurality of premises devices is controlled via the control inputs. 6 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of premises devices comprises one or more of an internet protocol (ip) device, a sensor, a detector, a camera, a controller, an actuator, an automation device, a monitoring device, or a security device. 7 . the method of claim 1 , wherein determining the control data comprises determining one or more of an operation for the drone to perform at an associated location or updated route information for causing the drone to move. 8 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the drone is configured to detect the locations of the plurality of premises devices based on one or more of a premises learning mode, one or more spatial identifiers associated with the plurality of premises device, or one or more signals associated with the plurality of premises devices. 9 . a system comprising: a drone comprising an unmanned vehicle associated with a premises and configured to determine drone data, wherein the drone comprises one or more sensors and is configured to: detect, by the one or more sensors, locations of a plurality of premises devices configured to determine security data at the premises; receive, via a first communication protocol and from a first premises device of the plurality of premises device, a first portion of the security data; receive, via a second communication protocol and from a second premises device of the plurality of premises device, a second portion of the security data; and determine, based on the drone data and the security data, control data associated with controlling the drone; and a user device configured to communicate with the drone and to output, via a user interface, one or more of the drone data, the security data, the control data, or the locations of the plurality of premises devices. 10 . the system of claim 9 , wherein the drone is configured to at least one of: access a pre-programmed premises patrol route or determine a premises patrol route for use in a patrol state. 11 . the system of claim 9 , wherein the user interface is further configured to output, based on the locations of the plurality of premises devices, a floor plan, wherein the floor plan comprises one or more of a two-dimensional map or a three-dimensional map of the premises. 12 . the system of claim 9 , further comprising a remote server located external to the premises and configured to communicate with the drone, wherein the remote server is configured to receive at least a portion of the drone data and the control data. 13 . the system of claim 9 , wherein the user interface is configured to receive control inputs associated with one or more of the drone or the plurality of premises devices, wherein movement of one or more of the drone or the plurality of premises devices is controlled via the control inputs. 14 . the system of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of premises devices comprises one or more of an internet protocol (ip) device, a sensor, a detector, a camera, a controller, an actuator, an automation device, a monitoring device, or a security device. 15 . the system of claim 9 , wherein determining the control data comprises determining one or more of an operation for the drone to perform at an associated location or updated route information for causing the drone to move. 16 . the system of claim 9 , wherein the drone is configured to detect the locations of the plurality of premises devices based on one or more of a premises learning mode, one or more spatial identifiers associated with the plurality of premises device, or one or more signals associated with the plurality of premises devices. 17 . a drone device comprising: an unmanned vehicle and one or more sensors configured to determine drone data; one or more processors; and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the drone device to: detect, at a premises, locations of a plurality of premises devices configured to determine security data at the premises; receive, via a first communication protocol and from a first premises device of the plurality of premises devices, a first portion of the security data; receive, via a second communication protocol and from a second premises device of the plurality of premises devices, a second portion of the security data; determine, based on the drone data and the security data, control data associated with controlling the drone; and cause output, via a user interface and at a user device, of one or more of the drone data, the security data, the control data, or the locations of the plurality of premises devices. 18 . the drone device of claim 17 , wherein the drone is configured to at least one of: access a pre-programmed premises patrol route or determine a premises patrol route for use in a patrol state. 19 . the drone device of claim 17 , wherein the user interface is configured to output, based on the locations of the plurality of premises devices, a floor plan, wherein the floor plan comprises one or more of a two-dimensional map or a three-dimensional map of the premises. 20 . the drone device of claim 17 , further comprising a remote server located external to the premises and configured to communicate with the drone device, wherein the remote server is configured to receive at least a portion of the drone data and the control data. 21 . the drone device of claim 17 , wherein the user interface is configured to receive control inputs associated with one or more of the drone device or the plurality of premises devices, wherein movement of one or more of the drone device or the plurality of premises devices is controlled via the control inputs. 22 . the drone device of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of premises devices comprises one or more of an internet protocol (ip) device, a sensor, a detector, a camera, a controller, an actuator, an automation device, a monitoring device, or a security device. 23 . the drone device of claim 17 , wherein determining the control data comprises determining one or more of an operation for the drone device to perform at an associated location or updated route information for causing the drone device to move. 24 . the drone device of claim 17 , wherein the drone device is configured to detect the locations of the plurality of premises devices based on one or more of a premises learning mode, one or more spatial identifiers associated with the plurality of premises device, or one or more signals associated with the plurality of premises devices. 25 . a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause: detecting, by a drone associated with a premises, locations of a plurality of premises devices configured to determine security data at the premises, wherein the drone comprises an unmanned vehicle and one or more sensors configured to determine drone data; receiving, by the drone via a first communication protocol and from a first premises device of the plurality of premises devices, a first portion of the security data; receiving, by the drone via a second communication protocol and from a second premises device of the plurality of premises devices, a second portion of the security data; determining, based on the drone data and the security data, control data associated with controlling the drone; and causing outputting, via a user interface and at a user device, one or more of the drone data, the security data, the control data, or the locations of the plurality of premises devices. 26 . the non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the drone to at least one of: access a pre-programmed premises patrol route or determine a premises patrol route for use in a patrol state. 27 . the non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the user interface to output, based on the locations of the plurality of premises devices, a floor plan, wherein the floor plan comprises one or more of a two-dimensional map or a three-dimensional map of the premises. 28 . the non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25 , further comprising a remote server located external to the premises, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause sending at least a portion of the drone data and the control data to the remote server. 29 . the non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause movement of the one or more of the drone or the plurality of the premises devices based at least in part on receiving control inputs associated with the user interface. 30 . the non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25 , wherein the plurality of premises devices comprises one or more of an internet protocol (ip) device, a sensor, a detector, a camera, a controller, an actuator, an automation device, a monitoring device, or a security device. 31 . the non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause determining the control data based at least in part on determining one or more of an operation for the drone to perform at an associated location or updated route information for causing the drone to move. 32 . the non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause detecting, by the drone, the locations of the plurality of premises devices based on one or more of a premises learning mode, one or more spatial identifiers associated with the plurality of premises device, or one or more signals associated with the plurality of premises devices.
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cross reference to related applications this application is a continuation of u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/354,380, filed nov. 17, 2016. this application claims the benefit of u.s. patent application no. 62/256,232, filed nov. 17, 2015. this application is a continuation in part application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/189,780, filed aug. 11, 2008, now abandoned. this application is a continuation in part application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/531,757, filed jun. 25, 2012, now abandoned. this application is a continuation in part application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/197,958, filed aug. 25, 2008, issued as u.s. pat. no. 10,721,087 on jul. 21, 2020. this application is a continuation in part application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/334,998, filed dec. 22, 2011, issued as u.s. pat. no. 9,531,593 on dec. 27, 2016. this application is a continuation in part application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/539,537, filed aug. 11, 2009, 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filed may 5, 2015, issued as u.s. pat. no. 10,348,575 on jul. 9, 2019. this application is a continuation in part application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/704,127, filed may 5, 2015. this application is a continuation in part application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/628,651, filed feb. 23, 2015, issued as u.s. pat. no. 10,091,014 on oct. 2, 2018. this application is a continuation in part application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/718,851, filed dec. 18, 2012, issued as u.s. pat. no. 10,156,831 on dec. 18, 2018. this application is a continuation in part application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/972,740, filed dec. 20, 2010, issued as u.s. pat. no. 9,729,342 on aug. 8, 2017. this application is a continuation in part application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 13/954,553, filed jul. 30, 2013. this application is a continuation in part application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/943,162, filed nov. 17, 2015, issued as u.s. pat. no. 10,062,245 on aug. 28, 2018. this application is a continuation in part application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/177,915, filed jun. 9, 2016. this application is a continuation in part application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/196,281, filed jun. 29, 2016. this application is a continuation in part application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/198,531, filed jun. 30, 2016, issued as u.s. pat. no. 11,190,578 on nov. 30, 2021. this application is a continuation in part application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/204,662, filed jul. 7, 2016, issued as u.s. pat. no. 10,522,026 on dec. 31, 2019. this application is a continuation in part application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/292,866, filed oct. 13, 2016, now abandoned. background there exists a need for systems, devices, and methods that extend the reach and capabilities of premises security and automation systems without requiring large numbers of additional sensors and devices to be added to the systems, and without requiring extensive modifications to the system. incorporation by reference each patent, patent application, and/or publication mentioned in this specification is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to the same extent as if each individual patent, patent application, and/or publication was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a reference to figs. 1a-1d , collectively. fig. 1a is a block diagram of a premises automation and security system that includes the premises automation drone (pad) along with connected devices and security devices and corresponding system components, under an embodiment. fig. 1b is a block diagram of a premises automation and security system that includes the premises automation drone (pad) and corresponding docking station along with connected devices and security devices and corresponding system components, under an embodiment. fig. 1c is a block diagram of a premises automation drone (pad), under an embodiment. fig. 1d is a schematic diagram of the electronic components of the pad, under an embodiment. fig. 2 is a block diagram of a connected device system showing components of the connected device gateway at the premises and the session server in the cloud-based server environment, under an embodiment. fig. 3 is a block diagram of an example connected device system including a bridge server, under an embodiment. fig. 4 is a block diagram of a system comprising a bridge server in communication with devices and an application server and gateway server, under an embodiment. fig. 5 is an example connected device flow diagram, under an embodiment. fig. 6 is another example connected device flow diagram, under an embodiment. fig. 7 is yet another example connected device flow diagram, under an embodiment. fig. 8 is a block diagram of a system including the cloud hub, under an embodiment. fig. 9 is a block diagram of a system including a cloud hub and virtual gateway showing the premises, service provider, and mobile environments, under an embodiment. fig. 10 is a flow diagram for device installation and bootstrapping, under an embodiment. fig. 11 is a block diagram of the lwgw class structure, under an embodiment. fig. 12 is a block diagram of the integrated security system, under an embodiment. fig. 13 is a block diagram of components of the integrated security system, under an embodiment. fig. 14 is a block diagram of the gateway including gateway software or applications, under an embodiment. fig. 15 is a block diagram of components of the gateway, under an embodiment. detailed description the present invention relates generally to systems and methods for extending the capabilities of a premises automation and security system. more particularly, it relates to systems and methods for providing a mobile premises device or platform configured to autonomously traverse or patrol the premises and capture data (e.g., audio, video, etc.) in response to events and in accordance with rules corresponding to the premises. a system including a drone or unmanned vehicle configured to perform surveillance of a premises. the drone surveillance includes autonomous navigation and/or remote or optional piloting around the premises. the drone includes a controller coupled to a plurality of sensors configured to collect drone data and security data at the premises, wherein the controller is configured to generate control data for the drone and the premises using the drone data and the security data. a remote device coupled to the drone includes a user interface configured to present the drone data, the security data, and/or the control data. although this detailed description contains many specifics for the purposes of illustration, anyone of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many variations and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the invention. thus, the following illustrative embodiments of the invention are set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claimed invention. note that whenever the same reference numeral is repeated with respect to different figures, it refers to the corresponding structure in each such figure. generally, embodiments include a premises surveillance system comprising a drone. in this example, the premises (e.g., a commercial, industrial, building, facility, interior areas, exterior areas, etc.) includes internal and/or external areas subject to surveillance. the buildings can be of any configuration, including open spaces such as a warehouse, to compartmentalized facilities such as rooms or offices. the surveillance system includes one or more drones and one or more drone stations. as used herein, a “drone” includes unmanned vehicles, unmanned autonomous vehicles, autonomous vehicles, remotely controlled vehicles, autonomous/remotely controlled vehicles, radio-controlled vehicles, and optionally-controlled vehicles, but may not be so limited. the drone may be programmed in advance using weigh points and simultaneously be controlled with a radio control transmitter so that real time manipulation and control of the drone may occur based on particular operation of the drone that is desired. the system of an embodiment also includes drone stations configured to be bases and/or charging stations for one or more of drones. the system also includes a gateway and/or a server that is in communication with the drones via one or more data or communication networks (e.g., broadband, cellular, wifi, etc.) as described in detail herein. the gateway/server receives signals from the drones, and the signals include sensor or surveillance data as well as drone data. the gateway of an embodiment includes the drone base station but is not so limited. the data or communication network of an embodiment includes any combination of wired and/or wireless channels capable of carrying data traffic, and may span multiple carriers, and a wide geography. in one embodiment, the data network includes a broadband network such as the internet. in another embodiment, the data network may include one or more wireless links, and may include a wireless data network (e.g., wifi, cellular network, etc.). the network of an embodiment includes additional components (e.g., access points, routers, switches, dsl modems, etc.) interconnecting the server with the data network, but is not so limited. the drones can carry one or more sensors/detectors comprising numerous different types of sensor/detectors. one example sensor type includes a video camera that captures camera or video data and provides the captured data (e.g., recorded, live, etc.) to the gateway/server. examples of other types of sensors include microphones to receive or detect audio data. other sensors can include but are not limited to sensors to capture motion, vibration, pressure, and heat, to name a few, in an appropriate combination to detect a true condition at a facility. the sensors may communicate wirelessly to the gateway/server or communicate through an on-board computer on the drone. in general, sensors capture data (e.g., audio, video, environmental, data of drone systems/subsystems, etc.) and send signals to the gateway/server. based on the information received from the onboard sensors, the gateway/server determines whether to trigger and/or send alarm messages to the remote server or device. an example drone of an embodiment includes at least one processor coupled to at least one memory device. the drone also includes one or more sensors and one or more interfaces to receive sensor data from the sensors. the drone also includes propulsion control electronics and one or more electric motors to control one or more drive devices (e.g., propellers, wheels, tracks, rudders, etc.). the drone system electronics are responsive to signals received by the processor from the gateway/server. when inside of a facility, the drone is guided through corridors or other areas to reach the location of interest under operator control and/or autonomously by following a programmed route and applying guidance processing to allow the drone to follow the pattern, i.e., without an operator at security monitoring station guiding all of the drone movements. the drone is launched, and as the drone flies the programmed pattern the onboard sensors collect sensor data. the gateway/server and/or a central monitoring station receives signals from various sensors (e.g., camera, microphone, etc.) on the drones. the server applies analytics to the sensor data by comparing for instance, current images captured by the drone at a particular location to stored images previously taken at the same location to detect features in the current images that are different than expected based on the stored images. in the case where an unacceptable level of feature differences is detected that could be an indication of detected movement of a person or thing, within the field of view of the images, the analytics outputs an indication. in the case where the gateway/server performs the processing, the gateway/server notifies the monitoring station or where the monitor station is performing the processing, monitoring station alerts the operator. the processing upon detection of an unacceptable level of feature differences, modifies the drone navigation pattern. if intrusion is detected by the drone and/or other sensors within a facility, such as a window being opened or a glass break detector or contact switch being asserted on an intrusion detection system, the drone can be immediately guided (e.g., autonomously, by the operator, etc.) to that location providing similar surveillance until the incident is evaluated and handled. when the drone is in autonomous mode, the modified pattern can be accomplished by the gateway/server producing a new route taking into consideration results of analytics processing, and reprogramming the drone with the new route. alternatively, the gateway/server can transfer control of the drone to an operator. when the drone is initially under operator control, the analytics produce messages sent to a display (not shown) within view of the operator to assist the operator in guiding the drone and thus apply a new route. the new route can be varied including causing the drone to hold station or position about that location providing continuous video surveillance or data collection back to the monitoring station or to follow a path determined by the analytics processing. guidance within or outside of a building can be accomplished by several techniques. for example, when outside of a building, guidance can be accomplished by global position system (gps) tracking. alternative techniques include an operator at the monitoring facility manually controlling the drone to a specific location or having the drone hover at the location. within a building guidance can be accomplished by feature recognition to follow a preprogrammed map of the interior of the building. another type of navigation is a map based type navigation that includes a database that stores images of landmarks, descriptions of items and navigation instructions. a third type of navigation is by radio frequency (rf) beacons being deployed within the facility, sending out rf signals that a guidance system on board the drone captures and uses to apply a triangulation algorithm to figure out current location. when traversing internal areas of the premises, embodiments use one or more guidance techniques (e.g., rf-based, sonar, optical, beacon, etc.), but are not so limited. the drone of an embodiment includes collision or crash avoidance systems that are used during tours to detect and record any physical objects that disrupt the ability of the drone to follow a tour route plan. these crash avoidance systems determine proximity to nearby objects and are used with drone navigation to navigate around the object and return to a preprogrammed path or route but are not so limited. a drone route uses a route plan that includes a navigation map structure that is generated and includes waypoints and paths between a starting waypoint and an ending waypoint. when establishing a route plan, programmable waypoints are placed (e.g., at location points, objects, locations, etc.) along a path determined by the plan that a drone will navigate to in sequential order while using crash avoidance capability to move along safely and intact. the waypoints of an embodiment are stored in onboard memory but are not so limited. in an alternative embodiment, waypoints are stored on the gateway/server and delivered to the drone during operation. the waypoints include small devices that are programmable and include rf transmitter devices (e.g., rfid, beacon, etc.) or low power rf transmitters that continually broadcast its identity and/or placement and which are placed at locations where the asset being protected is located and at all permitted points of entry to the protected area. the route plan is a predetermine route that is provided to and/or programmed into the drone and defined by the use of the waypoints as described herein. the drone recognizes the existence of the waypoints and determines or calculates the shortest path to and between waypoints. using crash avoidance while traveling to a waypoint, the route plan is established, recorded, and presented to an operator/user via a graphical user interface. the operator defines a route schedule through the user interface. when conducting the tour, the drone uses crash avoidance to determine and report any deviations from the already determined route plan. the drone captures images of the deviation and reports them as troubles during the premises disarmed period or alarm during the premises armed period. the drone navigates using the waypoints and processing captured signals from the various waypoints to recognize its current position (e.g. stairs, exits, doors, corridors, etc.) within a facility. the drone stores the route plan that takes into consideration the relevant building or environment. having this information, the drone correlates captured signals to features in the route plan. by correlating the captured signals to the features in the route plan, the drone can determine its current waypoint, is provided information on that waypoint, and can navigate to a subsequent waypoint based on the route plan. the drone may incorporate the functionality of a compass, gps, and/or other navigation element or system to assist in navigation. in some implementations, the processing, rather than be performed by the drone, is performed by the gateway and/or the server. the drone of an embodiment includes a triggered alarm response for responding to abnormal or alarm situations detected in/around the premises. on detecting or receiving any alarm or trouble that is initiated by an interconnected security system or as a result of drone sensors, the drone uses the route plan and crash avoidance to navigate to the waypoint closest to the reported point of protection that triggered the alarm or trouble to capture and transmit video images, sound, and/or environmental data. this data is stored and/or relayed to the command center and/or monitoring center. the system includes a docking or charging station configured to receive or house the drone and recharge the drone power source as needed. during a surveillance route or tour, the drone will continually make the rounds of this tour or can be programmed to conduct another tour. when the drone is not touring, the drone returns to the drone charging station for recharging of its batteries, or otherwise refueling. alternatively, the drone receives a signal to return to base. the signal can originate from the operator or the gateway/server, a remote client device, and/or the drone itself, as the drone could be monitoring its fuel supply or level of remaining battery charge. drones employed herein are selected according to the type and nature of the premises and/or surveillance. for example, when the drones are employed to hover, a helicopter-type aircraft drone might be preferable. in addition, when deployed outdoors of the premises, the drones in general can be relatively large in comparison to those employed inside the premises. moreover, a drone employed within a premises that has wide open spaces can be in general larger than one employed in a premises that has many rooms and corridors. in addition, when used exclusively outside the drone can be powered electrically (e.g., fuel cell and/or batteries) or with a hydrocarbon (e.g., gas or gasoline engine), whereas inside the drone should be powered electrically (e.g., fuel cell and/or batteries). more specifically, fig. 1a is a block diagram of a premises automation and security system that includes a premises automation drone (pad) along with connected devices and security devices and corresponding system components, under an embodiment. this connected device system includes the pad as well as devices (e.g., smart devices, connected devices, security devices, etc.) in communication with a server environment. the system includes a connected device gateway at the premises coupled or connected to one or more smart devices at the premises via wired and/or wireless channels or protocols. a security panel (optional) of a premises security system is coupled to the server environment via a broadband ip communicator and remote network and/or a coupling or connection using a cellular communicator and a cellular or other wireless radio channel. the pad of this embodiment is configured to communicate (e.g., exchange data, etc.) with components of the server environment via one or more of the broadband communicator, the cellular communicator, and the connected device gateway, as described in detail herein. the pad of an alternative embodiment is configured to communicate directly with components of the server environment via one or more on-board communication components (e.g., cellular transceiver, etc.), but is not so limited. fig. 1b is a block diagram of a premises automation and security system that includes the premises automation drone (pad) and corresponding docking station along with connected devices and security devices and corresponding system components, under an embodiment. this connected device system includes the pad as well as devices (e.g., smart devices, connected devices, security devices, etc.) in communication with a server environment. the system includes a connected device gateway at the premises coupled or connected to one or more smart devices at the premises via wired and/or wireless channels or protocols. a security panel of a premises security system is coupled to the server environment via a broadband ip communicator and remote network and/or a coupling or connection using a cellular communicator and a cellular or other wireless radio channel. the pad of this embodiment is configured to communicate (e.g., exchange data, etc.) with components of the server environment via the docking station or base station, but is not so limited. similarly, the pad of this embodiment is configured to communicate with components of the server environment via one or more of the docking station, broadband communicator, the cellular communication, and the connected device gateway, as described in detail herein. with reference to fig. 1 (collectively figs. 1a-1d ) and the related applications, the pad of an alternative embodiment (not shown) is configured as the connected device gateway 170 and includes all components of the connected device gateway 170 so that it is the intermediary between premises smart devices (e.g., smart device 172 , 173 , etc.) and components of the server environment (e.g., management server 110 , connected device server 120 , etc.). with reference to fig. 1 (collectively figs. 1a-1d ) and the related applications, the pad of another alternative embodiment (not shown) is configured as the security panel 150 and includes all components of the security panel 150 (e.g., cellular communicator 155 , broadband ip communicator 156 , etc.) so that it is the intermediary between security devices (e.g., security devices 151 , etc.) and components of the server environment. with reference to fig. 1 (collectively figs. 1a-1d ) and the related applications, the pad of yet another alternative embodiment (not shown) is configured as the security panel 150 and the connected device gateway 170 and includes all components of the security panel 150 and the connected device gateway 170 so that it is the intermediary between security devices and premises smart devices and components of the server environment. fig. 1c is a block diagram of a premises automation drone (pad), under an embodiment. the term “drone” as used herein includes any vehicle without an on-board human operator. the pad, which is a mobile premises automation platform or component, provides data for location awareness in and around the host premises. the pad is configured to be deployable on/in environments including one or more of land, surface, table top, and water, using methods of propulsion that include one or more of rolling, sliding, crawling, walking, flying, swimming, and floating. the pad of an embodiment includes, but is not limited to, an unmanned aerial vehicles (uav), a fixed-wing uavs, rotorcraft, rovers, rolling robots, walking robots, crawling robots, surface vehicles, submersibles, boats, and hovercraft, for example. the pad may utilize any mode of propulsion as appropriate to the deployment environment, and includes a commercially available drone platform that has been modified to carry specific electronic components as described in detail herein. the pad described herein is a component of a pad system that includes cloud-based or server-based components (“server environment”), premises equipment (e.g., gateway, security system, network devices, cpe, etc.), and (optionally) a docking station or base station configured to receive and/or couple to components of the pad. the pad of an embodiment generally includes a frame, electronics components (e.g., communication components, navigation components, sensors, sensor suite, etc.), propulsion, and power source. the pad can include an electronics case for housing the pad components, and the electronics case includes a weatherized enclosure. electronics components within the electronics case may be secured to the electronics case. the frame provides mounting points for attaching components inside and outside of the electronics case. the pad as described in detail herein is configured to be autonomous, which includes autonomous or remotely controlled operation as a component of a premises system like a premises automation or security system described in detail herein. when configured as a component of a premises automation or security system (referred to herein as the “automation system”), pad operation is at least partially under control of automations and schedules in the automation system. the automations and schedules comprise rules executing or running one or more of locally in electronic components of the pad, in premises equipment, and remotely in components of the server environment, as described in detail herein. in certain embodiments in which the pad includes the rules engine hosting the rules, the pad is configured to include the automation system and rules engine so that the pad is configured as the gateway or virtual hub as described in detail herein. in various alternative embodiments, the rules are distributed among some combination of one or more of the pad, the premises equipment, and the server environment. the pad is configured for autonomous operations in which it is triggered or activated by a system event or schedule, and for remote controlled operations. operations of the pad are controlled via a rules engine that is hosted at least one of in the electronic components of the pad, hosted in premises equipment (e.g., cpe, etc.), hosted in the server environment, and distributed among components of the pad, the premises equipment (e.g., cpe, etc.), and the server environment, as described in detail herein. the rules engine includes rules for controlling pad activity (e.g., ‘if <type> sensor goes to <state>, and <system state>, then, go <location> and perform <operation>’, ‘if <time>, then, go <location> and perform <operation>’, etc.). triggering events include for example, but are not limited to, at least one of a pre-specified time, an event detected by premises sensors and/or network devices (e.g., sensor event, door opens, motion, glass breaks, broadband connection fails, etc.), an event detected at on-board pad sensors and/or network devices (e.g., sensor event, light, motion, sound, heat, etc.), external system data or alerts (e.g., weather alerts, off-premises alert at an adjacent premises, etc.), and the like. in this manner, the rules are configured to associate sensors or triggers with specific locations of the premises, thereby enabling the pad to deploy to any of these locations in response to a trigger being received. as an example of the pad operating under system automations, a premises sensor detects motion, and the pad is deployed to a location of the sensor to determine the source of motion using the on-board sensor suite. in another example, motion is detected in a family room of the premises while the premises security system is in an “armed away” state, and this motion triggers the pad to deploy to the family room and pan the room with on-board camera(s) to capture video of the area. in yet another example, the pad acts as a virtual “watch dog” and automatically deploys to areas of the premises at which activity is detected in order to capture data of the activity. more particularly, a presence is detected (e.g., motion detector, video detector, door chime, etc.) at an exterior door, and this presence triggers the pad to deploy to the exterior side of the door and stream a live video feed of the area adjacent the door to client devices (e.g., remote client devices, smart phones, local touchscreens, etc.). in an example under which the pad has scheduled operation, the pad is deployed to one or more regions inside/outside of the premises according to a schedule (e.g., at 3 pm every day the pad is deployed to the back yard and captures video of regions of the back yard; at 10 am every day the pad is deployed on a patrol of interior regions of the premises and captures sensor data of the areas of the premises; at 1 pm every day the pad is deployed to capture images or video in a vicinity of all doors and windows to verify security of the premises; during evening hours the pad is deployed according to a regular schedule to “patrol” areas outside the premises; etc.). furthermore, a user can remotely command or control the pad from a remote client device in order to check on particular activities or areas of the premises (e.g., user takes control of pad after children return from school to check on activities of children at the premises, etc.). generally, pad deployments involve the pad being deployed in response to an event detected at the premises and/or in accordance with a scheduled deployment. when deployed, the pad departs a current location (e.g., from a docking station, from a current deployment, etc.) and traverses a route in/around the premises. the pad route includes any route to or through an environment accessible by the pad, and may be one or more of a free-style route dynamically determined by the pad, a regular route periodically traversed by the pad in order to gather sensor data in regions of the premises, a specific route designated for a particular purpose, and a route directed from a remote client device. for example, if unexpected activity is detected by a premises sensor, the pad is dispatched to the vicinity of the detected activity via a programmed route or via autonomous navigation by the pad. the pad uses route information to control deployment operations in/around/through the premises. the route information of an embodiment is received from one or more of on-board components, remote components (e.g., server environment, cpe, etc.), and a remote client device. in various embodiments, the route information may be stored in on-board pad memory. the route information may be created autonomously or provided by an individual operating the pad. the route information includes location data of at least one of a destination and a route, and the location information comprises one or more of coordinates, pad altitude, pad orientation, pad velocity, a proximity sensor using active or passive sensors, a beacon technology (e.g. ble or wifi beacons), and the like. the pad navigation system or component uses the route information during the deployment to navigate the pad along a route and/or to a destination. the pad on-board components continuously determine the position of the pad based on route information, premises characteristics detected by on-board sensors, and signals received from external devices or systems. as an example the pad determines and/or supplements data of its location based on wifi signals and/or beacon or senor signals or data at the premises. the pad is configured to compare the signal strength of one or more wifi and/or beacon or sensor signals. the signal strength may be indicative of the distance between the pad and the corresponding wifi/sensor device. if numerous wifi and/or sensor devices with known locations are present, the pad may be able to accurately triangulate its location based only on these external signals. the pad may also use the external system location data along with other positioning system information to triangulate its position, creating a dataset of location environment that synthesizes data from these various sensors to establish a method of relative navigation. data of the external devices or systems in the premises may be used to correct any errors detected in the navigation source information as the pad traverses the route. for example, this locally-derived location information may be used to determine an offset of the actual location determined from the navigation information provided. the offset when available is then applied by the pad navigation component(s) to future location information used in pad navigation. data collected by the pad during deployments in and adjacent to the premises includes at least one of data from all on-board sensors and data from premises sensors and network devices. the pad is configured to manage collected data, and data management includes storing all or portions of the data locally in on-board memory, live streaming all or portions of the data to at least one of cpe and server environment components, and post-event and/or post-deployment streaming or downloading of all or portions of the data to at least one of cpe and server environment components. fig. 1d is a schematic diagram of the electronic components of the pad, under an embodiment. the pad includes but is not limited to a power source (e.g., battery, etc.), processor, memory, navigation components (e.g., gps receiver, etc.), communication components, sensor suite, and sensor identification (sid) module, for example. in other embodiments, sid module may be replaced or used in conjunction with other detection and sensing devices, which may include laser scanners, electrical/optical equipment with recognition software, infrared scanners, radar, sonar, an audio/visual device with recognition software, quick response codes, bar code scanners, and/or chemical sensors, for example. the pad may also include an avoidance or anti-collision system. the power source is configured to store energy for powering the pad. in various embodiments, the source is a battery (e.g., lithium-ion battery) but is not so limited. the battery power source may be augmented or replaced by a fuel cell, solar unit, laser powering system, and/or other remote charging methodology. in some embodiments, the battery may be charged using inductive charging methods. any power source providing sufficient power for the pad may be used, and it should be appreciated that a power source with a high energy to weight ratio may improve operating time of the pad. the pad processor includes one or more processors and/or coprocessors coupled or connected to electronic components of the pad and configured to control operation of various systems and computer applications on the pad. the processor is configured to process data of the pad and exchange data among on-board and remote pad components. the processor may receive data from one or more components and format the data for use by at least one other component. the processor comprises a processor architecture that includes at least one of a stand-alone processor, a co-processor, and a shared processor integral with another electronic component, such as, for example, a navigation module or other electronic components. the pad on-board memory is configured to store data received or collected by the pad as well as computer programs or instructions for execution by the processor and/or any component or system of the pad. in various embodiments, the memory may store deployment or navigation information for an operating environment. the deployment information may include premises maps (e.g., preloaded maps, maps dynamically generated by the pad, etc.), predetermined routes, restricted areas, and maps or routes corresponding to previous pad deployments. for example, a pad operating within a home may use a predetermined route to traverse the entire home efficiently. as another example, in a pad operating within a back yard of a home, the memory may store a mapping of restricted areas where obstacles make it difficult for the pad to navigate. as yet another example, a pad may encounter an object as it traverses an area, and automatically add that object to its mapping algorithm. alternatively, the pad may request user input before adding an object to its mapping algorithm, and may request such input by transmitting object information (e.g., location. photo, video, audio, other sensor inputs, etc.) to a local or remote user requesting assistance in classifying the object. in various embodiments, the memory may store any information received by the pad sensor suite. the communication component includes one or more of transmitters and receivers appropriate to communication protocols used in operation of the pad. the communication component can include at least one of cellular, satellite, wifi, broadband, internet protocol (ip), data, voice, proprietary, and other radio-frequency protocols. the communication component can also include mesh and/or repeater protocols. as an example, the communication component includes a wireless client configured as an ieee 802.11 wireless client. any wireless protocol may be used. in various embodiments, ieee 802.11a, b, g, n, or ac protocols may be used or any other wireless communication protocol. the wireless client may be capable of high-speed handoffs so that wireless client may be in communication with multiple wireless access points during mobile operations of the pad. wireless client may use security protocols such as wep, wpa, wpa2, and 802.11x to secure wireless communications. filters may be used to limit wireless traffic to prevent interference. the pad navigation components include any device or receiver for receiving location signals and determining a location or other information necessary to movements by the pad. the navigation components can include devices that include at least one of gyroscopes, optics-based devices, (e.g., laser range finder, laser dopler velocimeter, infrared rangers, etc.), filters, map recognition applications, and the like. for example, navigation module may include a gps receiver for receiving gps location signals and determining a location. location data may also be calculated using wifi triangulation, sensor signal triangulation, nfc positioning, rfid tag positioning, hardwired/physically placed network equipment, and pre-positioned quick response code tags and other sensing media. in various embodiments, navigation module may be integrated with a compass module and a pad navigation system or coprocessor. alternatively, processor and memory may perform navigation based on data received from navigation module. the navigation module may receive navigation data from a remote client device, map or navigation data stored in memory, and/or navigation data provided via the wireless client. in various alternative embodiments, navigation module may provide information via a remote client device to a user who remotely controls the pad via wireless client. the pad includes a sensor suite comprising one or more sensors and detectors to gather data in/around the premises during operations by the pad. the sensor suite includes but is not limited to at least one of motion sensors, acoustic sensors, audio sensors, imaging sensors, video sensors, cameras, infrared sensors, ultraviolet sensors, proximity sensors, environmental sensors, temperature sensors, fire sensors, smoke sensors, carbon monoxide sensors, and moisture sensors. the premises can include an automation or premises security system comprising a gateway, as described in detail herein. in this premises configuration, the pad of an embodiment includes the gateway (e.g., gateway, connected device gateway, cloud hub, etc.) in addition to the other components described herein. furthermore, the pad of another alternative embodiment is configured as the security panel of the security system and includes all components of the security panel so that it is the intermediary between security devices of the security system and components of the server environment. additionally, the pad of another alternative embodiment is configured as the security panel and the premises gateway and includes all components of the security panel and the premises gateway so that it is the intermediary between security devices and premises smart devices and components of the server environment. the pad of an embodiment is configured to autonomously navigate the premises using learned, received, and/or programmed route information of premises layout, where the navigation uses one or more of the navigation techniques described herein. the premises layout includes a mapping of the premises, wherein the mapping of an embodiment includes location and sensor data of home automation or security sensors. the pad is also configured to traverse the premises under remote control via a remote client device. the pad of an embodiment includes components configured to target or control pad deployments to premises areas based on detected events and activity in/around the premises. in so doing, the pad of an embodiment generates maps of regions of the premises by mapping characteristics of regions of the premises to sensors and network devices in the premises. the maps or premises layout are used, in some embodiments with supplemental navigation and/or sensor information, to guide the pad to a target adjacent to a sensor or device location, thereby providing pad targeting based on activity in/around the premises. a training or calibration route may be established to determine or learn characteristics of the premises and/or sensor presence and location. this route is one or more of delivered to the pad by a remote operator/user communicating remotely with the pad, an autonomous route determined by onboard or remote software, and a pre-determined route programmed into the device using either the on-board computing power of the pad or by a computer communicating with the device via the wireless client. as the pad traverses the premises, the on-board sensor suite collects data of the premises. the data gathered by the sensor suite is used by one or more of the pad on-board electronics, components of the server environment, and premises cpe to generate one or more maps of the premises. the pad of an embodiment is configured to “learn” layout and characteristics of the premises. in an embodiment, an installer or user trains the pad. in this mode, the pad is moved through the premises and “learns” the route used for this training along with characteristics of the route. the characteristics include but are not limited to location, size, shape, doors, windows, openings, lights, stairs, furniture, household objects, obstacles, sensors, trees, limbs, etc. following training, the pad is configured to use the learned data to autonomously traverse one or more routes through the premises. the pad of an alternative embodiment includes sensors that configure the pad to dynamically self-learn the premise and calibrate. in this embodiment, the pad is not required to “learn” the premises under control of a human operator. instead, the pad sensor suite (e.g., proximity sensors, etc.) enables the pad to autonomously navigate in/around the premises in order to self-learn and map the layout and characteristics of the premises. the pad generates a mapping of the premises during this self-learning phase, and continuously updates and maintains the mapping data using data of subsequent patrol deployments. in essence, data of the premises (e.g., routes, characteristics, etc.) is collected during every operation of the pad and that data is used to update and maintain the premises “virtual” floor plan used to support the security system and the pad. consequently, the pad is dynamically adaptable to changes in the premises as they occur (e.g., moving furniture, room addition, remodeling, etc.). the mapping of the premises by the pad of an embodiment includes the pad learning or gathering information of premises sensors. furthermore, the premises map generated is supplemented to include the premises sensor information. generally, the pad is configured to determine or assist determination of location based on sensor technologies. for example, the pad of an embodiment determines location relative to premises sensors using a triangulation technique based on signals and signal characteristics of the premises sensors. as an example, the pad of an embodiment includes or uses near-field communication (nfc) technology for location awareness. for example, the pad sensor suite is configured to locate and identify premises sensors using nfc to communicate and/or exchange data with the premises sensors. in this configuration, the pad of an embodiment includes or uses sensor identification technology that includes at least one of near-field communication (nfc) technology and radio frequency identification (rfid) technology for location awareness. the sensor suite on-board the pad is configured to use these technologies to locate and identify premises sensors and to communicate and/or exchange data with the premises sensors. as an example, a sid module of the pad is configured to detect or process signals of sensor devices located at the premises. the sid module is configured to read various types of sensor signals. the speed of the pad as it traverses the premises may be controlled to ensure that sid module is capable of accurately reading sensor signals while in motion. in some embodiments, the sid module may include radar technology capable of sensing direction and distance from given sensor signal(s) to determine the positions of detected tags. the speed of the pad may be based on the number or density of sensor signals, strength of sensor signals, direction of sensor signals, and distance to sensors. a spatial identifier may be utilized to determine sensor and/or pad location. these spatial identifiers may include rfid tags placed at previously determined physical locations to create a grid of known physical data points. alternative types of input devices (e.g. quick response codes, laser scanner, bar codes, electrical/optical sensors with recognition capabilities) may also provide spatial information in a similar manner. spatial information may be attached to permanently affixed rfid tags. as such, a network or location grid may be developed to permit the derivation of precise location of the point read. the sid module is coupled or connected to the pad on-board wireless client. as sid module reads sensor signals, sid module may send sensor identification information to wireless client for transmission as described in detail herein. in various embodiments, sid module may be configured to read particular data fields from sensor signals and format the read data into packets. if radar technology or other location-detecting sensor is implemented, sensor distance and direction may be used to calculate precise location. an embodiment includes methods of determining the position and presence of sensors in the premises using data collected by the pad. as the pad travels the path, data provided either by navigation module, sid module, wireless data provided by wireless client, by spatial identifiers, or combinations thereof, are used to determine the position and presence of detected sensors in two-dimensional (2d) and three-dimensional (3d) space. using the training path, spatial data and presence data will be collected, and sensor signal data may be collected. as sensors are detected, the physical location and data of the sensor detected may be stored. as the pad passes out of range of the first sensors detected and detects the next set of sensors, this data and location information may be stored. as the pad navigates its route, signals from new sensors may be collected and signals from previously collected sensors will be lost. software hosted on the pad and/or elsewhere in the pad system determines the precise location of the sensors detected. when the sensor is no longer detected, a physical position may be determined. this position may then be identified in the software, stored, and then transferred to corresponding systems as appropriate to the system configuration. the pad of an embodiment also captures any location or positioning information (e.g., gps data, etc.) from the navigation system during the route traversal. the positioning information may be associated with the sensor data collected by the pad. the positioning information and/or sensor data are processed and used by components of the pad system to maintain accurate data of the premises and the state of the premises. following mapping of the premises, the pad is configured to autonomously traverse the premises using the premises floor plan and data gathered during pad training or mapping operations. alternatively, the pad is configured to receive programmed routes based on the premises floor plan as described herein. the pad components in an embodiment are configured to execute a method of self-calibration that ensures the pad can successfully perform the elements described herein. this calibration may include configuration and quality checks on the pad platform, the sensor suite or arrays attached to the platform, the communication systems on the platform, communication linkages, safety systems, power systems, propulsion systems, computing systems, and data transfer. the pad may be directed to travel to a known calibration point, e.g. a “configuration station”, to test its capabilities against a series of known and pre-determined data points. this enables the pad to calibrate its system against this known information. status information may be transferred to a maintenance system either on-board the pad or transferred wirelessly to controlling servers. the pad may continue its mission if certain system failures permit, else it may be configured to return to a point of origin (e.g., base station) for configuration or repair either manually, programmatically, or autonomously as necessary. if during travel on-board safety systems detect a significant systems error, the pad may be either instructed to return to point of origin or immediately cease travel in the safest means possible. the pad of an embodiment incorporates ‘anti-hacking’ protection. anti-hacking protection may include encrypted communications and secure authentication with beacons, sensors, etc. to ensure that false beacons or sensors cannot mislead the pad. other anti-hacking protection includes redundant sensor technology and logic to handle attempts to jam, corrupt, or otherwise interfere with sensor/beacon signals. in this embodiment the pad incorporates logic that detects jamming (e.g., spread-spectrum power in the necessary sensor/beacon frequencies) and treats this event as an attempt to disable the system. in various embodiments, the pad, security panel, gateway, and/or server logic incorporates algorithms to notify remote servers or monitoring stations in the event of such hacking or jamming. the pad electronic components of an embodiment include an output device that is a device configured to provide local communication from the pad. in an example embodiment, output device may be an audio system. other examples of an output device include a projector and dispenser. the output device may receive data via the pad processor and/or wireless client and process the received data to interact with people near the pad. for example, the pad may receive or generate premises status messages for occupants within or outside a premises, where the status messages are based on premises sensor data. the messages may include status information, security warnings, and safety warnings, to name a few. the output device of an embodiment includes one or more actuators configured to manipulate, or cause to be manipulated, physical objects. example manipulation actions of the pad include lifting, carrying, moving, opening, closing, pushing, pulling, sweeping, and dispensing, but are not so limited. the manipulation of physical objects includes the pad automatically manipulating the object, and the pad manipulating the object in response to remote control signals received from a remote client device. the pad system of an embodiment includes a docking or base station as described herein with reference to fig. 1 . the docking station, which is optional in some configurations, includes a processor running applications and coupled to a memory. the processor is coupled to an electronics suite configured to interface with the pad, and a power source configured to recharge or power the pad power source. the power source of an embodiment includes but is not limited to one or more of an alternating current (ac) source, a direct current (dc) source, and a solar powered source, to name a few. the docking station of an embodiment is optionally coupled or connected to the remote network. the docking station of an embodiment is configured as the gateway or virtual hub, and in this configuration transfers data between pad on-board components and server-based or cloud-based components of the pad system as described in detail herein. the pad system includes server components of the cloud environment or server environment configured to communicate with the pad, as described herein and with reference to fig. 1 . the pad system includes network components configured to support pad operations in a premises and premises automation system. the pad system includes the pad operating in/around a premises environment, and coupled to a server or processing system operating in the cloud environment. the premises environment includes interior regions or areas of a premises such as a home or office, and exterior or outdoor regions adjacent a premises, such as a yard or adjacent property or structure. the pad system includes a network access point (e.g., wireless, wired, wireless/wired, etc.) to access a remote network and devices remote to the premises. the remote network is coupled or connected to the cloud domain comprising one or more of a remote server or cloud-based computing infrastructure (e.g., automation server, security server, database server, application server, etc.). the cloud environment includes one or more components and/or applications for interaction with the pad. for example, a component of the cloud environment may receive some subset or all data from components in the premises environment and update components in the cloud environment using the received data. as another example, the cloud environment may receive customer or subscriber information and in response provide instructions or commands to one or more components in the premises environment. the pad system includes components of and/or couplings to one or more of an automation or security system, sensors or components of the automation or security system (e.g., security sensors, detectors, rfid tags, ip devices, etc.), and network devices of a local premises network. the pad is configured to communicate with one or more of the docking station, cloud servers, premises sensors, and premises network devices, to name a few. as described in detail herein, the network access point includes one or more of a gateway, pad docking station, premises security system, premises automation system, connected device gateway, and the like. when the pad system includes a “gateway”, the “gateway” includes a standalone gateway or touchscreen as described herein with reference to the integrated automation or security system, a gateway configured as a component of the pad, and a gateway configured as a component of the docking station. the components and functionality of the gateway are described in detail herein. the network access point of an embodiment includes a wireless access point in communication with a wireless client located on-board the pad. the wireless access point includes, for example, ieee 802.11 wireless protocols, but is not so limited. a wireless protocol may be selected based on the size of the network environment, required data rate, and power needs of the pad. the wireless access point of an embodiment is a component of one or more other components of the network environment (e.g., gateway, premises automation system, premises security system, etc.). at least a subset of data received via the on-board wireless access point is one or more of processed using the pad on-board electronics, transferred to the gateway, and transferred to the cloud environment, but is not so limited. the pad system includes a remote client device that provides a user or remote operator access to the network. in various embodiments, an operator may interact with the pad as well as any components of the network environment. for example, remote client device may be used to control the pad. as further examples, an operator may use remote client device to access and/or monitor any component of the network environment. the remote client device includes at least one of personal computers, smart telephones, tablet computers, mobile devices, and other processing devices. the pad of an embodiment is configured to receive control signals from the remote client devices. the control signals of an embodiment control one or more of the pad, sensors on the pad, and systems on the pad, but are not so limited. for example, the premises floor plan is accessed via the remote client device, and selection of an area on the floor plan causes the pad to automatically be deployed to that area to capture images. the ‘internet of things’ (iot) and ‘connected home’ are terms used to describe the growth of devices within a premise that include some form of local intelligence, connectivity to other devices, or connectivity to ‘cloud-based services’ located remotely from the premises. some examples of devices included within the existing art include connected or ‘smart’ thermostats, cameras, door locks, lighting control solutions, security sensors and controllers, hvac controllers, kitchen appliances, etc. in the conventional art these devices typically include an ip protocol connection to a server remote to the premise (‘in the cloud’). this server often provides remote access and control of the device through mobile apps running on phones or tablets. in some cases the connected devices communicate through this ‘cloud’ server to other devices through their own servers ‘in the cloud’. by way of example, a thermostat in a home can connect to a corresponding cloud server and relay state information to the cloud service of a connected light switch at the same premises. in this way a state change in one device can trigger actions in other devices using the ‘cloud relay’ mechanism. further, high bandwidth media applications (e.g., video, voice, etc.) use complex and proprietary approaches or protocols to provide remote access including such processes as router port-forwarding and/or heavy-weight server proxies and protocols. in contrast, the field of home and small business security is served by technology suppliers providing comprehensive ‘closed’ security systems in which individual components (e.g., sensors, security panels, keypads, etc.) operate exclusively within the confines of a single-vendor or proprietary solution. for example, a wireless motion sensor provided by vendor a cannot be used with a security panel provided by vendor b. each vendor typically has developed sophisticated proprietary wireless technologies to enable the installation and management of wireless sensors, with little or no ability for the wireless devices to operate separate from the vendor's homogeneous system. furthermore, these ‘closed’ systems are extremely proprietary in their approach to interfacing with either local or wide area standards-based network technologies (e.g., ip networks, etc.). wireless security technology from providers such as ge security, honeywell, and dsc/tyco are well known in the art, and are examples of this proprietary approach to security systems for home and business. there is inherent difficulty under this ‘closed system’ approach in interfacing between the plethora of ‘connected home’ devices and the proprietary home security systems. home security system vendors use proprietary lan protocols and proprietary cloud services to manage and interact with security devices in the home. there is no way for a ‘cloud connected device’ to easily integrate with a security system from any of the proprietary system vendors. further, it is difficult if not impossible to integrate media into such a proprietary system. integration involving a closed system is also difficult due to the complexity and cost of the physical interface between the proprietary security system and the more open ‘connected home’ devices. because the systems are proprietary, typically additional hardware must be retrofitted to these security systems to enable them to communicate locally with non-proprietary devices. this hardware often requires additional wiring or the incorporation of new wireless technologies (e.g., wifi, zigbee, etc.) that must be retrofitted to the extant proprietary security system. installation and operational complexities also arise due to functional limitations associated with hardwiring a new component into existing security systems. further, and no less difficult, is interfacing of a new component(s) with the existing system using rf/wireless technology, because installation, security, and the requirement of new radios in the security system impart additional complexity. with reference to fig. 1 (collectively figs. 1a, 1b, 1c ), the connected device system is configured to include devices (e.g., smart devices, connected devices, security devices, pad, etc.) at a premises in communication with a server environment, under an embodiment. the system includes a connected device gateway at the premises coupled or connected to one or more smart devices at the premises via wired and/or wireless channels or protocols. the system also includes one or more independent connected devices that are independent of any gateway. the independent connected devices of an embodiment are coupled or connected to a premises local area network (lan) but are not so limited. a security panel of a premises security system is coupled to the server environment via a coupling or connection to a wide area network (wan); the coupling to the wan comprises a coupling or connection to a broadband ip communicator that is coupled to the lan and/or a coupling or connection using a cellular communicator and a cellular or other wireless radio channel. the server environment of the connected device system includes one or more of a bridge server, connected device server, and security server, as described in detail herein. each smart device coupled to the connected device gateway at the premises has a corresponding connected device server but the embodiment is not so limited. thus, connected device configurations of an embodiment include configurations in which a connected device server is dedicated to each smart device, a connected device server is dedicated to a type of smart device (e.g., first connected device server for sensor devices, second connected device server for automation devices, etc.), a connected device server is dedicated to a type of protocol used by the smart devices (e.g., first connected device server for z-wave devices, second connected device server for zigbee devices, etc.), and/or a connected device server is dedicated to a plurality of smart devices. the connected device server of an embodiment is configured as one or more of a router that routes or directs communications to/from one or more corresponding connected or smart devices, a service provider (e.g., server in the middle) that stores at least a portion of data of smart or connected devices, and a gateway that couples remote devices (e.g., smart phones, tablet computers, personal computers, etc.) to the connected or smart devices. applications hosted or running on client devices (e.g., remote devices, ios devices, android devices, web browsers, etc.) are configured to communicate with the connected devices, smart devices, connected device gateway, pad, and/or security system (panel) at the premises through their respective servers. further, the pad can stream media (e.g., video, audio, etc.) to the remote devices, receive media from remote devices, and output media if desired (e.g., enable audio output from a remote person to generate sounds or video at the premise, etc.). in this manner, the system of an embodiment is configured to provide control of and access to data of a variety of smart and connected devices at the premises using the client device application synchronized to the smart or connected devices via the cloud-based server environment. the system of an embodiment generally includes one or more of a cellular radio or broadband ‘ip communicator’ module that is included as a component of or coupled to the proprietary security system. these communicators have typically served to communicate critical life-safety and intrusion signals to a remote central monitoring station, or to provide remote control of the security system from personal computers, mobile devices, and/or other remote client devices to name a few. the communicators of an embodiment (e.g., whether cellular or broadband-based) are each configured to provide a linkage between the security system and the ‘connected home’ devices through a cloud server-to-server interface. fig. 2 is a block diagram of a connected device system showing components of the connected device gateway at the premises and the session server in the cloud-based server environment, under an embodiment. the connected device gateway, which is also referred to herein as “cloud hub” in some embodiments, comprises a processor that includes or is coupled to one or more logical components that include a server connection manager, a device manager, a rules engine and a communication protocol manager (e.g., wired, wireless, etc.). the communication protocol manager is coupled to the transceivers or radios of the connected device gateway that are configured to communicate with the various connected devices at the premises. the server connection manager is configured to communicate with servers coupled to the wan, while the device manager is configured to manage communications with devices at the premises. the system of an embodiment also includes a security panel of a security system coupled to a wide area network (wan) via a coupling or connection to a broadband ip and/or a cellular communicator (not shown), as described with reference to fig. 1 . applications hosted or running on client devices (e.g., remote devices, ios devices, android devices, web browsers, etc.) are configured to communicate with the connected devices, smart devices, connected device gateway, and/or security system (panel) at the premises through their respective servers. the server or cloud environment of an embodiment comprises one or more logical components that include a rules service, web service, client devices service, history service, and security service, to name a few. the rules service (e.g., iftt, etc.) is configured to generate rules for the rules engine, where the new rules complement and/or replace rules hosted or running in the rules engine. the web service is configured to manage web portal communications. the client devices service is configured to manage communications of client device applications. the history service is configured to manage history data associated with components of the system (e.g., client devices, connected devices, gateways, sessions, etc.). the security service is configured to manage communications and/or data of a security panel (system) at the premises that is a component of the cloud system described in detail herein. the connected device gateway communicates with a session server (cloud router) that comprises gateway sessions, also referred to in embodiments as “lightweight gateway (lwgw) instances.” the session server with the gateway sessions is configured to manage communications with gateways, client devices, etc. the session server is configured as a communication relay or router (e.g. cloud router) that relays communications between devices; alternatively, the session server is configured to provide a device initiating a communication session with an address (e.g., ip address, etc.) of the target device so that the initiating device and the target device communicate directly without going through the session server. as such, the session server is configured to manage couplings or connections between the communicator module or device and the cloud server. the server environment of an embodiment also includes a bridge server configured to provide an open communications interface between the smart devices and/or the connected devices and the security system. any device can be a plugin or a subscriber to the bridge server, but the embodiment is not so limited. fig. 3 is a block diagram of an example connected device system including a bridge server, under an embodiment. fig. 4 is a block diagram of a system comprising a bridge server in communication with devices and an application server and gateway server, under an embodiment. with reference to these figures, the bridge server includes an event bus (e.g., bidirectional event bus) coupled to a set of device-specific plugins (e.g., location adapter, nest adapter, etc.) that each corresponds to a particular device or type of device. each plugin comprises code written to an api that corresponds to that device. each plugin puts events for its corresponding device onto the event bus (e.g., nest thermostat, change temperature, etc.) and receives data via the event bus. the plugins of an embodiment include but are not limited to an api plugin, a ui plugin, and a card ui. the bridge server includes a subscriber interface coupled to the event bus, and the subscriber interface comprises one or more user agents or agents. the agent(s) of the subscriber interface pulls events or event data from the event bus and transfers them to another component or application as described herein. the subscriber interface also puts events onto the event bus for transfer to the device-specific plugins. the subscriber interface is coupled to an application (“app”) server (e.g., location server, nest servers, etc.) via a bridge interface. the app server includes one or more components that comprise one or more of an app engine, a rules engine, a device data model, and a database. the app engine serves events to a corresponding app and/or receives data from the corresponding app. the rules engine includes rules that are executed in response to event data. the device data model, also referred to as a virtual device, is a device data definition or logical model. the database stores records that include event data and corresponding data or information. the components of the app server communicate with a gateway server that manages components (e.g., firmware, devices, rules engine, communication interface(s), etc.) of a gateway at the premises. as an example, a user has a nest thermostat in her home, and when the temperature changes at the thermostat then the thermostat puts an event on the event bus indicating the temperature change. the event includes a unique identifier of the thermostat, and a user agent of the bridge server is listening for the identifier. the user agent, when it identifies an event having an identifier for which it is listening, pulls the event with the particular identifier from the event bus. data of the event when pulled from the event bus can, for example, be stored in a database, and also checked for correlation to any rule running under the rules engine and, if a correlation is identified, then the data causes the rule to execute. the rules engine is configured to enable end users or system providers to establish linkages between information or data of device state changes (triggers) and the control of other devices (actions). the rules engine is configured, for example, to control the state of a smart (connected) device (e.g. a thermostat or door lock) in response to a state change of a corresponding connected system (e.g., the security system). as another example, the rules engine controls the state of the security system (e.g., disarm security system (action)) in response to a state change in a connected device (e.g., unlocking of a door (trigger)). the rules engine also controls the state of a lan device (e.g., a z-wave thermostat) by determining a state change of the security system and relaying the desired connected device state to the intermediate cloud hub for processing. the rules engine of an embodiment runs or executes at least one of remotely on a cloud-based server (e.g., rules service, etc.), locally on consumer premises equipment (cpe) or a premises device (e.g., the cloud hub, etc.), and in some distributed combination of devices of the system. the rules engine is configured to store and run at least a portion of the rules locally at the premises in the cloud hub or other local cpe. the rules engine of an alternative embodiment is configured to store the rules in a remote server that is located remote to the premises in the server or cloud environment. the rules engine of another alternative embodiment is configured to distribute storage and execution of the rules between local cpe and remote server(s) for redundancy or to provide more timely operation. the premises devices and systems operate according to rules running on a rules engine at the premises (cpe) and/or in the cloud. generally, a system configuration includes rules executed on a server in the cloud to support interactions between two or more premises devices (e.g., an event of a first device triggers an action on a second device via one or more rules, etc.). furthermore, a system configuration includes rules running locally at the premises (e.g., cpe) to support interactions with other devices at the premises via direct interactions when information is not required from a third party or remote server or system in order to effect the interaction. additionally, rules running locally at the premises (e.g., cpe) and at a cloud-based server control interaction under an embodiment. for example, a door opens at the premises causing a sensor signal to be sent to the security panel, and the security panel in turn provides notification of the sensor event to a gateway. rule(s) running at the gateway cause the gateway to issue a request to a cloud-based server for an action by a particular connected device (e.g., camera device at the premises, camera device at a different premises, etc.). rule(s) running at the server generate a command or control signal to perform the action and send the command to the particular connected device. the particular connected device includes, for example, another device at the premises (e.g. camera in the premises, etc.) and/or a device at a difference premises (e.g., initiate an alarm at a first house if a door is opened at a second house). optionally, an acknowledgement is generated or issued by the connected device upon completion of the requested action. the system described herein provides a cloud interface to connected premises (e.g., home, office, etc.) devices and systems. for example, a system includes one or more on-premise devices coupled to a premises security system, and a smart device (e.g., nest thermostat, etc.) is integrated at the premises through the cloud to the premises system that includes the premises devices and security system. as a more particular example, the premises includes a security panel and security devices communicating with the cloud (“server environment”) via a broadband ip module, cellular communicator, and/or a gateway. the premises includes a second device (e.g., z-wave controller, etc.) that provides or creates a local device network (e.g., z-wave, zigbee, wifi, wps, etc.) coupled or connected to the premises lan. the premises of this example includes a third device (e.g., one or more dropcams, etc.) comprising a wifi client communicating with the cloud. under the configurations described herein, two or more premises devices are coupled at the premises via a connected device gateway and/or at the cloud via a server interface, but are not so limited. each of the premises devices (e.g., smart devices, connected devices, security devices, etc.), regardless of device type or protocol, is integrated into the system through pushbutton enrollment. the system of an alternative embodiment includes a gateway device located at the premises. the gateway device is configured to provide a plurality of network interfaces that include, but are not limited to, one or more lan interfaces for communicating with devices within the premise (e.g., z-wave, wifi, zigbee, etc.), and a wan interface for communicating with the session server. in this ‘cloud hub’ embodiment the gateway is not required to provide a local area coupling or connection between the connected home devices and the security system because this connection is provided by/through the cloud interface. the embodiments of the connected premises systems described herein include numerous operational flows, but are not so limited. fig. 5 is an example connected device flow diagram, under an embodiment. this example includes three connected devices (e.g., thermostat, camera, smart lock), each of which corresponds to a third party server and control application for accessing and controlling the respective device. in addition to the three connected devices in the premises, the system of this example includes a cloud-based connected device server and bridge server, and an integrated or combined device application hosted on a remote client device. the integrated device application is configured to provide integrated access to the three connected devices but is not so limited. the bridge server is configured to aggregate (e.g., using apis) interfaces to the three third party servers of the device providers and enables communication between the bridge server and these third party servers. the bridge server is configured to communicate directly with one or more of the connected devices and to communicate with the connected devices through the connected device server. the combined device application provided in an embodiment is an application hosted on a client device (e.g., downloaded to the client device, installed on the client device, etc.) that includes the capabilities of the individual control applications of the respective connected devices. in an embodiment, the combined application is configured to communicate 501 directly with the corresponding connected device(s) (e.g., using information from the bridge server and/or connected device server). in an alternative embodiment, the combined application is configured to communicate 502 with the corresponding device(s) through the bridge server, which communicates with the third party server corresponding to the respective device(s). in another alternative embodiment, the combined application is configured to communicate 503 with the corresponding connected device(s) through the bridge server and the connected device server. fig. 6 is another example connected device flow diagram, under an embodiment. this example includes three connected devices (e.g., thermostat, camera, smart lock), each of which corresponds to a third party server and control application for accessing and controlling the respective device. the three connected devices are coupled to a connected device gateway in the premises as described in detail herein. in addition to the three connected devices in the premises, the system of this example includes a cloud-based bridge server. the bridge server is configured to aggregate (e.g., using apis) interfaces to the three third party servers of the device providers and enables communication between the bridge server and these third party servers. the bridge server is configured to communicate with the connected devices through the connected device server. the system of this example includes an integrated or combined device application hosted on a remote client device to provide integrated access to the three connected devices. in an embodiment, the combined application communicates 601 / 602 / 603 with the corresponding device(s) through the bridge server, which communicates 601 / 602 / 603 directly with the connected device gateway at the premises. additionally, the connected device gateway is configured to synchronize between connected devices at the local premises and connected devices at a remote premises. fig. 7 is yet another example connected device flow diagram, under an embodiment. this example includes three connected devices (e.g., thermostat, camera, smart lock), each of which corresponds to a third party server and control application for accessing and controlling the respective device. the three connected devices are coupled to a connected device gateway in the premises as described in detail herein. in addition to the three connected devices in the premises, the system of this example includes a cloud-based bridge server. the bridge server is configured to aggregate (e.g., using apis) interfaces to the three third party servers of the device providers and enables communication between the bridge server and these third party servers. the bridge server is configured to communicate with the connected devices through the connected device server. the system of this example also includes three security devices (e.g., door sensor, window sensor, motion detector) coupled to a security panel at the premises. the local security panel communicates with a cloud-based security server. the bridge server of an embodiment communicates with the security panel via the security server. alternatively, the bridge server communicates directly with the security panel as it does with the connected device gateway, and integrates the interfaces of the connected device providers and the security system provider, but is not so limited. the system of this example includes an integrated or combined device application hosted on a remote client device and configured to provide integrated access to the three connected devices and the security panel. in an embodiment, the combined application communicates 701 / 702 / 703 with the connected device(s) via the bridge server and the connected device gateway at the premises, and communicates 710 with the security devices via the bridge server, the security server, and the security panel. alternatively, the combined application communicates 720 with the security devices via the bridge server and the security panel. the connected device gateway is configured to synchronize between connected devices at the local premises and connected devices at a remote premises. similarly, the security panel is configured to synchronize between security devices at the local premises and security devices at a remote premises. a process flow of an embodiment for interaction between the integrated app and a connected device comprises but is not limited to the following: an event is commanded at the app for a connected device (e.g., temperature increase commanded three increments); the event is posted to the device data model at the app server; the device data model posts data representing the event on the bridge interface of the bridge server; the bridge interface posts data representing the event onto the event bus; the connected device (e.g., thermostat) plugin, which is listening for events that correspond to the device, pulls the event data from event bus and passes the event (command) data to the corresponding connected device; the event (command) data causes a corresponding change at the connected device (e.g., temperature raised three degrees on thermostat). a process flow of an embodiment for interactions among connected devices resulting from a state change at a connected device comprises but is not limited to the following: an event is detected at a connected device (e.g., temperature rises 5 degrees to 72 degrees); the device puts data of the event on the event bus of the bridge server via the corresponding device plugin; an agent or listener subscribed to the connected device pulls data of the event from event bus and transfers the data to the app server; app engine of app server posts the event to the corresponding app, and posts the event data in the database; app engine posts the event data to the rules engine because the rules engine, which includes a rule that corresponds to the event (e.g., if temperature rises above 70 degrees, turn on lamp in den); rules engine executes the rule and sends a message to the gateway server to carry out the action (e.g., turn on lamp in den) or, alternatively, the rules engine passes the event data to the gateway server, which executes the rule for the connected device (lamp). a process flow of an embodiment for interactions among connected devices resulting from a state change at a security sensor comprises but is not limited to the following: an event is detected at a sensor; sensor event data received from the sensor and processed at the security panel; the processed sensor event data is transmitted to the security server where it is stored; the security server posts information representing the sensor event data via an api; the security server communicates the sensor event to the bridge server via a security system plugin; an agent or listener subscribed to the security system pulls data of the event from the event bus and transfers the data to the app server via the bridge interface; app engine of app server posts the event to the corresponding app, and posts the event data in the database; app engine posts the event data to the rules engine, which includes a rule that corresponds to the event (e.g., if door sensor state change, record video at door camera); rules engine executes the rule and sends a message to the gateway server to carry out the action (e.g., activate door camera) or, alternatively, the rules engine passes the event data to the gateway server, which executes the rule for the connected device (camera). embodiments include pushbutton enrollment of devices (e.g., smart devices, connected devices, security devices, etc.) into the premises environment using one or more technologies. in an embodiment, the device is triggered to initiate an enrollment routine or process that enrolls the smart device into the premises environment via one or more of the premises components described herein (e.g. connected devices, smart devices, gateways, security devices, etc.). device enrollment causes the enrolling device to update the system as to the state of currently installed devices via the coupling to the sever environment. when a device is added to the system, the system automatically recognizes the device in the system and populates the device throughout the system. similarly, when a device is removed from the system, the system removes the device throughout the system. more particularly, a process flow of an embodiment for enrolling and accessing connected or smart devices comprises but is not limited to the following: bridge server identifies supported device(s); bridge server locates supported device(s) on local network or prompts user for added device(s); bridge server authenticates or validates device(s); validated device(s) is added to the integrated or combined app for control and/or rules; generic device-specific interface is presented to user (e.g., generic thermostat interface), and/or customized device-specific interface is presented to user, and/or launch third party ui for device. a process flow of an alternative embodiment for enrolling and accessing connected or smart devices comprises but is not limited to the following: bridge server identifies supported device(s); identified device(s) added to the system; added device(s) connects to connected device server and corresponding connected device app; integrated app is downloaded, downloaded app identifies devices to be bridged (keys, login credentials) and authenticates or validates device(s); validated device(s) is added to the app for control and/or rules; generic device-specific interface is presented to user (e.g., generic thermostat interface), and/or customized device-specific interface is presented to user, and/or launch third party ui for device. the embodiments described in detail herein provide the cloud hub as a low-cost solution for home automation, which can be added to an existing site (e.g., tier-1 site). the cloud hub device of the embodiments, as a component of the consumer premises equipment (cpe), couples or connects to a broadband connection at the host premises and is configured as a gateway for devices (e.g., cameras, sensors, z-wave, zigbee, etc.) located or installed at the premises. more particularly, the cloud hub is a multi-purpose device access point configured to enable full home automation. the cloud hub is configured to enable premises devices (e.g., cameras, sensors, z-wave, zigbee, etc.) for sites that do not currently support these devices, and/or provide a “sandbox” for direct cameras, but is not so limited. the cloud hub of an embodiment is configured to communicate with a lightweight gateway (lwgw) that includes a corresponding server-side abstraction with which it interacts or communicates. in an embodiment this device class interacts with the server and the actual cloud hub device in much the same way that a rissecuritypanel (e.g., server-side module that receives state change events from a security panel and is able to communicate directory with the panel in order to control (arm/disarm) or configure (add/remove security sensors the panel) class interacts, as described in detail herein. as such, an embodiment re-factors the common code out of the rissecuritypanel into a class capable of use by both the rissecuritypanel and the cloud hub device. a new device definition is provided for this type of device, along with various changes to the standardgateway class to control and manage the additional communication channel with the new device. the session server of an embodiment is configured to use a gateway registry service to route incoming udp packets from the cpe to the proper lwgw instance via a one to one mapping of cpe-unique ids to site ids. with the addition of the cloud hub, a second cpe-unique id is used which is mapped to the same lwgw instance as the primary sma client's cpe-unique id. to accomplish this the device registry service is leveraged, and this registry maintains a mapping of cpe id and device type to site id. the session server is configured to use this device registry to properly route income packets but is not so limited. fig. 8 is a block diagram of a system including the cloud hub, under an embodiment. the system configuration includes a cloud hub coupled to a wide area network (wan) at the premises. the icontrol servers include a session server and one or more lwgw instances, and a registry and credential gateway, as described in detail herein. the device installation and bootstrap mechanism is configured to one or more of associate the cloud hub device with an existing site, and securely deliver sma communication configuration, including master key, sma server address, and network ports, but is not so limited. fig. 9 is a block diagram of a system including a cloud hub and virtual gateway showing the premises, service provider, and mobile environments, under an embodiment. the system of an embodiment includes the gateway (cloud hub) in the premises (e.g., home, office, etc.), and the gateway is coupled to a lwgw in the operator (server/cloud) domain. the gateway includes one or more of a camera adapter to integrate premises cameras, an ip adapter to integrate premises ip devices, and a zigbee protocol and hardware driver to integrate premises zigbee devices. components of the gateway of an embodiment are coupled to a radio frequency (rf) bridge as appropriate to a configuration of devices in the premises, and the rf bridge integrates additional premises devices (e.g., z-wave devices, proprietary devices, etc.) into the system. the lwgw and cloud-based infrastructure of an embodiment uses an existing service provider infrastructure, security, performance, and apis, along with system components that are separated into modules executed on distributed in-premises systesms. the lwgw and cloud-based infrastructure includes a pluggable architecture that enables new device protocols and rf technologies to be added without the need to overhaul the core infrastructure. use of a relatively small memory footprint on the cpe enables the infrastructure to execute on many devices, and this refactoring of local versus cloud services provides a virtual device (e.g., internet of things (tot), etc.) gateway service that pushes as much as possible to the cloud while maintaining local performance and offline capabilities. the lwgw included in an embodiment is configured as the server-side abstraction for the cloud hub. the lwgw is subordinate to the gateway object, and interacts with the server and the cloud hub device in much the same way that a rissecuritypanel class does. as such, an embodiment re-factors the common code out of rissecuritypanel into a class that both rissecuritypanel and the cloud hub device can use. a new device definition is created for this type of device, and various changes to the standardgateway class to control and manage the additional communication channel with the new device. the session server configuration uses a gateway registry service to route incoming udp packets from the cpe to the proper lwgw instance via a one-to-one mapping of cpe-unique ids to site ids. with the addition of the cloud hub, a second cpe-unique id is mapped to the same lwgw instance as the primary sma client's cpe-unique id. this is accomplished by leveraging the device registry, which maintains a mapping of cpe id and device type to site id. further, the session server is modified to use this device registry to properly route income packets. regarding client application software or applications, the clients include ux additions to present the new cloud hub device. when the cloud hub is present, ux flow will potentially be different. for example, on a cloud hub system, z-wave devices are not added until the cloud hub is added. also, deleting the cloud hub includes deleting the associated z-wave devices, and this uses special ux messaging. the activation app and the installer app will also need new flows for installing and managing these devices. the cloud hub firmware of an example embodiment includes but is not limited to the following components: sma client: an always-on (i.e., always-tcp-connected) sma client, supporting aes-256 encryption; ezwlib: port of the icontrol embedded z-wave stack; bootstrap client for secure bootstrap of the master key, and then secure provisioning of the sma server connection information and initialization information; led driver to drive cpe led that displays server connectivity and z-wave status (cpe-dependent); firmware update logic for fault-tolerant updates of the full cpe image (cpe-dependent); detailed/tunable error logging; reset to factory default logic for factory-default z-wave (erase node cache and security keys), wifi (disable sandbox, reset ssid/psk; cpe-dependent), and de-provision (erase sma server info). in an example configuration, server-cpe communication is over the smav1 protocol, except for bootstrapping and provisioning which uses the openhome “off-premise bootstrap procedure.” on the cpe, the os and network layer (wi-fi sandbox, wps, routing, etc.) are provided and managed by the cpe oem (e.g., sercomm). wi-fi provisioning and traffic is handled by the cpe oem (e.g., sercomm) without cloud hub intervention/signaling, except with respect to enabling/disabling and resetting to defaults. the cloud hub device installation and bootstrap mechanism performs one or more of the following: associate the device with an existing site; securely deliver the sma communication configuration, including master key, sma server address, and network ports. an embodiment includes an off-premise bootstrapping procedure, also used for bootstrapping tunneling cameras, that includes a three-step process. fig. 10 is a flow diagram for device installation and bootstrapping, under an embodiment. the process for device installation and bootstrapping includes a first step that couples or connects the cloud hub to the registry gateway (e.g., via the pre-configured registry gateway url) and retrieves its assigned siteid and the credential gateway url. a second step includes the cloud hub retrieving its master key from the credential gateway using its siteid and activation key. the process comprises a third step in which the cloud hub retrieves session gateway information from the credential gateway. at the end of the bootstrap phase, the cloud hub has obtained its master key and its session gateway address from the icontrol gateway. more particularly, the cloud hub retrieves its siteid and credential gateway url during the first step of the process. purposeretrieve credential gateway url and siteid using cloud hub serialnumber as inputmessagehttps get /<registry gateway url>/<serial number> http/1.1formatauthenticationnonemandatoryhostrequestheaders<registryentry serial=″<serial number>″ href=″/<registry gatewayurl>/<serial number>″>200 ok<functions>...</functions >response<siteid><siteid></siteid><gatewayur1><credential gateway url></gatewayurl></registryentry>errorstandard http response codes (e.g., 404)responsesexamplehttps://adminsirius3.icontrol.com/rest/icontrol/registry/seria1/00603504026crequest<registryentry serial=″00:60:35:04:02:6c″href=″/rest/icontrol/registry/serial/00603504026c″><functions count=″1″>example 200<function name=″delete″ok responseaction=″/rest/icontrol/registry/seria1/00603504026c″ method=″delete″/></functions><siteid>00603504026c</siteid><gatewayurl>http://gsess-sirius3.icontrol.com/gw</gatewayurl></registryentry>variable nameformatdescription/notesregistry gateway urlurlpre-configured in cloudhub firmwareserial number12 byte hex stringpre-configured in cloudhub firmwaresiteid12-20 digit alpha numericstringgatewayurl otherwiseurl prefixprefix to use for pendingknown asprotocol:host[:port]/pathmaster key and connectcredentialgatewayurlinfo requests. the cloud hub retrieves its pending master key when the master key is not already established from a previous successful retreieve credital procedure, during the second step of the process. purposeretrieve device-specific master key using its siteid, serial number andactivation key as inputsmessage formathttps post/<credentialgatewayurl>/gatewayservice/<siteid>/pendingdevicekeyhttp/1.1authenticationnonemandatoryhost, content-length, content-type (application/x-www-form-requesturlencoded )headerspost bodyserial=<serial number>&activationkey=<activationkey>200 okresponse with<pendingpaidkey method=″ server″expires=″<pending master keypending masterexpiration epoch millisecs>″ ts=″<current epoch millisecs>″keykey=″<master key>″ partner=″icontrol″/>200 okgateway responds with a method=”retry” if the cloud hub is not yetresponse withactivated within the system. response includes timeout for retry.retry<pendingpaidkey method=″retry″ expires=″<retry epoch millisecs>″ts=″<current epoch millisecs>″ partner=″icontrol″/>other httpstandard http error response codes for example 5xx indicate aresponsestemporary server issue and cloud hub devices should perform anautomatic retry in randomized 10 minute backoff.example postserial=555500000010&activationkey=aabb12345678bodyexample 200<pendingpaidkey method=″server″ expires=″1308892493528″ok withts=″1308849293540″ key=″398341159498190458″ partner=″icontrol″/>pending keyresponseexample 200ok response<pendingpaidkey method=″retry″ expires=″1308849242148″with retryts=″1308849122148″ partner=″icontrol″/>variable nameformatdescription/notescredentialgatewayurlhostname[:port]retrieved via step 1 -retrieve gateway url andsiteidsiteid12 byte hexadecimal stringretrieved via step 1 -retrieve gateway url andsiteidactivationkey10+ digit alpha numericpre-configured in cloudstringhub, generated bymanufacturer and printed ondevice‘method’ (in 200 ok body)string″server″ or ″retry″‘key’ (in 200 ok body)alphanumeric stringpending key returned bygateway in 200 ok body‘is’ (in 200 ok body)numeric stringgateway's timestamp inutc time‘expires’ (in 200 ok body)numeric stringutc time when the currentpending key expiresinitial key retrieved frompending keyalphanumeric stringgateway that is not yetconfirmed with thegateway.sharedsecret or master keyalphanumeric stringpending key becomes<sharedsecret> aftersuccessful connection togateway (see below) while cloud hub activation is underway, the gateway responds to a cloud hub's request for credential with 200 ok including the pendingpaidkey xml body (with method=“server”) with a pending key field. the pending key field becomes active once the cloud hub couples or connects to the gateway over the sma channel and is authenticated by using the pending key to encrypt the initial sma exchange. once authenticated (via a successful sma session with the gateway), the key is no longer pending and instead becomes active, or otherwise known as the cloud hub's <sharedsecret> or master key. the active master key (“<sharedsecret>”) will not automatically expire; however, the gateway may update a cloud hub's <sharedsecret>. once a pending key becomes active, subsequent requests for the pendingdevicekey receive method=“retry” responses unless a new activation process is initiated (this can be done by administrators and installers via the icontrol admin and portal applications). if the cloud hub does not connect to the server over the sma channel and get authenticated using the key by the “expires” time specified in the pendingpaidkey xml body, then the pending key will expire and no longer be valid. while cloud hub activation is underway, each request for the pendingpaidkey receives a different key in the response, causing the previous pending key to be replaced with the new one. the cloud hub retrieves session gateway info, which includes sma gateway address, during the third step of the process for device installation and bootstrapping. purposeretrieve sma gateway hostname and port from credential gatewaymessage formathttps get /<gatewayurl>/gatewayservice/<siteid>/connectinfohttp/1.1authenticationnonemandatoryrequesthostheaders200 ok<connectinfo>response<session host=<session gateway host>port=[port]/><riseventport1=′[port]′ eventport2=′[port]′ controlport1=′[port]′controlport2=′[port]″/><xmpp host=<xmpp gateway host>port=[port]/>(ignored)</connectinfo>error responsesstandard http response codes (e.g., 404)example 200<connectinfo>ok response<session host=′gsess-aristotleqapicontrol.com′ port=′443′/><riseventport1=′11083′ eventport2=′11083′ controlport1=′11084′controlport2=′11084′><xmpp host=′gsess-aristotleqapicontrol.com′ port=′5222′><mediaur1=′https://media-aristotleqap.icontrol.com/gw/gatewayservice′></connectinfo>variable nameformatdescription/notesgatewayurlhttps://hostname[:port]/pathretrieved via step 1 -retrieve gateway url andsiteidsiteid12-20 char alpha numericretrieved via step 1 -stringretrieve gateway url andsiteidxmpp gateway host:porthostname and portthese variables should beipaddress and portignored by the cloud hub.host and command port touse for smasession gateway hosthostnamecommunication with thegateway.session:portportthis port variable should beignored by the cloud hub.ris:eventport1/2portports on session gatewayhost to which sma asyncevents should be sentris:controlport1/2portports on session gatewayhost for establishing thesma control channel during the course of operation, the cpe executes the first and third steps of the installation process described above during each start-up/restart; the second step of the installation is executed when there is no previously stored master key. hence, security 5 credentials can be re-bootstrapped by invalidating the existing master key. the installation process of an embodiment is as follows: 1) the user starts the “add control hub” wizard.2) the user is prompted to enter the control hub's activation key, printed on the device.3) rest request generated: post /rest/[partner]/nw/[siteid]/devices?technology=csmap&type=icontrol_onelink_ch1000_controlhub&name=[name]&activationkey=[akey] a) gateway derives the 12-hex-digit cpe serial number from the activation keyb) gateway validates the activation key. http 403 is returned if activation key is incorrectc) gateway calls the adddevice method on the gapp server to add lwg_sercomm_controlhub_1000 with given serial to site. i) server detects the device type and populates registryii) http 409 is returned if the device cannot be addediii) http 503 is returned if the device cannot be referenced after it was just recently created.d) gateway puts the device into pending key state.e) upon success, http 201 is returned with the “location” header pointing to relative uri of /rest/[partner]/nw/[netid]/instances/[indexid]4) on device connection, the gateway updates device-auth/pending-expiry to −1 and device-auth/session-key with password and device/connection-status to connected.5) polls for the data point “connection-status” to change to “connected” in the data returned by a get to the url returned in step 3e.; if does not connect after 60 seconds, displays a timeout message (device has not connected—continue waiting or start over).6) upon detecting successful connection, ia displays a successful detection message to the user. the lwgw of an embodiment is configured to maintain a single cpe coupling or connection. this coupling or connection is encapsulated and managed by the rissecuritypanel class, but is not so limited. when configuring the system to include the cloud hub, an embodiment factors out the sma communication and generic state-machine functionality from the rissecuritypanel to create a new class riscpedriver, and a new subclass standarddevice. the new subclass of standarddevice, risrouter, represents the cloud hub abstraction in the lwgw. a new class rismcdevmanager is also created. the standardgateway and rissecuritypanel classes are configured to perform monitor and control (m/c or mc) (e.g., z-wave) device operations via this class's public interface. the lwgw representation of cpe connection state is expanded to allow m/c operations to occur, even if the panel connection is down. fig. 11 is a block diagram of the lwgw class structure, under an embodiment. the following methods from rissecuritypanel (some are over-rides from standardsecuritypanel) are not panel-specific, but rather represent the functionality of any device which implements basic functionality of an sma client. therefore, an embodiment includes use of these methods for the risrouter class: getsequencenumber( ); setsequencenumber( ); getmasterkey( ); getmasterkeybytes( ); getsessionkey( ); getdevicehardwareld; getsessionkeybytes; setsessionkey; getpendingsessionkey; getpendingsessionkeybytes; setpendingsessionkey; getsmspinencoded; getsmspin; getsmspinbytes; setsmspin; getcommandkeybytes; getwakeupsk; getconfigsk; getconfigsc; getsk; decryptaescbc256; decryptaescbc256iv; gettype; encrypt; decrypt; getencryptioncontext; messagewasmissed; setconnected; handleuplinkdata; refreshaeskey; setaeskey; ismcpointvariable; sendpendingdata; doapplicationtick; getsessionid; startpremisesconnectiontest; getsmsts; configmessage; wakeupmessage; startdiscovery; canceldiscovery; getdiscoverystate; getsmaframing; sendpremesiskeepalive; sendnoop; getifconfig; setifconfig; getlogfile; getsystemlogfile; setfirmwareupgrade; getcpeversion; getcpefirmwareversion; setfwupgradeprogress; getfwupgradeprogress; getfwupgradeprogressstring; getcontrollerld; getnextcommandtime; setnextcommandtime; senddownrequest; setsyncnoandcheckformissedevents; handleasyncmessage; handlesessionresponsemessage; sendpremesisconfiguration; getsmsheaders; sendtestsms; sendwakeupsms; setconnected; commandchannelready; getconnectivitytesttimeout; getcpestarter; getcommtest; setsilencealltroubles; setclearalltroubles. the following methods from rissecuritypanel are related to m/c devices, and this functionality is handled by the risrouter (cloud hub) class, when present. hence an interface for them comes out of rissecuritypanel to be implemented by the risrouter class. the standardgateway is configured to decide which class method to call based on the presence of a cloud hub: handlemcdiscoverymodestatusreport; handlemcdevicestatusreport; reportmcpointupdate; hasmatchingdevicenames; getdiscoveredmcdevicename; dozwave; getmcdevices; getmcdevroute; getmcdevroutes; getmcpointvalue; getmcpointvalues; getmcpointconfigs; getmcpointconfig; setallmcpointconfigs; setdevicemcpointconfigs; setmcpointconfig; setmcpointvalue; setmcpointvalue; failmccommand; getmcdeviceversionstring; renamedevice; removedevice. commands (e.g., smav1) to be routed through the risrouter class, when present, include but are not limited to the following: get_mc_device_config; get_mc_point_config; set_mc_point_report_config; get_mc_point_status; set_mc_point_status; get_mc_device_user_codes; set_mc_device_user_codes; remove_mc_device_user_codes; local_port_passthrough; remove_mc_device; set_mc_device_name; get_mc_device_routes. system commands to be routed through the risrouter class, when present, include but are not limited to the following: mc_mesh_relearn; get_discovery_status; set_discovery_status; get_local_port_config; set_local_port_config; get_mesh_relearn_status; reset_mc_module. system commands to be conditionally routed to either risrouter or rissecuritypanel, include but are not limited to the following: upgrade_firmware; get_log_file; get_local_time; set_local_time; get_time_zone; set_time_zone; get_firmware_version. the cloud hub of an embodiment is a broadband-connected device, and it is configured to attempt to maintain an always-on tcp/ip connection with the server. therefore, there is no need for a shoulder-tap mechanism. likewise, no “wake-up” message is required because the cloud hub is effectively always awake. with conventional tier-1 systems, the server tears down the tcp connection after several minutes of inactivity; for cloud hub, the tcp connection should stay up for as long as possible, with periodic server-originated sma heartbeat messages (sma request type 0), so that the cpe can supervise the connection as being truly active. incoming udp messages from the cpe are routed to the lwgw instance associated with a given site id. the session server uses the gateway registry, which is a one-to-one mapping of cpe-unique ids to site ids for this purpose. with the addition of the cloud hub, an embodiment includes a second cpe-unique id that is mapped to the same site id (lwgw instance) as the primary sma client's cpe-unique id. this is accomplished by leveraging a device registry service that maintains a mapping of cpe id and device type to site id. the session server is modified to use the following procedure upon receipt of a udp packet: 1. look up the received packet cpe-unique id in the gateway registry. if a corresponding site id is found, route the packet to the associated lwgw instance. this is a standard, non-cloud hub packet from the cpe's primary sma client.2. if a corresponding site id is not found in step 1, the session server will look up the received cpe-unique id with a general cloud hub device type id. if a correspond site id is found, route the packet to the associated lwgw instance. if not site id is found, the packet is discarded. the cloud hub, udp and tcp messages received from the cpe at the session server are sent to the correct lwgw via two rest endpoints, thereby allowing the receiving lwgw instance to run on a session server other than the one at which the message was received. when a udp sma message arrives at a session server, if the lwgw corresponding to the cpe-unique id message is not already running on the given session server, then the session server initiates a new lwgw instance there, and if the corresponding lwgw is currently running on another session server, it will be gracefully shut down. in this way, the lwgw can move from one session server to another. regarding the session server/lwgw routing mechanism of an embodiment, the cloud hub network traffic includes a mechanism in which incoming udp messages to a first session server cause the first session server to determine if the lwgw is running on the first session server. if so, using a localrestclient, udp messages are passed through to the lwgw via a rest endpoint that calls through to the handleasyncmessage method of the ris device; if not, lwgw routing cache is checked to determine which session server is hosting the lwgw. if a routing entry is found, then use amqprestclient to pass the udp message through to the specific session server hosting the lwgw via the same rest endpoint that calls through to the handleasyncmessage method of the ris device. if no routing entry is found, or the session server returns 404 (e.g., stale routing entry), then the session server sends out a broadcast request using the amqprestclient to ask all session servers “who has this lwgw”. if a session server responds to the broadcast request, then the async event is sent to that session server following the method described herein. if no session server responds to the broadcast request, then the lwgw is started on this first session server. in an embodiment, the cloud hub network traffic includes a mechanism in which incoming tcp messages to a first session server cause the first session server to determine if lwgw is running on the first session server. if lwgw is not running on the first session server, lwgw routing cache is checked to determine which session server is hosting the lwgw and the tcp message is passed through accordingly, but using a different rest endpoint than udp message handling. in the rest endpoint call, the name of the session server with the tcp connection is sent along with the request. when the lwgw receives tcp messages through the rest endpoint, it tracks the name of the session server with the tcp connection. when the lwgw sends a command over the tcp coupling or connection in an embodiment, it sends a command via the amqprestclient to the session server hosting the tcp connection. it has this name saved from when it received the first tcp message for the given connection. if the tcp session server hostname is not known, or responds with a message indicating the tcp connection no longer present, then the lwgw sends out a broadcast request using the amqprestclient to ask all session servers “who has this tcp connection”. if any session server responds to the broadcast request, then the lwgw sends the command to that session server following the method described above. if no session server responds to the broadcast request, then the lwgw queues the command for a pre-specified time period. the system of an embodiment including the cloud hub and virtual gateway as described in detail herein includes one or more components of the “integrated security system” described in detail in the related applications, which are incorporated by reference herein. an example of the “integrated security system” is available as one or more of the numerous systems or platforms available from icontrol networks, inc., redwood city, calif. the system of an embodiment described herein incorporates one or more components of the “integrated security system”. the system of an embodiment described herein is coupled to one or more components of the “integrated security system”. the system of an embodiment described herein integrates with one or more components of the “integrated security system”. more particularly, the methods and processes of the integrated security system, and hence the full functionality, can be implemented in the system described herein including the cloud hub and virtual gateway. therefore, embodiments of the systems described herein integrate broadband and mobile access and control with conventional security systems and premise devices to provide a tri-mode security network (broadband, cellular/gsm, pots access) that enables users to remotely stay connected to their premises. the integrated security system, while delivering remote premise monitoring and control functionality to conventional monitored premise protection, complements existing premise protection equipment. the integrated security system integrates into the premise network and couples wirelessly with the conventional security panel, enabling broadband access to premise security systems. automation devices (cameras, lamp modules, thermostats, etc.) can be added, enabling users to remotely see live video and/or pictures and control home devices via their personal web portal or webpage, mobile phone, and/or other remote client device. users can also receive notifications via email or text message when happenings occur, or do not occur, in their home. in accordance with the embodiments described herein, a wireless system (e.g., radio frequency (rf)) is provided that enables a security provider or consumer to extend the capabilities of an existing rf-capable security system or a non-rf-capable security system that has been upgraded to support rf capabilities. the system includes an rf-capable gateway device (physically located within rf range of the rf-capable security system) and associated software operating on the gateway device. the system also includes a web server, application server, and remote database providing a persistent store for information related to the system. the security systems of an embodiment, referred to herein as the icontrol security system or integrated security system, extend the value of traditional home security by adding broadband access and the advantages of remote home monitoring and home control through the formation of a security network including components of the integrated security system integrated with a conventional premise security system and a premise local area network (lan). with the integrated security system, conventional home security sensors, cameras, touchscreen keypads, lighting controls, and/or internet protocol (ip) devices in the home (or business) become connected devices that are accessible anywhere in the world from a web browser, mobile phone or through content-enabled touchscreens. the integrated security system experience allows security operators to both extend the value proposition of their monitored security systems and reach new consumers that include broadband users interested in staying connected to their family, home and property when they are away from home. the integrated security system of an embodiment includes security servers (also referred to herein as iconnect servers or security network servers) and an ihub gateway (also referred to herein as the gateway, the ihub, or the ihub client) that couples or integrates into a home network (e.g., lan) and communicates directly with the home security panel, in both wired and wireless installations. the security system of an embodiment automatically discovers the security system components (e.g., sensors, etc.) belonging to the security system and connected to a control panel of the security system and provides consumers with full two-way access via web and mobile portals. the gateway supports various wireless protocols and can interconnect with a wide range of control panels offered by security system providers. service providers and users can then extend the system's capabilities with the additional ip cameras, lighting modules or security devices such as interactive touchscreen keypads. the integrated security system adds an enhanced value to these security systems by enabling consumers to stay connected through email and sms alerts, photo push, event-based video capture and rule-based monitoring and notifications. this solution extends the reach of home security to households with broadband access. the integrated security system builds upon the foundation afforded by traditional security systems by layering broadband and mobile access, ip cameras, interactive touchscreens, and an open approach to home automation on top of traditional security system configurations. the integrated security system is easily installed and managed by the security operator, and simplifies the traditional security installation process, as described below. the integrated security system provides an open systems solution to the home security market. as such, the foundation of the integrated security system customer premises equipment (cpe) approach has been to abstract devices, and allows applications to manipulate and manage multiple devices from any vendor. the integrated security system deviceconnect technology that enables this capability supports protocols, devices, and panels from ge security and honeywell, as well as consumer devices using z-wave, ip cameras (e.g., ethernet, wife, and homeplug), and ip touchscreens. the deviceconnect is a device abstraction layer that enables any device or protocol layer to interoperate with integrated security system components. this architecture enables the addition of new devices supporting any of these interfaces, as well as add entirely new protocols. the benefit of deviceconnect is that it provides supplier flexibility. the same consistent touchscreen, web, and mobile user experience operate unchanged on whatever security equipment selected by a security system provider, with the system provider's choice of ip cameras, backend data center and central station software. the integrated security system provides a complete system that integrates or layers on top of a conventional host security system available from a security system provider. the security system provider therefore can select different components or configurations to offer (e.g., cdma, gprs, no cellular, etc.) as well as have icontrol modify the integrated security system configuration for the system provider's specific needs (e.g., change the functionality of the web or mobile portal, add a ge or honeywell-compatible touchscreen, etc.). the integrated security system integrates with the security system provider infrastructure for central station reporting directly via broadband and gprs alarm transmissions. traditional dial-up reporting is supported via the standard panel connectivity. additionally, the integrated security system provides interfaces for advanced functionality to the cms, including enhanced alarm events, system installation optimizations, system test verification, video verification, 2-way voice over ip and gsm. the integrated security system is an ip centric system that includes broadband connectivity so that the gateway augments the existing security system with broadband and gprs connectivity. if broadband is down or unavailable gprs may be used, for example. the integrated security system supports gprs connectivity using an optional wireless package that includes a gprs modem in the gateway. the integrated security system treats the gprs connection as a higher cost though flexible option for data transfers. in an embodiment the gprs connection is only used to route alarm events (e.g., for cost), however the gateway can be configured (e.g., through the iconnect server interface) to act as a primary channel and pass any or all events over gprs. consequently, the integrated security system does not interfere with the current plain old telephone service (pots) security panel interface. alarm events can still be routed through pots; however the gateway also allows such events to be routed through a broadband or gprs connection as well. the integrated security system provides a web application interface to the csr tool suite as well as xml web services interfaces for programmatic integration between the security system provider's existing call center products. the integrated security system includes, for example, apis that allow the security system provider to integrate components of the integrated security system into a custom call center interface. the apis include xml web service apis for integration of existing security system provider call center applications with the integrated security system service. all functionality available in the csr web application is provided with these api sets. the java and xml-based apis of the integrated security system support provisioning, billing, system administration, csr, central station, portal user interfaces, and content management functions, to name a few. the integrated security system can provide a customized interface to the security system provider's billing system, or alternatively can provide security system developers with apis and support in the integration effort. the integrated security system provides or includes business component interfaces for provisioning, administration, and customer care to name a few. standard templates and examples are provided with a defined customer professional services engagement to help integrate oss/bss systems of a service provider with the integrated security system. the integrated security system components support and allow for the integration of customer account creation and deletion with a security system. the iconnect apis provides access to the provisioning and account management system in iconnect and provide full support for account creation, provisioning, and deletion. depending on the requirements of the security system provider, the iconnect apis can be used to completely customize any aspect of the integrated security system backend operational system. the integrated security system includes a gateway that supports the following standards-based interfaces, to name a few: ethernet ip communications via ethernet ports on the gateway, and standard xml/tcp/ip protocols and ports are employed over secured ssl sessions; usb 2.0 via ports on the gateway; 802.11b/g/n ip communications; gsm/gprs rf wan communications; cdma 1×rtt rf wan communications (optional, can also support evdo and 3g technologies). the gateway supports the following proprietary interfaces, to name a few: interfaces including dialog rf network (319.5 mhz) and rs485 superbus 2000 wired interface; rf mesh network (908 mhz); and interfaces including rf network (345 mhz) and rs485/rs232bus wired interfaces. regarding security for the ip communications (e.g., authentication, authorization, encryption, anti-spoofing, etc), the integrated security system uses ssl to encrypt all ip traffic, using server and client-certificates for authentication, as well as authentication in the data sent over the ssl-encrypted channel. for encryption, integrated security system issues public/private key pairs at the time/place of manufacture, and certificates are not stored in any online storage in an embodiment. the integrated security system does not need any special rules at the customer premise and/or at the security system provider central station because the integrated security system makes outgoing connections using tcp over the standard http and https ports. provided outbound tcp connections are allowed then no special requirements on the firewalls are necessary. fig. 12 is a block diagram of the integrated security system 1200 , under an embodiment. the integrated security system 1200 of an embodiment includes the gateway 1202 and the security servers 1202 coupled to the conventional home security system 1210 . at a customer's home or business, the gateway 1202 connects and manages the diverse variety of home security and self-monitoring devices. the gateway 1202 communicates with the iconnect servers 1204 located in the service provider's data center 1206 (or hosted in integrated security system data center), with the communication taking place via a communication network 1208 or other network (e.g., cellular network, internet, etc.). these servers 1204 manage the system integrations necessary to deliver the integrated system service described herein. the combination of the gateway 1202 and the iconnect servers 1204 enable a wide variety of remote client devices 1220 (e.g., pcs, mobile phones and pdas) allowing users to remotely stay in touch with their home, business and family. in addition, the technology allows home security and self-monitoring information, as well as relevant third party content such as traffic and weather, to be presented in intuitive ways within the home, such as on advanced touchscreen keypads. the integrated security system service (also referred to as icontrol service) can be managed by a service provider via browser-based maintenance and service management applications that are provided with the iconnect servers. or, if desired, the service can be more tightly integrated with existing oss/bss and service delivery systems via the iconnect web services-based xml apis. the integrated security system service can also coordinate the sending of alarms to the home security central monitoring station (cms) 1299 . alarms are passed to the cms 1299 using standard protocols such as contact id or sia and can be generated from the home security panel location as well as by iconnect server 1204 conditions (such as lack of communications with the integrated security system). in addition, the link between the security servers 1204 and cms 1299 provides tighter integration between home security and self-monitoring devices and the gateway 1202 . such integration enables advanced security capabilities such as the ability for cms personnel to view photos taken at the time a burglary alarm was triggered. for maximum security, the gateway 1202 and iconnect servers 1204 support the use of a mobile network (both gprs and cdma options are available) as a backup to the primary broadband connection. the integrated security system service is delivered by hosted servers running software components that communicate with a variety of client types while interacting with other systems. fig. 13 is a block diagram of components of the integrated security system 1200 , under an embodiment. following is a more detailed description of the components. the iconnect servers 1204 support a diverse collection of clients 1220 ranging from mobile devices, to pcs, to in-home security devices, to a service provider's internal systems. most clients 1220 are used by end-users, but there are also a number of clients 1220 that are used to operate the service. clients 1220 used by end-users of the integrated security system 1200 include, but are not limited to, the following: clients based on gateway client applications 1302 (e.g., a processor-based device running the gateway technology that manages home security and automation devices).a web browser 1304 accessing a web portal application, performing end-user configuration and customization of the integrated security system service as well as monitoring of in-home device status, viewing photos and video, etc.device and user management can also be performed by this portal application. a mobile device 1306 (e.g., pda, mobile phone, etc.) accessing the integrated security system mobile portal. this type of client 1306 is used by end-users to view system status and perform operations on devices (e.g., turning on a lamp, arming a security panel, etc.) rather than for system configuration tasks such as adding a new device or user.pc or browser-based “widget” containers 1308 that present integrated security system service content, as well as other third-party content, in simple, targeted ways (e.g. a widget that resides on a pc desktop and shows live video from a single in-home camera). “widget” as used herein means applications or programs in the system.touchscreen home security keypads 1308 and advanced in-home devices that present a variety of content widgets via an intuitive touchscreen user interface.notification recipients 1310 (e.g., cell phones that receive sms-based notifications when certain events occur (or don't occur), email clients that receive an email message with similar information, etc.).custom-built clients (not shown) that access the iconnect web services xml api to interact with users' home security and self-monitoring information in new and unique ways. such clients could include new types of mobile devices, or complex applications where integrated security system content is integrated into a broader set of application features. in addition to the end-user clients, the iconnect servers 1204 support pc browser-based service management clients that manage the ongoing operation of the overall service. these clients run applications that handle tasks such as provisioning, service monitoring, customer support and reporting. there are numerous types of server components of the iconnect servers 1204 of an embodiment including, but not limited to, the following: business components which manage information about all of the home security and self-monitoring devices; end-user application components which display that information for users and access the business components via published xml apis; and service management application components which enable operators to administer the service (these components also access the business components via the xml apis, and also via published snmp mibs). the server components provide access to, and management of, the objects associated with an integrated security system installation. the top-level object is the “network.” it is a location where a gateway 1202 is located, and is also commonly referred to as a site or premises; the premises can include any type of structure (e.g., home, office, warehouse, etc.) at which a gateway 1202 is located. users can only access the networks to which they have been granted permission. within a network, every object monitored by the gateway 1202 is called a device. devices include the sensors, cameras, home security panels and automation devices, as well as the controller or processor-based device running the gateway applications. various types of interactions are possible between the objects in a system. automations define actions that occur as a result of a change in state of a device. for example, take a picture with the front entry camera when the front door sensor changes to “open”. notifications are messages sent to users to indicate that something has occurred, such as the front door going to “open” state, or has not occurred (referred to as an iwatch notification). schedules define changes in device states that are to take place at predefined days and times. for example, set the security panel to “armed” mode every weeknight at 11:00 μm. the iconnect business components are responsible for orchestrating all of the low-level service management activities for the integrated security system service. they define all of the users and devices associated with a network (site), analyze how the devices interact, and trigger associated actions (such as sending notifications to users). all changes in device states are monitored and logged. the business components also manage all interactions with external systems as required, including sending alarms and other related self-monitoring data to the home security central monitoring system (cms) 1299 . the business components are implemented as portable java j2ee servlets, but are not so limited. the following iconnect business components manage the main elements of the integrated security system service, but the embodiment is not so limited: a registry manager 1320 defines and manages users and networks. this component is responsible for the creation, modification and termination of users and networks. it is also where a user's access to networks is defined.a network manager 1322 defines and manages security and self-monitoring devices that are deployed on a network (site). this component handles the creation, modification, deletion and configuration of the devices, as well as the creation of automations, schedules and notification rules associated with those devices.a data manager 1324 manages access to current and logged state data for an existing network and its devices. this component specifically does not provide any access to network management capabilities, such as adding new devices to a network, which are handled exclusively by the network manager 1322 .to achieve optimal performance for all types of queries, data for current device states is stored separately from historical state data (a.k.a. “logs”) in the database. a log data manager 1326 performs ongoing transfers of current device state data to the historical data log tables. additional iconnect business components handle direct communications with certain clients and other systems, for example: an ihub manager 1328 directly manages all communications with gateway clients, including receiving information about device state changes, changing the configuration of devices, and pushing new versions of the gateway client to the hardware it is running on.a notification manager 1330 is responsible for sending all notifications to clients via sms (mobile phone messages), email (via a relay server like an smtp email server), etc.an alarm and cms manager 1332 sends critical server-generated alarm events to the home security central monitoring station (cms) and manages all other communications of integrated security system service data to and from the cms.the element management system (ems) 1334 is an icontrol business component that manages all activities associated with service installation, scaling and monitoring, and filters and packages service operations data for use by service management applications. the snmp mibs published by the ems can also be incorporated into any third party monitoring system if desired. the iconnect business components store information about the objects that they manage in the icontrol service database 1340 and in the icontrol content store 1342 . the icontrol content store is used to store media objects like video, photos and widget content, while the service database stores information about users, networks, and devices. database interaction is performed via a jdbc interface. for security purposes, the business components manage all data storage and retrieval. the icontrol business components provide web services-based apis that application components use to access the business components' capabilities. functions of application components include presenting integrated security system service data to end-users, performing administrative duties, and integrating with external systems and back-office applications. the primary published apis for the iconnect business components include, but are not limited to, the following: a registry manager api 1352 provides access to the registry manager business component's functionality, allowing management of networks and users.a network manager api 1354 provides access to the network manager business component's functionality, allowing management of devices on a network.a data manager api 1356 provides access to the data manager business component's functionality, such as setting and retrieving (current and historical) data about device states.a provisioning api 1358 provides a simple way to create new networks and configure initial default properties. each api of an embodiment includes two modes of access: java api or xml api. the xml apis are published as web services so that they can be easily accessed by applications or servers over a network. the java apis are a programmer-friendly wrapper for the xml apis. application components and integrations written in java should generally use the java apis rather than the xml apis directly. the iconnect business components also have an xml-based interface 1360 for quickly adding support for new devices to the integrated security system. this interface 1360 , referred to as deviceconnect 1360 , is a flexible, standards-based mechanism for defining the properties of new devices and how they can be managed. although the format is flexible enough to allow the addition of any type of future device, pre-defined xml profiles are currently available for adding common types of devices such as sensors (sensorconnect), home security panels (panelconnect) and ip cameras (cameraconnect). the iconnect end-user application components deliver the user interfaces that run on the different types of clients supported by the integrated security system service. the components are written in portable java j2ee technology (e.g., as java servlets, as javaserver pages (jsps), etc.) and they all interact with the icontrol business components via the published apis. the following end-user application components generate css-based html/javascript that is displayed on the target client. these applications can be dynamically branded with partner-specific logos and url links (such as customer support, etc.). the end-user application components of an embodiment include, but are not limited to, the following: an icontrol activation application 1370 that delivers the first application that a user sees when they set up the integrated security system service. this wizard-based web browser application securely associates a new user with a purchased gateway and the other devices included with it as a kit (if any). it primarily uses functionality published by the provisioning api.an icontrol web portal application 1372 runs on pc browsers and delivers the web-based interface to the integrated security system service. this application allows users to manage their networks (e.g. add devices and create automations) as well as to view/change device states, and manage pictures and videos. because of the wide scope of capabilities of this application, it uses three different business component apis that include the registry manager api, network manager api, and data manager api, but the embodiment is not so limited.an icontrol mobile portal 1374 is a small-footprint web-based interface that runs on mobile phones and pdas. this interface is optimized for remote viewing of device states and pictures/videos rather than network management. as such, its interaction with the business components is primarily via the data manager api.custom portals and targeted client applications can be provided that leverage the same business component apis used by the above applications.a content manager application component 1376 delivers content to a variety of clients. it sends multimedia-rich user interface components to widget container clients (both pc and browser-based), as well as to advanced touchscreen keypad clients. in addition to providing content directly to end-user devices, the content manager 1376 provides widget-based user interface components to satisfy requests from other application components such as the icontrol web 1372 and mobile 1374 portals. a number of application components are responsible for overall management of the service. these pre-defined applications, referred to as service management application components, are configured to offer off-the-shelf solutions for production management of the integrated security system service including provisioning, overall service monitoring, customer support, and reporting, for example. the service management application components of an embodiment include, but are not limited to, the following: a service management application 1380 allows service administrators to perform activities associated with service installation, scaling and monitoring/alerting. this application interacts heavily with the element management system (ems) business component to execute its functionality, and also retrieves its monitoring data from that component via protocols such as snmp mibs.a kitting application 1382 is used by employees performing service provisioning tasks. this application allows home security and self-monitoring devices to be associated with gateways during the warehouse kitting process.a csr application and report generator 1384 is used by personnel supporting the integrated security system service, such as csrs resolving end-user issues and employees enquiring about overall service usage. pushes of new gateway firmware to deployed gateways is also managed by this application. the iconnect servers 1204 also support custom-built integrations with a service provider's existing oss/bss, csr and service delivery systems 1390 . such systems can access the iconnect web services xml api to transfer data to and from the iconnect servers 1204 . these types of integrations can compliment or replace the pc browser-based service management applications, depending on service provider needs. as described above, the integrated security system of an embodiment includes a gateway, or ihub. the gateway of an embodiment includes a device that is deployed in the home or business and couples or connects the various third-party cameras, home security panels, sensors and devices to the iconnect server over a wan connection as described in detail herein. the gateway couples to the home network and communicates directly with the home security panel in both wired and wireless sensor installations. the gateway is configured to be low-cost, reliable and thin so that it complements the integrated security system network-based architecture. the gateway supports various wireless protocols and can interconnect with a wide range of home security control panels. service providers and users can then extend the system's capabilities by adding ip cameras, lighting modules and additional security devices. the gateway is configurable to be integrated into many consumer appliances, including set-top boxes, routers and security panels. the small and efficient footprint of the gateway enables this portability and versatility, thereby simplifying and reducing the overall cost of the deployment. fig. 14 is a block diagram of the gateway 1202 including gateway software or applications, under an embodiment. the gateway software architecture is relatively thin and efficient, thereby simplifying its integration into other consumer appliances such as set-top boxes, routers, touch screens and security panels. the software architecture also provides a high degree of security against unauthorized access. this section describes the various key components of the gateway software architecture. the gateway application layer 1402 is the main program that orchestrates the operations performed by the gateway. the security engine 1404 provides robust protection against intentional and unintentional intrusion into the integrated security system network from the outside world (both from inside the premises as well as from the wan). the security engine 1404 of an embodiment comprises one or more sub-modules or components that perform functions including, but not limited to, the following: encryption including 128-bit ssl encryption for gateway and iconnect server communication to protect user data privacy and provide secure communication.bi-directional authentication between the gateway and iconnect server in order to prevent unauthorized spoofing and attacks. data sent from the iconnect server to the gateway application (or vice versa) is digitally signed as an additional layer of security. digital signing provides both authentication and validation that the data has not been altered in transit.camera ssl encapsulation because picture and video traffic offered by off-the-shelf networked ip cameras is not secure when traveling over the internet. the gateway provides for 128-bit ssl encapsulation of the user picture and video data sent over the internet for complete user security and privacy.802.11b/g/n with wpa-2 security to ensure that wireless camera communications always takes place using the strongest available protection.a gateway-enabled device is assigned a unique activation key for activation with an iconnect server. this ensures that only valid gateway-enabled devices can be activated for use with the specific instance of iconnect server in use. attempts to activate gateway-enabled devices by brute force are detected by the security engine. partners deploying gateway-enabled devices have the knowledge that only a gateway with the correct serial number and activation key can be activated for use with an iconnect server. stolen devices, devices attempting to masquerade as gateway-enabled devices, and malicious outsiders (or insiders as knowledgeable but nefarious customers) cannot effect other customers' gateway-enabled devices. as standards evolve, and new encryption and authentication methods are proven to be useful, and older mechanisms proven to be breakable, the security manager can be upgraded “over the air” to provide new and better security for communications between the iconnect server and the gateway application, and locally at the premises to remove any risk of eavesdropping on camera communications. a remote firmware download module 1406 allows for seamless and secure updates to the gateway firmware through the icontrol maintenance application on the server 1204 , providing a transparent, hassle-free mechanism for the service provider to deploy new features and bug fixes to the installed user base. the firmware download mechanism is tolerant of connection loss, power interruption and user interventions (both intentional and unintentional). such robustness reduces down time and customer support issues. gateway firmware can be remotely download either for one gateway at a time, a group of gateways, or in batches. the automations engine 1408 manages the user-defined rules of interaction between the different devices (e.g. when door opens turn on the light). though the automation rules are programmed and reside at the portal/server level, they are cached at the gateway level in order to provide short latency between device triggers and actions. deviceconnect 1410 includes definitions of all supported devices (e.g., cameras, security panels, sensors, etc.) using a standardized plug-in architecture. the deviceconnect module 1410 offers an interface that can be used to quickly add support for any new device as well as enabling interoperability between devices that use different technologies/protocols. for common device types, pre-defined sub-modules have been defined, making supporting new devices of these types even easier. sensorconnect 1412 is provided for adding new sensors, cameraconnect 1416 for adding ip cameras, and panelconnect 1414 for adding home security panels. the schedules engine 1418 is responsible for executing the user defined schedules (e.g., take a picture every five minutes; every day at 8 am set temperature to 65 degrees fahrenheit, etc.). though the schedules are programmed and reside at the iconnect server level they are sent to the scheduler within the gateway application. the schedules engine 1418 then interfaces with sensorconnect 1412 to ensure that scheduled events occur at precisely the desired time. the device management module 1420 is in charge of all discovery, installation and configuration of both wired and wireless ip devices (e.g., cameras, etc.) coupled or connected to the system. networked ip devices, such as those used in the integrated security system, require user configuration of many ip and security parameters—to simplify the user experience and reduce the customer support burden, the device management module of an embodiment handles the details of this configuration. the device management module also manages the video routing module described below. the video routing engine 1422 is responsible for delivering seamless video streams to the user with zero-configuration. through a multi-step, staged approach the video routing engine uses a combination of upnp port-forwarding, relay server routing and stun/turn peer-to-peer routing. fig. 15 is a block diagram of components of the gateway 1202 , under an embodiment. depending on the specific set of functionality desired by the service provider deploying the integrated security system service, the gateway 1202 can use any of a number of processors 1502 , due to the small footprint of the gateway application firmware. in an embodiment, the gateway could include the broadcom bcm5354 as the processor for example. in addition, the gateway 1202 includes memory (e.g., flash 1504 , ram 1506 , etc.) and any number of input/output (i/o) ports 1508 . referring to the wan portion 1510 of the gateway 1202 , the gateway 1202 of an embodiment can communicate with the iconnect server using a number of communication types and/or protocols, for example broadband 1512 , gprs 1514 and/or public switched telephone network (ptsn) 1516 to name a few. in general, broadband communication 1512 is the primary means of connection between the gateway 1202 and the iconnect server 1204 and the gprs/cdma 1514 and/or pstn 1516 interfaces acts as backup for fault tolerance in case the user's broadband connection fails for whatever reason, but the embodiment is not so limited. referring to the lan portion 1520 of the gateway 1202 , various protocols and physical transceivers can be used to communicate to off-the-shelf sensors and cameras. the gateway 1202 is protocol-agnostic and technology-agnostic and as such can easily support almost any device networking protocol. the gateway 1202 can, for example, support ge and honeywell security rf protocols 1522 , z-wave 1524 , serial (rs232 and rs485) 1526 for direct connection to security panels as well as wifi 1528 (802.11b/g) for communication to wifi cameras. embodiments include a system comprising a drone comprising a plurality of sensors configured to collect surveillance data at a premises. the drone includes a positioning system and propulsion system configured to control position and movement of the drone for premises surveillance. the system includes a plurality of network devices installed at the premises. the system includes a gateway comprising a rules engine. the gateway is coupled to the drone and the plurality of network devices. the gateway is configured to receive drone data and the surveillance data from the drone and device data from the plurality of network devices. the rules engine is configured to generate control data for the drone and the plurality of network devices using the drone data, the surveillance data and the device data. the system includes a remote client device coupled to the gateway, wherein the remote client device includes a user interface generated by an application of the remote client device. the user interface is configured to present at least one of the drone data, the surveillance data and the device data. embodiments include a system comprising: a drone comprising a plurality of sensors configured to collect surveillance data at a premises, wherein the drone includes a positioning system and propulsion system configured to control position and movement of the drone for premises surveillance; a plurality of network devices installed at the premises; a gateway comprising a rules engine, wherein the gateway is coupled to the drone and the plurality of network devices, wherein the gateway is configured to receive drone data and the surveillance data from the drone and device data from the plurality of network devices, wherein the rules engine is configured to generate control data for the drone and the plurality of network devices using the drone data, the surveillance data and the device data; and a remote client device coupled to the gateway, wherein the remote client device includes a user interface generated by an application of the remote client device, wherein the user interface is configured to present at least one of the drone data, the surveillance data and the device data. the drone comprises an unmanned autonomous vehicle, wherein the plurality of sensors includes at least one of an image sensor, an acoustic sensor, an environmental sensor, a motion sensor, and a detector. the drone includes at least one of an aircraft, a land vehicle, a watercraft, and a motor vehicle. the drone includes control logic comprising at least one of the following: operation logic defined by one or more predefined operation procedures using data of sensor states of at least one system sensor of the drone including at least one of velocity, a timer, an inertial measurement unit, and a global positioning system (gps); range prediction logic defined by a status of the power source of the drone and premises environmental conditions including at least one of wind speed and direction, humidity, altitude, temperature, and air pressure, and a trajectory planner associated with one or more mobile operations; and autonomous logic associated with the range prediction logic including collision avoidance logic and control and encryption for information transmitted between the drone and at least one of the gateway and the remote server. the drone comprises operational states including at least one of a quiet state, a charging state, and a patrol state when the drone is performing surveillance of the premises. the drone includes at least one pre-programmed premises patrol route for use in the patrol state. the drone generates a premises patrol route for use in a patrol state. the system comprises a remote server coupled to at least one of the gateway and the drone, wherein the remote server is configured to receive at least a portion of the drone data, the surveillance data, the device data, and the control data. the remote server includes a server rules engine, wherein the server rules engine is configured to control at least one of the drone and at least one premises device of the plurality of premises devices. processing of at least one of the drone data, the surveillance data and the device data is distributed among the rules engine of the gateway and the server rules engine. at least one of the remote server and the gateway are configured to coordinate control of the drone using at least one of the drone data, the surveillance data and the device data. the system comprises a map of the premises, wherein the map includes at least one of a two-dimensional and a three-dimensional map. the drone is configured to generate the map from at least one of the drone data, the surveillance data and the device data. at least one of the drone, the gateway, and the remote server is configured to generate the map from at least one of the drone data, the surveillance data and the device data. the drone includes a communication system configured to transmit at least one of the surveillance data and the drone data to at least one of the remote server and the gateway, wherein the communication system includes at least one of radio frequency (rf) and cellular channels. at least one of the gateway and the remote server is configured to generate alert messages using at least one of the drone data, the surveillance data and the device data, and provide the alert messages to the user interface of the remote client device. the gateway is located at the premises. the drone includes the gateway. the remote server includes the gateway. the gateway is coupled to the remote server via a plurality of communication channels, wherein the plurality of communication channels include at least one of a broadband channel, a cellular channel, and an rf channel. the rules engine is configured to control interaction among the plurality of premises devices. the rules engine is configured to control interaction among the drone and at least one premises device of the plurality of premises devices. the device data comprises data generated by the plurality of premises devices. the drone data includes at least one of position data and route data of the drone. the drone data includes system data of at least one drone onboard system. the gateway is configured to process at least a portion of at least one of the drone data, the surveillance data and the device data. the position and the movement of the drone is controlled automatically by at least one of the gateway and the server. the user interface is configured to receive control inputs for the drone, wherein the position and the movement of the drone is controlled via the control inputs. the user interface is configured to receive control inputs for at least one of the drone and the plurality of network devices. the system comprises a docking station configured to receive the drone. the gateway includes the docking station. the docking station includes a charging system configured to charge a power source of the drone. the plurality of premises devices includes at least one of an internet protocol (ip) device, a sensor, a detector, a camera, a controller, an actuator, an automation device, a monitoring device, and a security device. the system comprises a security system at the premises, wherein the security system comprises a security controller coupled to security system components installed at the premises. the security system is configured to provide security data of the premises to a central monitoring station remote to the premises. the plurality of premises devices includes the security system. the security system is coupled to at least one of the gateway and the drone. the drone includes the security controller. the drone includes the security system. the drone includes the gateway. the gateway and the security system form a security network that is independent of remaining premises devices of the plurality of premises devices. the security system components include at least one of sensors, cameras, input/output (i/o) devices, accessory controllers, door sensor, window sensor, enclosure sensor, motion sensor, thermostat, temperature sensor, heat sensor, smoke sensor, carbon monoxide sensor, water sensor, freeze sensor, weather sensor, and remote control. embodiments include a method comprising configuring a drone to include a plurality of sensors configured to collect surveillance data at a premises. the drone includes a positioning system and propulsion system configured to control position and movement of the drone. the method includes configuring a gateway to receive drone data and the surveillance data from the drone and device data from a plurality of network devices installed at the premises, and generate control data for the drone and the plurality of network devices. the method includes configuring a remote client device to include a user interface generated by an application of the remote client device and to present via the user interface at least one of the drone data, the surveillance data and the device data. embodiments include a method comprising: configuring a drone to include a plurality of sensors configured to collect surveillance data at a premises, wherein the drone includes a positioning system and propulsion system configured to control position and movement of the drone; configuring a gateway to receive drone data and the surveillance data from the drone and device data from a plurality of network devices installed at the premises, and generate control data for the drone and the plurality of network devices; and configuring a remote client device to include a user interface generated by an application of the remote client device and to present via the user interface at least one of the drone data, the surveillance data and the device data. embodiments include a system comprising a drone comprising a plurality of sensors configured to collect surveillance data at a premises. the system includes a plurality of network devices installed at the premises. the system includes a gateway coupled to the drone and the plurality of network devices. the gateway is configured to receive drone data and the surveillance data from the drone and device data from the plurality of network devices. the system includes a remote client device coupled to the gateway. the remote client device includes a user interface configured to present at least one of the drone data, the surveillance data and the device data. embodiments include a system comprising: a drone comprising a plurality of sensors configured to collect surveillance data at a premises; a plurality of network devices installed at the premises; a gateway coupled to the drone and the plurality of network devices, wherein the gateway is configured to receive drone data and the surveillance data from the drone and device data from the plurality of network devices; and a remote client device coupled to the gateway, wherein the remote client device includes a user interface configured to present at least one of the drone data, the surveillance data and the device data. embodiments include a system comprising a drone comprising an unmanned vehicle configured to perform surveillance of a premises. the surveillance includes at least one of autonomous navigation and remote piloting around the premises. the drone includes a security controller coupled to a plurality of sensors configured to collect security data at the premises. the system includes a remote server coupled to the drone. the remote server is configured to receive the security data and drone data. the remote server is configured to generate control data for the drone and the security controller using the security data and the drone data. the system includes a remote device coupled to at least one of the drone and the remote server. the remote device includes a user interface configured to present the security data and the drone data. embodiments include a system comprising: a drone comprising an unmanned vehicle configured to perform surveillance of a premises, wherein the surveillance includes at least one of autonomous navigation and remote piloting around the premises, wherein the drone includes a security controller coupled to a plurality of sensors configured to collect security data at the premises; a remote server coupled to the drone, wherein the remote server is configured to receive the security data and drone data, wherein the remote server is configured to generate control data for the drone and the security controller using the security data and the drone data; and a remote device coupled to at least one of the drone and the remote server, wherein the remote device includes a user interface configured to present the security data and the drone data. embodiments include a system comprising a drone comprising an unmanned vehicle configured to perform surveillance of a premises. the surveillance includes at least one of autonomous navigation and remote piloting around the premises. the drone includes a controller coupled to a plurality of sensors configured to collect drone data and security data at the premises. the controller is configured to generate control data for the drone and the premises using the drone data and the security data. the system includes a remote device coupled to the drone. the remote device includes a user interface configured to present at least one of the drone data, the security data, and the control data. embodiments include a system comprising: a drone comprising an unmanned vehicle configured to perform surveillance of a premises, wherein the surveillance includes at least one of autonomous navigation and remote piloting around the premises, wherein the drone includes a controller coupled to a plurality of sensors configured to collect drone data and security data at the premises, wherein the controller is configured to generate control data for the drone and the premises using the drone data and the security data; and a remote device coupled to the drone, wherein the remote device includes a user interface configured to present at least one of the drone data, the security data, and the control data. embodiments include a system comprising a drone comprising an unmanned vehicle configured to patrol a premises. the patrol includes at least one of autonomous navigation and remote piloting around the premises. the drone includes an automation controller coupled to a plurality of sensors configured to collect sensor data. a first set of sensors of the plurality of sensors is onboard the drone and a second set of sensors of the plurality of sensors is installed at the premises. the system includes a remote server coupled to the drone and configured to receive the sensor data. at least one of the remote server and the automation controller is configured to use the sensor data to generate control data for the drone and for premises devices installed at the premises. the system includes a remote device coupled to at least one of the drone and the remote server. the remote device includes a user interface configured to present at least one of the security data and the drone data embodiments include a system comprising: a drone comprising an unmanned vehicle configured to patrol a premises, wherein the patrol includes at least one of autonomous navigation and remote piloting around the premises, wherein the drone includes an automation controller coupled to a plurality of sensors configured to collect sensor data, wherein a first set of sensors of the plurality of sensors is onboard the drone and a second set of sensors of the plurality of sensors is installed at the premises; a remote server coupled to the drone and configured to receive the sensor data, wherein at least one of the remote server and the automation controller is configured to use the sensor data to generate control data for the drone and for premises devices installed at the premises; and a remote device coupled to at least one of the drone and the remote server, wherein the remote device includes a user interface configured to present at least one of the security data and the drone data as described above, computer networks suitable for use with the embodiments described herein include local area networks (lan), wide area networks (wan), internet, or other connection services and network variations such as the world wide web, the public internet, a private internet, a private computer network, a public network, a mobile network, a cellular network, a value-added network, and the like. computing devices coupled or connected to the network may be any microprocessor controlled device that permits access to the network, including terminal devices, such as personal computers, workstations, servers, mini computers, main-frame computers, laptop computers, mobile computers, palm top computers, hand held computers, mobile phones, tv set-top boxes, or combinations thereof. the computer network may include one of more lans, wans, internets, and computers. the computers may serve as servers, clients, or a combination thereof. the system can be a component of a single system, multiple systems, and/or geographically separate systems. the system can also be a subcomponent or subsystem of a single system, multiple systems, and/or geographically separate systems. the system can be coupled to one or more other components (not shown) of a host system or a system coupled to the host system. one or more components of the system and/or a corresponding system or application to which the system is coupled or connected includes and/or runs under and/or in association with a processing system. the processing system includes any collection of processor-based devices or computing devices operating together, or components of processing systems or devices, as is known in the art. for example, the processing system can include one or more of a portable computer, portable communication device operating in a communication network, and/or a network server. the portable computer can be any of a number and/or combination of devices selected from among personal computers, personal digital assistants, portable computing devices, and portable communication devices, but is not so limited. the processing system can include components within a larger computer system. the processing system of an embodiment includes at least one processor and at least one memory device or subsystem. the processing system can also include or be coupled to at least one database. the term “processor” as generally used herein refers to any logic processing unit, such as one or more central processing units (cpus), digital signal processors (dsps), application-specific integrated circuits (asic), etc. the processor and memory can be monolithically integrated onto a single chip, distributed among a number of chips or components, and/or provided by some combination of algorithms. the methods described herein can be implemented in one or more of software algorithm(s), programs, firmware, hardware, components, circuitry, in any combination. the components of any system that includes the system herein can be located together or in separate locations. communication paths couple the components and include any medium for communicating or transferring files among the components. the communication paths include wireless connections, wired connections, and hybrid wireless/wired connections. the communication paths also include couplings or connections to networks including local area networks (lans), metropolitan area networks (mans), wide area networks (wans), proprietary networks, interoffice or backend networks, and the internet. furthermore, the communication paths include removable fixed mediums like floppy disks, hard disk drives, and cd-rom disks, as well as flash ram, universal serial bus (usb) connections, rs-232 connections, telephone lines, buses, and electronic mail messages. aspects of the systems and methods described herein may be implemented as functionality programmed into any of a variety of circuitry, including programmable logic devices (plds), such as field programmable gate arrays (fpgas), programmable array logic (pal) devices, electrically programmable logic and memory devices and standard cell-based devices, as well as application specific integrated circuits (asics). some other possibilities for implementing aspects of the systems and methods include: microcontrollers with memory (such as electronically erasable programmable read only memory (eeprom)), embedded microprocessors, firmware, software, etc. furthermore, aspects of the systems and methods may be embodied in microprocessors having software-based circuit emulation, discrete logic (sequential and combinatorial), custom devices, fuzzy (neural) logic, quantum devices, and hybrids of any of the above device types. of course the underlying device technologies may be provided in a variety of component types, e.g., metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (mosfet) technologies like complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (cmos), bipolar technologies like emitter-coupled logic (ecl), polymer technologies (e.g., silicon-conjugated polymer and metal-conjugated polymer-metal structures), mixed analog and digital, etc. it should be noted that any system, method, and/or other components disclosed herein may be described using computer aided design tools and expressed (or represented), as data and/or instructions embodied in various computer-readable media, in terms of their behavioral, register transfer, logic component, transistor, layout geometries, and/or other characteristics. computer-readable media in which such formatted data and/or instructions may be embodied include, but are not limited to, non-volatile storage media in various forms (e.g., optical, magnetic or semiconductor storage media) and carrier waves that may be used to transfer such formatted data and/or instructions through wireless, optical, or wired signaling media or any combination thereof. examples of transfers of such formatted data and/or instructions by carrier waves include, but are not limited to, transfers (uploads, downloads, e-mail, etc.) over the internet and/or other computer networks via one or more data transfer protocols (e.g., http, ftp, smtp, etc.). when received within a computer system via one or more computer-readable media, such data and/or instruction-based expressions of the above described components may be processed by a processing entity (e.g., one or more processors) within the computer system in conjunction with execution of one or more other computer programs. unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in a sense of “including, but not limited to.” words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number respectively. additionally, the words “herein,” “hereunder,” “above,” “below,” and words of similar import, when used in this application, refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. when the word “or” is used in reference to a list of two or more items, that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list and any combination of the items in the list. the above description of embodiments of the systems and methods is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the systems and methods to the precise forms disclosed. while specific embodiments of, and examples for, the systems and methods are described herein for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the systems and methods, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. the teachings of the systems and methods provided herein can be applied to other systems and methods, not only for the systems and methods described above. the elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. these and other changes can be made to the systems and methods in light of the above detailed description.
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191-259-587-946-689
|
SE
|
[
"US"
] |
C21C5/52,H05B7/06
| 1974-11-25T00:00:00 |
1974
|
[
"C21",
"H05"
] |
electric arc furnace hearth connection
|
a dc electric arc furnace has an electric connector for a melt in the furnace's hearth in the form of an elongated metal conductor having a refractory enclosure exposing an inner end of the conductor for contact with and incidental melting by the melt, the refractory enclosure being formed by a projection of the hearth's lining extending from the inside of the hearth to beyond the hearth's outside with a metal shell enclosing the hearth's projection on the outside of the hearth.
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1. an electric arc furnace comprising a hearth having an inside and outside for containing a melt on its inside, an electrode positioned to form an arc between the electrode and a melt in the hearth when the electrode and melt have connections with an electric power source, an electric melt connection comprising at least one elongated metal conductor having inner and outer ends and a refractory enclosure exposing the inner end for contact with and melting by a melt in said hearth, and cooling means for cooling the conductor at least between its inner and outer ends for removing heat therefrom at a rate preventing the conductor from melting throughout its length to its outer end, said hearth comprising a refractory lining and said refractory enclosure comprising a downward hearth projection of said lining, said projection being an integral part of said lining and extending straight downwardly from the hearth's inside to beyond its outside and to the outer end of said conductor, and a metal shell projection enclosing said hearth projection on the outside of said hearth, said cooling means comprising means for removing heat from at least a portion of said shell on the outside of the hearth. 2. the furnace of claim 1 in which said metal conductor and said refractory enclosure extend vertically downwardly from the hearth's said inside. 3. the furnace of claim 1 in which the metal conductor's said inner end is made of ferrous metal and the conductor's said outer end is made of cuprous metal and substantially integrally connected to said inner end. 4. the furnace of claim 1 in which a metal furnace shell supports the hearth's said outside and said metal projection shell is connected to said furnace shell. 5. the furnace of claim 1 in which said cooling means comprises means for flowing a fluid coolant over the outside of said metal projection shell. 6. the furnace of claim 1 in which said hearth projection and said metal shell projection taper away from the hearth's said outside. 7. the furnace of claim 2 in which said hearth has a tapping spout extending therefrom and said metal conductor and said refractory enclosure extend from the junction of said hearth and spout.
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background of the invention the patent literature discloses dc electric arc furnaces having hearth or melt connectors for conducting current into a melt in a furnace's hearth to power an arc formed between the melt and an arcing electrode, example being the bowman pat. no. 3,789,127 and the valchev et al u.s. pat. no. 3,835,230. insofar as is known, there has been no published disclosure of such hearth or melt connectors in any forms capable of being incorporated into dc furnaces which can be commercially made and used. one practical form is disclosed by the presently allowed stenkvist patent application ser. no. 587,714, filed june 17, 1975 now u.s. pat. no. 3,997,712 issued dec. 14, 1976, and assigned to the assignee of the present application. there a hearth or melt connector is disclosed in the form of a unit which can be connected to the outside of an electric furnace, the furnace's hearth and the unit having openings through which a melt in the furnace can reach a hearth or melt conductor having a refractory enclosure forming a part of the unit. the construction is practical and can be incorporated into a dc electric arc furnace capable of commerical manufacture and use. however, it has proven desirable to provide a dc arc furnace construction having a hearth or melt connector capable of commercial manufacture and use and which is simpler, less expensive and at least equally reliable as that disclosed by the stenkvist application. for commerical use, both ac and dc electric arc furnaces usually have a physical construction of the herolt type described in detail by the making, shaping and treating of steel, 7th edition, published by the u.s. steel corporation, reference being had to chapter 16, 2 of this publication, this reference being hereby incorporated as a part of the present disclosure. when operated as a dc furnace one or more of the hearth or melt connectors are used, the circuit being via the connector through the melt in the furnace's hearth and via the arc or arcs to the arcing electrode or electrodes. briefly stated, such a furnace comprises a steel shell supporting a lining of brick work, the bricks forming the bottom being outwardly stepped upwardly and covered with a layer of sintered granular refractory particles so as to form the hearth for containing the melt. the shell and brick lining forming the side wall are generally of cylindrical contour and extend upwardly to be covered by a roof through which the electrode or electrodes project downwardly to form an arc or arcs with metal charged in the hearth. at one side a tapping spout projects which is also formed by a steel shell, lined with brick work and covered by the sintered granular material so as to form in effect an extension of the hearth, the opposite side of the furnace having a slag opening. the furnace is vertical when operating but can be tilted either towards the tapping spout for tapping or towards the slag opening for deslagging. as previously indicated, when operated as a dc furnace, a hearth or melt connector is required for forming an electrical connection with the melt in the hearth, the hearth being made of electrically non-conductive refractory materials as indicated, at least in the case of a commercial arc furnace of large capacity. summary of the invention according to the present invention, the hearth or melt connector is formed by a hearth projection of the hearth lining, extending from the hearth's inside to beyond its outside. this projection contains the metal conductor in the form of an elongated metal bar or billet having an inner end exposed to the inside of the hearth for contact by the melt and an outer end that extends beyond the hearth projection so as to be available for an electrical connection with a power line. this hearth projection is a part of the hearth itself, being formed of the same granular refractory, and it is held in position by a metal projection shell which encloses the hearth projection on the outside of the hearth and into which the granular material is rammed and sintered. this hearth projection which encases the metal conductor is, in effect, an integral part of the sintered granular refractory forming the furnace's hearth. the projection shell can be made as part of the usual metal furnace shell, so that the entire projection is externally strong. the usual refractory side wall and bottom lining of the steel shell of an electric arc furnace, is thick enough to provide the thermal insulation required to prevent the steel furnace shell from melting. therefore, the metal bar encased by the hearth projection of this invention is to some extent cooled by conduction of the heat the connector receives from a melt in the hearth, to the relatively cool outer surface portion of the hearth of furnace bottom lining of which the projection is a part. when working, the inner end of the conductor contacted by the melt, becomes molten, outwardly merging with the solid outer portion which must remain solid to prevent a melt breakout. the thermal conductivity of the metal conductor or bar or billet, is, of course, much higher than that of the hearth and the hearth projection through which the conductor extends and, therefore, it is not considered advisable to rely solely on thermal conduction from the conductor into the furnace bottom lining and ambient air cooling of the projection, to keep the metal conductor unmelted throughout its outer portion. therefore, the metal shell which encases or encloses the hearth projection on the outside of the furnace hearth, is externally provided with water-cooling means. in this way heat can be removed from the outside of the hearth projection on the outside of the furnace bottom or hearth, at a rate positively assuring that the conductor will remain solid throughout its outer portion at all times when working. in addition to its simplicity, relatively low cost and reliability, this new hearth or melt connection or connector has the great advantage of flexibility as to its location and installation. for example, it can be centrally positioned with respect to the furnace or at any position offset from that position, it can be made as a hearth projection extending from the furnace pouring spout, or it can be positioned offset from the hearth or furnace bottom lining at the furnace's slag opening. preferably this new hearth connector with its refractory enclosure is made to extend straight downwardly from the hearth's inside, regardless of the specific location where the connector is positioned. the previously described stenkvist application discloses a specific example of that connector wherein the unit provides for the metal conductor or billet to be curved so that its inner end can be positioned to contact the melt in the hearth while its outer end is positioned on the outside of the furnace at a level above the melt level in the furnace. this arrangement was used to provide positive insurance against a melt breakout in the event the unit's metal conductor should become molten throughout its entire extent including its outer end. with this new conductor the metal conductor's heat absorbed from the melt is removed not only by the external water cooling of the hearth projection's metal casing, but also by conduction through the hearth refractory of the projection into the outer or lower and cooler portions of the hearth or furnace bottom lining. in this way a redundancy of safety is provided insofar as a melt breakout is concerned, permitting the arrangement to provide for a straight uncurved vertical metal conductor or bar or billet. the above vertical arrangement has the advantage that carbon-oxide gases which might hypothetically possibly be formed in the molten end of the melt conductor, can escape upwardly through the conductor's molten portion and into the melt in the hearth above so as to become lost in the furnace atmosphere above the melt. it is at least potentially possible that such gases might become entrapped in the molten part of the conductor when it has the previously described curved construction, making it hypothetically possible for an explosion hazard to exist. a fully horizontal conductor presents a more serious risk. brief description of the drawings various examples of the invention are illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which: fig. 1 is a vertical section showing the new connector in its vertical straight form, together with the adjacent portion of the furnace bottom lining or hearth; fig. 2 in vertical section shows the new connector used at the junction between the hearthproper and its pouring spout; fig. 3 shows the curved form of the new connector when it comprises an offset projection of the furnace lining material, as the connector can be used at the location indicated by fig. 2; fig. 4 is a vertical section showing a typical dc electric arc furnace of the type described and indicating the use of a hearth connector such as shown by fig. 3 at the two previously suggested locations, namely, below the slag opening and in conjunction with the pouring spout as indicated by fig. 2; and fig. 5 shows the preferred form of this invention initially shown by fig. 1 but indicating how this preferred form can also be used where the hearth extends to form the furnace's pouring spout. detailed description of the invention in the above drawings, fig. 1 shows the metal conductor as comprising a copper bar 1 of high electrical and thermal conductivity, to the inner end of which an iron or steel bar 2 of lower electrical and thermal conductivity is integrated as by the use of solder, the innermost end 3 of the steel bar being molten due to the heat of the melt 4. the soldered junction between the copper bar or billet 1 and the steel bar or billet 2 is indicated at 5. an arc furnace melt is steel with which the part 2 is compatible; the part 1 provides for carrying heat from the steel part and conducting current to that part with maximum efficiency. the usual sintered granular refractory furnace bottom lining 6 above the brick work 7 is shown, this refractory forming the furnace hearth. the hearth projection formed by this granular material is shown as being encased by a steel plate projection shell 8 extending downwardly from the outside of the furnace bottom or hearth and into which the granular material is rammed. this projection shell 8 may be integrated with the usual metal furnace shell. during the initial construction of the furnace bottom or when replacing the hearth material 6, the composite conductor or billet or bar 1-2 is made long enough to extend upwardly into the furnace so that the granular material 6 can be rammed around the bar and downwardly into the shell projection 8 which can itself be fixed to the metal furnace shell supporting the brick work 7. this brick work 7 is stepped away from the hearth projection location as indicated by fig. 1. drying and sintering of the granular material forms both the hearth and the hearth projection into what becomes, in effect, an integral construction. upon the formation of the melt 4 in the hearth and operation of the arc supplied via the melt and the melt connection with current, the upper ferrous end melts and becomes a part of the melt. the lower portion of the ferrous part and soldered joint 5 and the cuprous part 1 of the connector remain solid providing there is heat removal adequate for this purpose. for such heat removal, the lower and relatively cool portions of the hearth 6 serve to conduct heat away from the hearth projection. in addition, water coolant is flowed over the outside of the metal furnace shell projection 8, via water passages 9 formed by metal channels, which may be annular as indicated, fixed to the outside of this shell projection. the extreme outer or terminal end 10 of the cuprous portion 1 of the melt or hearth conductor can be directly water-cooled as indicated at 11 via its portion which extends below the bottom end of the shell projection 8. it is possible to build this new hearth or melt connection into almost any part of the hearth. the hearth and shell projections can be made as ruggedly as is necessary to withstand the service conditions to be expected in the case of a commerical tilting electric dc arc furnace. more than one of the connectors may be used. figs. 2 and 3 provide an example wherein the curved type of hearth projection and shell projection construction is used in a tapping or pouring spout of a furnace. the normal melt level of the furnace extends part-way up the tapping spout and it is visible with this portion of the melt that the connector connects via a passage 24 to which the inner end of the curved electric conductor 25 is exposed, the furnace lining as usual extending up to form the tapping spout lining 27 of the tapping spout 28. fig. 4 serves to show the main constructional elements of a typical electric arc furnace which is in this case intended for dc operation. two melt conductor locations are shown at 19 and 20 for carrying the melt so that the electrode indicated at 12 can form the arc. the tapping spout is indicated at 21. in this case the metal shell portion which extends under the bottom or hearth of the furnace is formed of non-magnetic metal plate to permit an inductive stirrer, indicated at 23, to be used. the two offset locations 19 and 20 indicated by fig. 4 permit this inductive stirrer 23 to be positioned in the usual fashion while the two connectors at 19 and 20 can be positioned diametrically opposite to each other and symmetrically with respect to the electrode 12 so that the arc deflection can be inherently vertical. in figs. 2 and 3 the water-cooling arrangements are shown at 26 which may be along the lines previously described. as previously indicated, the straight vertical construction of fig. 1 is considered to be preferable. fig. 5 serves to show how this same vertical construction can be used at the junction between the hearth refractory that extends to form the bottom of the usual tapping spout. more particularly referring to fig. 5, the portion 13 of the melt 14 heated by the arcing electrode 12 and which extends partially up into the pouring spout 21, is shown as contacting the ferrous portion 17 of the composite billet or electrical conductor, with the cuprous part 16 extending downwardly, the entire construction being straight and vertical. the water-cooling arrangement is indicated at 26. the terminal end is shown at 18 to which the power line, suggested by the arrow 15, connects, the bottom end of this terminal part 18 looking somewhat as shown by the offset view in fig. 5. the composite conductor bar featured hereinabove is considered to be preferable but the entire electric conductor portion of the new construction may be made of ferrous metal throughout. because of the simplicity of the new construction and its reliable safety, it becomes possible to use a melt or hearth connector at practically any location desired and using any number of connections desired. in effect, this new hearth or melt connector or electrode or contactor, essentially comprises the usual metal furnace shell being formed with an opening to which a metal shell projection is fixed such as by the use of welding, the shell projection having its outside provided with any suitably strong and rugged water-cooling channel arrangement for flowing water coolant over the outside of the projection. the usual brick work of the furnace bottom is stepped back to form an opening of slightly greater diameter than the opening formed in the furnace shell and from which the shell projection extends. before making up the hearth, the conductor bar or billet is installed in the shell projection with an outer end projecting below the latter and inner end extending at least up to and preferably a bit above the design level of the granular refractory which is to make up the hearth. then this granular material in the usual way is positioned on the brick work and at the hearth connection is rammed into the metal shell projection. with drying and sintering of the granular hearth refractory, the hearth itself acquires an integral projection in which the metal conductor bar is embedded. externally the shell projection which may be formed from the same metal plate as is the usual furnace shell, becomes in effect an integral part of the furnace shell, resistant to the service conditions to be expected. the external water cooling is preferably a part of the shell projection. normally the shell projection and its water coolant channels will be formed from adequately thick metal plate parts welded together and to the furnace shell proper, although it is conceivable that a casting may be used. when a melt is formed in the hearth and the furnace is in working condition, the inner end of the metal bar of billet conductor melts, to leave a hole in the hearth containing the molten metal with the molten end of the conductor becoming, in effect, a part of the melt. preferably the shell projection is made conical so as to taper outwardly in the direction of the outer end of the metal connector bar, because this gets the water cooling closer and closer to that end while providing a wedging action for the refractory when being rammed into the projection shell. as indicated by figs. 1 and 5 in particular, the ferrous portion of the metal bar or billet is only partially melted to leave a lower portion from which heat is rapidly abstracted by the cuprous lower portion of the conductor billet from which the heat is removed by the water coolant. heat is also removed from the conductor via the hearth itself with which the hearth projection integrally joins, at least throughout the lower portion of the hearth material which is adjacent to the usual metal furnace shell. it can be seen that the simplicity and safety of this new hearth or melt connection permits it to be installed almost anywhere that the inner end of the metallic connector can be exposed to the melt in the furnace's hearth.
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192-379-463-894-963
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US
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[
"US",
"GB",
"WO"
] |
A61K31/485,A61K9/48,A61K45/06,A61K47/55,A61K47/60,A61P25/04,A61K47/48
| 2014-10-20T00:00:00 |
2014
|
[
"A61"
] |
diversion-resistant opioid formulations
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the present invention provides a composition comprising an opioid agonist, and a polymer-antagonist conjugate. the polymer-antagonist conjugate preferably does not hydrolyze upon administration to a patient, and does not bind to the opioid receptors. the covalent bond between the polymer and the antagonist in the conjugate is broken over a defined period of time to release the antagonist into the formulation. the released antagonist attenuates the liking of the agonist, thereby eliminating the incentive to the diversion of the medicines.
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1. a composition comprising: an opioid agonist; and a compound according to formula (i), (d-x—z p m (i), wherein d is independently at each occurrence an opioid antagonist selected from the group consisting of naltrexone, naloxone, nalmephene, cyclazocine, levallorphan, buprenorphine, pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, and mixtures thereof; x forms a labile functionality between d and z defined by: that reacts, by cyclization-release mediated by a tethered nucleophile on q in an intramolecular reaction with the carbon atom bearing q and w, within a dose-unit form to release d, wherein: w is independently at each occurrence o, s, nh, or nr 1 , and r 1 is independently selected at each occurrence from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, and heteroaryl; q is independently at each occurrence nr or cr′r″, where r is the tethered nucleophile, where r′ and r″ are independently selected at each occurrence from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, and the tethered nucleophile, and where at each occurrence of cr′r″ at least one of r′ and r″ is the tethered nucleophile; z is independently at each occurrence a covalent linkage between x and a polymer, p, wherein z is a direct bond, an alkyl amine, an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom, a substituted amine, an alkyl group, a cyclo-alkyl group, a heteroalkyl group, an aryl group, or an amino acid; p is the polymer; and m is an integer from 1 to 100,000. 2. the composition of claim 1 , wherein the opioid agonist is morphine, hydromorphone, hydrocodone, oxycodone, codeine, levorphanol, meperidine, methadone, oxymorphone, dihydrocodeine, tramadol, pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, or mixtures thereof. 3. the composition of claim 1 , wherein the agonist and the antagonist are present in a ratio of about 1:10 to about 1:0.001. 4. the composition of claim 3 , wherein the agonist and the antagonist are present in a ratio of about 1:1 to about 1:0.001. 5. the composition of claim 4 , wherein the agonist and the antagonist are present in a ratio of about 1:0.5 to about 1:0.05. 6. the composition of claim 1 , the composition further comprising a reactive agent which mediates the release of the opioid antagonist from the compound according to formula (i), wherein the reactive agent is an organic or inorganic base, an organic or inorganic acid, a lewis acid or lewis base, or a buffer. 7. the composition of claim 1 , wherein a molecular weight of the polymer p is from about 1,000 da to about 50,000 da. 8. the composition of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyethylenes, polycarbonates, polyanhydrides, polyhydroxyacids, polypropylfumerates, polycaprolactones, polyamides, polyacetals, polyethers, polyesters, poly(orthoesters), polycyanoacrylates, polyvinyl alcohols, polyurethanes, polyphosphazenes, polyacrylates, polymethacrylates, polycyanoacrylates, polyureas, polystyrenes, polyamines, polysaccharides, and combinations thereof. 9. the composition of claim 8 , wherein the polymer is polyethylene glycol (peg), poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (plga), polylactide (pla), polyglycolide (pga), or a polycaprolactone. 10. a liquid-filled dose unit comprising a sheath enclosing a liquid fill, the fill comprising: an effective amount of the composition of claim 1 ; a pharmaceutically acceptable liquid carrier; and an optional reactive agent which mediates the release of the opioid antagonist from the compound according to formula (i), wherein the reactive agent is an organic or inorganic base, an organic or inorganic acid, a lewis acid or lewis base, or a buffer. 11. the liquid-filled dose unit of claim 10 , wherein the agonist is morphine, hydromorphone, hydrocodone, oxycodone, codeine, levorphanol, meperidine, methadone, oxymorphone, dihydrocodeine, tramadol, pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, prodrugs thereof or mixtures thereof. 12. the liquid-filled dose unit of claim 10 , wherein the reactive agent is a buffer, a lewis acid or a lewis base. 13. a pharmaceutical composition comprising: an effective amount of the composition of claim 6 ; and a pharmaceutically acceptable liquid carrier. 14. a liquid-filled capsule comprising a sheath enclosing a liquid fill, the fill comprising: an effective amount of the composition of claim 6 ; and a pharmaceutically acceptable liquid carrier. 15. a pharmaceutical composition comprising: an effective amount of the composition of claim 6 ; and one or more pharmaceutically acceptable excipients. 16. a composition comprising: an effective amount of the composition of claim 1 ; and one or more pharmaceutically acceptable excipient. 17. a oral pharmaceutical composition comprising: an effective amount of the composition of claim 1 ; and a pharmaceutically acceptable liquid carrier. 18. the composition of claim 1 , wherein d is naltrexone. 19. the composition of claim 9 , wherein the polymer is polyethylene glycol (peg). 20. the composition of claim 1 , wherein x is 21. the composition of claim 1 , wherein x is 22. the composition of claim 1 , wherein z is 23. a method for treating pain in a subject, the method comprising administrating to the subject the composition of claim 1 . 24. the method of claim 23 , wherein upon administrating to the subject the composition of claim 1 , the compound according to formula (i) results in a c max of d of from about 50 pg/ml to about 250 pg/ml. 25. the composition of claim 1 , wherein a molecular weight of the polymer p is greater than 2,000 da. 26. the composition of claim 22 , wherein the compound according to formula (i) is: or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and n is about 39. 27. the composition of claim 22 , wherein the compound according to formula (i) is: or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and n is about 39. 28. the composition of claim 22 , wherein the compound according to formula (i) is: or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and n is about 39. 29. the composition of claim 22 , wherein the compound according to formula (i) is: or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and n is about 39.
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cross-reference this application claims the benefit of u.s. provisional application no. 62/066,221, filed on oct. 20, 2014, which application is incorporated herein by reference. statement as to federally sponsored research this invention was made with the support of the united states government under sbir grant number 1r44da037908 by the national institute on drug abuse (nida), one of the national institutes of health (nih) in the u.s. department of health and human services. technical field the present invention relates to an opioid agonist and antagonist containing composition. more particularly, the present invention is directed to an opioid composition wherein the antagonist is covalently linked to a high molecular weight polymer, and the antagonist is released over a period of time thereby providing resistance to abuse and diversion of the medicament. background the class of drugs exhibiting opium or morphine-like properties is referred to as opioid agonists, or opioids, and they interact with opioid receptors in the brain, the peripheral nervous system and other tissues. the three major opioid receptor subtypes are mu, delta, and kappa. each of these receptors has a unique anatomical distribution in the central nervous system, the peripheral nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract. most of the clinically used opioids exert their desired therapeutic action (i.e. analgesia) at the mu receptor subtype. opioids include morphine, codeine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, and the like. examples of marketed opioids in the united states include oxycontin®, vicodin®, and percocet®. the opioids have diverse effects, including analgesia, euphoria, drowsiness, changes in mood and alterations of the endocrine and autonomic nervous systems. opioid analgesics comprise the major class of drugs used in the management of moderate to severe pain. as a class, opioids are among the most prescribed drugs in the us. ims data shows that about 9 billion hydrocodone containing pills are prescribed annually. one of the major concerns with the prescription of opioids is the diversion of the drugs for non-prescribed use. it has been found that unused prescription opioid drugs are frequently diverted to people who misuse or abuse them without prescriptions. more than three out of four people who misuse prescription painkillers use drugs previously prescribed to someone else. for example, among new abusers who began to misuse pain relievers in the past year, 68 percent obtained their pills from a friend or relative, while only 9 percent purchased their pills from a friend, dealer, or over the internet. strategies aimed at reducing the diversion of the vast surplus of unused prescription opioids are currently limited to programs aimed at encouraging people to “responsibly and appropriately” dispose of their leftover prescriptions. however, only a small percentage of unused opioid prescriptions are disposed of responsibly and appropriately because patients often reserve surplus pills for self-medication or recreational abuse. a critical aspect enabling the widespread issue of opioid diversion relates to the fact that the potency of prescription opioids diminishes very little over time. the long half-life of unused prescription opioids enables them to be stored, diverted, and abused almost indefinitely. summary of the invention in some instances, the disclosure provides a composition, the composition comprising: an opioid agonist; and a compound comprising formula i, (d-x—z) m —p (i), wherein d is an opioid antagonist; x is a labile functionality capable of being hydrolyzed or fragmented to release d under controlled conditions; z is a covalent linkage between x and the polymer; p is a polymer; and m is an integer selected to be between 1 and 100,000. in some embodiments, the disclosure provides a method for providing analgesia to a subject in need thereof, the method comprising administrating to the subject a dose unit form comprising: i) an opioid agonist; and ii) a opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate; wherein the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate provides an opioid antagonist at a rate that limits the therapeutically-effective plasma level of the opioid agonist to a first period of time. in some embodiments, the disclosure provides, a softgel capsule comprising a sheath enclosing a liquid fill, the fill comprising: an effective amount of an opioid agonist; a opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate; a pharmaceutically acceptable liquid carrier; and a reactive agent capable of hydrolyzing the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate. in some embodiments, the disclosure provides a dose unit form for use in treating a condition, wherein the dose unit form comprises: i) an opioid agonist; ii) a polymer-opioid antagonist conjugate, wherein the polymer-opioid antagonist liberates, releases, or hydrolyses an amount of an opioid antagonist over a period of time. incorporation by reference all publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent, or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. brief description of the drawings the novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. a better understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention will be obtained by reference to the following detailed description that sets forth illustrative embodiments, in which the principles of the invention are utilized, and the accompanying drawings of which: fig. 1 ( fig. 1 ) illustrates the analytical hplc data for compound a•2tfa salt immediately following purification (black) and after several months of storage under ambient conditions (blue). fig. 2 ( fig. 2 ) illustrates the arrhenius plots of ln (k) vs. 1/t (k) for ph 4.5 and 4.0 citrate buffered/peg400 incubations of compound a conducted at 30, 40, and 50° c. fig. 3 ( fig. 3 ) illustrates the ntx plasma concentrations vs. time profiles following the oral administration of ntx. fig. 4 ( fig. 4 ) illustrates the ntx plasma concentrations vs. time profiles following the oral administration of compound a (filled squares) or compound d (filled diamonds). detailed description the present invention discloses a composition that significantly reduces the diversion of prescription opioid medicines. the disclosure describes novel opioid antagonist-polymer conjugates that can deactivate an opioid agonist-containing formulation over a well-defined period of time. previously, some attempts have been made to combine fixed ratios of opioid agonist and antagonists in order to provide dosage forms that are tamper- or abuse-resistant, or to mitigate the undesirable side-effects of opioid agonists. existing human data suggests that a formulation containing a fixed ratio formulation of an opioid agonist and an opioid antagonist (i) does not effectively deters abuse and diversion, and (ii) does not provide fully effective analgesia to patients suffering from pain. u.s. pat. no. 6,228,863 to palermo et al. teaches the reduction of the abuse potential of oral dosage forms of opioid analgesics by combining naloxone, an opioid antagonist, with an opioid agonist where the antagonist cannot be easily extracted from the agonist. the antagonist is in such a concentration that the combination will cause an aversive effect in a physically dependent human subject but not in a naive individual. u.s. pat. no. 6,375,957 to kaiko et al. describes static or fixed combinations of opioid agonist, nsaid or acetaminophen, and an orally active opioid antagonist that may reduce the abuse potential of an opioid analgesic when abused by opioid tolerant individuals. u.s. pat. no. 7,662,365 to bentley et al. describes a formulation containing a low molecular weight peg-naloxone conjugate and an opioid agonist, whereby the peg-naloxone conjugate is hydrolytically stable, active in the peripheral nervous system, and does not cross the blood-brain barrier. clearly there is a need for a delivery system for commonly used oral dosage formulations of drugs, and in particular, analgesics such as opioid analgesics, that provides (i) adequate analgesia to patients in pain, and (ii) significantly deters abuse and diversion. the present invention effectively addresses these needs. compositions and formulations of the invention (i) provide effective analgesia to patients during a prescribed time interval, and (ii) markedly reduce diversion of unused pills by having them irreversibly auto-deactivate (i.e. lose opioid agonist potency) over a defined time period. the present invention provides a composition comprising an opioid agonist and a polymer-antagonist conjugate. in some embodiments, the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate does not hydrolyze upon oral administration to a patient, and does not bind to opioid receptors. the covalent bond between the polymer and the antagonist is broken over a defined period of time to release orally bioavailable, antagonist molecules within the dosage form. after the time required for manufacturing, dispensation to, and appropriate use by the patient has lapsed, the increasing concentration of the opioid antagonist released from the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate within the unit dosage form at first attenuates (i.e., reduces), then ultimately ablates the effects of the opioid agonist. in contrast to formulations that provide fixed ratios of bioavailable antagonist co-formulated with an opioid agonist, patients will benefit from analgesic potency during the prescribed use period of their opioid agonist that is essentially unmitigated by the very small fraction of released antagonist. experienced opioid abusers can become wary of abusing compositions, softgel capsules, and pills of the invention as the increasing dose of released antagonist may be sufficient to induce rapid and severe withdrawal symptoms. these aspects of the invention provide abuse-deterrence, and effectively reduce the potential for diversion. in one aspect, the disclosure provides a self-expiring drug, wherein the drug is encapsulated in a capsule, wherein the drug is available to provide an analgesic effect to a subject up to about 2 years of being manufactured. in one aspect of the invention, a composition is provided where the composition comprises an opioid agonist and an opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate compound comprising formula i: (d-x—z) m —p (i) wherein d is an opioid antagonist; x is a labile functionality capable of being hydrolyzed or fragmented to release d under controlled conditions; z is a covalent linkage between x and the polymer; p is a polymer; and m is an integer selected to be between 1 and 100,000. in yet another aspect of the invention, a softgel capsule comprising a sheath enclosing a liquid fill is provided where the fill comprises an effective amount of an opioid agonist; a opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate; a pharmaceutically acceptable liquid carrier; and an optional reactive agent capable of hydrolyzing the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate to release the monomeric antagonist. definitions unless otherwise stated, the following terms used in this application, including the specification and claims, have the definitions given below. definition of standard chemistry terms may be found in reference works, including carey and sundberg (2004) “advanced organic chemistry 4rd ed.” vols. a and b, springer, new york. the practice of the present invention will employ, unless otherwise indicated, conventional methods of mass spectroscopy, protein chemistry, biochemistry, synthetic organic chemistry, and pharmacology, within the skill of the art. the term “modulator” means a molecule that interacts with a target. the interactions include, but are not limited to, agonism, antagonism, and the like, as defined herein. the term “agonist” means a molecule such as a compound, a drug, an enzyme activator or a hormone that enhances the activity of another molecule or the activity of the target receptor. the term “antagonist” means a molecule such as a compound, a drug, an enzyme inhibitor, or a hormone, that diminishes or prevents the action of another molecule or the activity of the target receptor. the term “alkyl” means the monovalent branched or unbranched saturated hydrocarbon radical, consisting solely of carbon and hydrogen atoms, having from one to twelve carbon atoms inclusive, unless otherwise indicated. examples of alkyl radicals include, but are not limited to, methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, pentyl, n-hexyl, octyl, dodecyl, and the like. the term “alkylene” as used herein means the divalent linear or branched saturated hydrocarbon radical, consisting solely of carbon and hydrogen atoms, having from one to eight carbon atoms inclusive, unless otherwise indicated. examples of alkylene radicals include, but are not limited to, methylene, ethylene, trimethylene, propylene, tetramethylene, pentamethylene, ethylethylene, and the like. the term “alkenylene” means the divalent linear or branched unsaturated hydrocarbon radical, containing at least one double bond and having from two to eight carbon atoms inclusive, unless otherwise indicated. the alkenylene radical includes the cis or trans ((e) or (z)) isomeric groups or mixtures thereof generated by the asymmetric carbons. examples of alkenylene radicals include, but are not limited to ethenylene, 2-propenylene, 1-propenylene, 2-butenyl, 2-pentenylene, and the like. the term “aryl” means the monovalent monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon radical consisting of one or more fused rings in which at least one ring is aromatic in nature, which can optionally be substituted with hydroxy, cyano, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, thioalkyl, halogen, haloalkyl, hydroxyalkyl, nitro, alkoxycarbonyl, amino, alkylamino, dialkylamino, aminocarbonyl, carbonylamino, aminosulfonyl, sulfonylamino, and/or trifluoromethyl, unless otherwise indicated. examples of aryl radicals include, but are not limited to, phenyl, naphthyl, biphenyl, indanyl, anthraquinolyl, and the like. the term “halogen” as used herein refers to fluoro, bromo, chloro and/or iodo. the terms “effective amount” or “pharmaceutically effective amount” refer to a nontoxic but sufficient amount of the agent to provide the desired biological result. that result can be reduction and/or alleviation of the signs, symptoms, or causes of a disease, or any other desired alteration of a biological system. as used herein, the terms “treat” or “treatment” are used interchangeably and are meant to indicate a postponement of development of diseases and/or a reduction in the severity and/or duration of such symptoms that will or are expected to develop. the terms further include ameliorating existing symptoms, and ameliorating the underlying symptoms. by “pharmaceutically acceptable” or “pharmacologically acceptable” is meant a material which is not biologically or otherwise undesirable, i.e., the material may be administered to an individual without causing any undesirable biological effects or interacting in a deleterious manner with any of the components of the composition in which it is contained. as used herein, the term “subject” encompasses mammals and non-mammals. examples of mammals include, but are not limited to, any member of the mammalian class: humans, non-human primates such as chimpanzees, and other apes and monkey species; farm animals such as cattle, horses, sheep, goats, swine; domestic animals such as rabbits, dogs, and cats; laboratory animals including rodents, such as rats, mice and guinea pigs, and the like. examples of non-mammals include, but are not limited to, birds, fish and the like. the term does not denote a particular age or gender. the term “pharmaceutically acceptable salt” of a compound means a salt that is pharmaceutically acceptable and that possesses the desired pharmacological activity of the parent compound. such salts, for example, include: (1) acid addition salts, formed with inorganic acids such as hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, and the like; or formed with organic acids such as acetic acid, propionic acid, hexanoic acid, cyclopentanepropionic acid, glycolic acid, pyruvic acid, lactic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, malic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, tartaric acid, citric acid, benzoic acid, 3-(4-hydroxybenzoyl)benzoic acid, cinnamic acid, mandelic acid, methanesulfonic acid, ethanesulfonic acid, 1,2-ethanedisulfonic acid, 2-hydroxyethanesulfonic acid, benzenesulfonic acid, 2-naphthalenesulfonic acid, 4-methylbicyclo-[2.2.2]oct-2-ene-1-carboxylic acid, glucoheptonic acid, 4,4′-methylenebis-(3-hydroxy-2-ene-1-carboxylic acid), 3-phenylpropionic acid, trimethylacetic acid, tertiary butylacetic acid, lauryl sulfuric acid, gluconic acid, glutamic acid, hydroxynaphthoic acid, salicylic acid, stearic acid, muconic acid, and the like; (2) salts formed when an acidic proton present in the parent compound either is replaced by a metal ion, e.g., an alkali metal ion, an alkaline earth ion, or an aluminum ion; or coordinates with an organic base. acceptable organic bases include ethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine, tromethamine, n-methylglucamine, and the like. acceptable inorganic bases include aluminum hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide, and the like. it should be understood that a reference to a pharmaceutically acceptable salt includes the solvent addition forms or crystal forms thereof, particularly solvates or polymorphs. solvates contain either stoichiometric or non-stoichiometric amounts of a solvent, and are often formed during the process of crystallization. hydrates are formed when the solvent is water, or alcoholates are formed when the solvent is alcohol. polymorphs include the different crystal packing arrangements of the same elemental composition of a compound. polymorphs usually have different x-ray diffraction patterns, infrared spectra, melting points, density, hardness, crystal shape, optical and electrical properties, stability, and solubility. various factors such as the recrystallization solvent, rate of crystallization, and storage temperature may cause a single crystal form to dominate. the term “opioid” means a substance, whether agonist, antagonist, or mixed agonist-antagonist, that interacts with one or more receptor sites that can be bound by endogenous opioid peptides, such as the enkephalins, endorphins and the dynorphins. the terms “opioid agonist”, “opioid analgesic” or “opioids” mean a group of drugs, of natural, synthetic, or semi-synthetic origin, that displays opium or morphine-like properties. opioids include, for example, morphine, heroin, hydromorphone, oxymorphone, buprenorphine, levorphanol, butorphanol, codeine, dihydrocodeine, hydrocodone, oxycodone, meperidine, methadone, nalbulphine, opium, pentazocine, propoxyphene, as well as less widely employed compounds such as alfentanil, allylprodine, alphaprodine, anileridine, benzylmorphine, bezitramide, clonitazene, cyclazocine, desomorphine, dextromoramide, dezocine, diampromide, dihydromorphine, dimenoxadol, dimepheptanol, dimethylthiambutene, dioxaphetyl butyrate, dipipanone, eptazocine, ethoheptazine, ethylmethylthiambutene, ethylmorphine, etonitazene, fentanyl, hydroxypethidine, isomethadone, ketobemidone, levallorphan, levophenacylmorphan, lofentanil, meptazinol, metazocine, metopon, myrophine, narceine, nicomorphine, norpipanone, papvretum, phenadoxone, phenomorphan, phenazocine, phenoperidine, piminodine, propiram, sufentanil, tramadol, tilidine, salts, prodrugs and mixtures thereof. the term an “opioid antagonist” refers to any molecule that blocks the action of an opioid agonist at one or more opioid receptor types, including so-called “agonist-antagonist” and “partial agonist” molecules that act as an antagonist for one opioid receptor type and an agonist for another receptor type, such as, for example, naloxone, naltrexone, nalorphine, buprenorphine, or pentazocine. the term “optional” or “optionally” means that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur, and that the description includes instances where the event or circumstance occurs and instances where it does not. the term “prodrug” refers to a derivative of an active agent that requires a transformation within the body to release the active agent. prodrugs are frequently, although not necessarily, pharmacologically inactive until converted to the active agent. as used herein, the term “subject” encompasses mammals and non-mammals. examples of mammals include, but are not limited to, any member of the mammalian class: humans, non-human primates such as chimpanzees, and other apes and monkey species; farm animals such as cattle, horses, sheep, goats, swine; domestic animals such as rabbits, dogs, and cats; laboratory animals including rodents, such as rats, mice and guinea pigs, and the like. examples of non-mammals include, but are not limited to, birds, fish and the like. the term does not denote a particular age or gender. overview in one aspect, the disclosure provides a composition comprising an opioid agonist and an opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate. the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate preferably does not hydrolyze (and release opioid antagonist) upon oral administration to a patient. in some cases, the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate does not act as a potent agonist or antagonist of opioid receptors. in some instances, the covalent bond between the polymer and the antagonist in the conjugate is broken over a defined period of time to release the antagonist into the formulation matrix. over a defined time period, the released antagonist can at first attenuate, and subsequently ablate the effects of the opioid agonist, thereby preventing the potential for abuse or lethal overdoses. in one aspect of the invention, the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugates are not bioavailable, centrally penetrant, or active at opioid receptors. therefore, the adverse effects of the opioid antagonist polymer-conjugate on patients can be minimal. further, the initial concentration of the monomeric antagonist released from the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate is very low when dispensed to the patient, therefore, there will be minimal impact on the analgesic effect of the opioid agonist during the time required for the manufacture, distribution, and use of the formulation. the antagonist is irreversibly released over a specified time period and the agonist and antagonist are essentially impossible for abusers to physically separate due to their nearly identical chemical structures and physiochemical properties. at well-defined and pre-selected times, the antagonist concentration becomes high enough to (i) significantly reduce the liking of the opioids by potential abusers and present the serious risk of withdrawal to chronic opioid abusers, and (ii) render the pills devoid of opioid agonist effects. therefore, the formulation becomes irreversibly deactivated and the incentive for abuse together with the diversion of abusable pills has been eliminated. opioid agonist any opioid agonist, therapeutically acceptable salt, opioid agonist derivative, opioid agonist analog, opioid agonist homologue, polymorph or prodrug can be used in the present invention. in one aspect of the invention, the opioid agonist can be orally administered. in another aspect of the invention, opioid agonists susceptible to abuse are used. other drugs commonly susceptible to abuse can also be used including analgesics and psychoactive drugs, including but not limited to opioids and amphetamines and benzodiazepines. non-limiting examples of opioid agonists that can be used in the present disclosure include: alfentanil, allylprodine, alphaprodine, anileridine, benzylmorphine, bezitramide, buprenorphine, butorphanol, clonitazene, codeine, desomorphine, dextromoramide, dezocine, diampromide, diamorphone, dihydrocodeine, dihydromorphine, dimenoxadol, dimepheptanol, dimethylthiambutene, dioxaphetyl butyrate, dipipanone, eptazocine, ethoheptazine, ethylmethylthiambutene, ethylmorphine, etonitazene, etorphine, dihydroetorphine, fentanyl and derivatives, heroin, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, hydroxypethidine, isomethadone, ketobemidone, levorphanol, levophenacylmorphan, lofentanil, meperidine, meptazinol, metazocine, methadone, metopon, morphine, myrophine, narceine, nicomorphine, norlevorphanol, normethadone, nalorphine, nalbuphene, normorphine, norpipanone, opium, oxycodone, oxymorphone, papaveretum, pentazocine, phenadoxone, phenomorphan, phenazocine, phenoperidine, piminodine, piritramide, propheptazine, promedol, properidine, propoxyphene, sufentanil, tilidine, tramadol, mixtures of any of the foregoing, salts thereof, prodrugs thereof, and derivatives, analogs, homologues, and polymorphs thereof. in certain embodiments, the amount of the opioid agonist can be from about 75 ng to about 750 mg. in one aspect of the invention, a pharmaceutical composition of the present invention includes one or more opioids such as hydrocodone, hydromorphone, morphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, and/or salts or prodrugs thereof, as the therapeutically active ingredient. prodrugs of opioids include such as those described in u.s. pat. no. 8,217,005 to jenkins et al., u.s. pat. no. 8,101,661 to mickle, and u.s. pat. nos. 8,133,881, 7,375,082 and 7,338,939 all to mickle et al., and those described in u.s. publication nos. 20120178773, 20120142718, 20110281886, 20110262360, and 20110262359, and those described in pct publication nos. wo 2011/002995 and wo 2011/002991. typically in a suitable dosage form, as described in more detail below, the drug can be present in such dosage forms in an amount normally prescribed, typically about 0.5 to about 25 percent by weight, based on the total weight of the formulation. in a unit dose form, the amount of the opioid agonist can be from about 5 mg, 25 mg, 50 mg, 75 mg, 100 mg, 125 mg, 150 mg, 175 mg, 200 mg, or another suitable amount/range described herein. more typically, the drug can be present in an amount from about 1 mg to about 500 mg, preferably about 5 mg to 200 mg. as will be understood by one of skill in the art, a dosage form preferably contains an appropriate amount of drug to provide a therapeutic effect. opioid antagonist an opioid antagonist is a molecule that blocks the action of an opioid agonist at one or more opioid receptor types. the opioid antagonist preferably exhibits no agonist activity for an opioid receptor type and preferably exhibits antagonist activity for the mu-receptors. suitable opioid antagonists include, but are not limited to, buprenorphine, cyclazocine, cyclorphan, naloxone, n-methylnaloxone, naltrexone, n-methylnaltrexone, nalmephene, 6-amino-6-desoxo-naloxone, levallorphan, nalbuphine, naltrendol, naltrindole, nalorphine, nor-binaltorphimine, oxilorphan, pentazocine, piperidine-n-alkylcarboxylate opioid antagonists such as those described in u.s. pat. nos. 5,159,081, 5,250,542, 5,270,328, and 5,434,171, and derivatives, mixtures, salts, polymorphs, or prodrugs thereof. in one aspect of the invention, the opioid antagonist includes naltrexone, nalmefene, cyclazacine, levallorphan and mixtures thereof. in another aspect of the invention, the opioid antagonist is naltrexone or naloxone. the molar ratio of the delivered opioid antagonist to agonist can be from about 0.001:1 to about 10:1, preferably about 0.01:1 to about 2:1. in a unit dose form, the amount of the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate can be about 5 mg, 25 mg, 50 mg, 75 mg, 100 mg, 125 mg, 150 mg, 175 mg, 200 mg or another suitable amount/range described herein. more typically, the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate can be present in an amount from about 1 mg to about 500 mg, preferably about 5 mg to 200 mg. as will be understood by one of skill in the art, a dosage form preferably delivers an appropriate amount of opioid antagonist to provide the desired abuse-deterrent and anti-diversion effects. in one aspect of the invention, the antagonist is naloxone. naloxone is almost devoid of agonist effects. subcutaneous doses of up to 12 mg of naloxone produce no discernable subjective effects, and 24 mg naloxone causes only slight drowsiness. small doses (0.4-0.8 mg) of naloxone given intramuscularly or intravenously, in man, prevent or reverse the effects of morphine-like opioid agonists. one mg of naloxone administered intravenously has been reported to completely block the effect of 25 mg of heroin. the effects of naloxone are seen almost immediately after intravenous administration. the drug is absorbed after oral administration but has been reported to be rapidly and extensively metabolized into an inactive form via first-pass metabolism. therefore, it has been demonstrated to have significantly lower potency when delivered orally than when parenterally administered. oral dosages of more than 1 g have been reported to be almost completely metabolized in less than 24 hours. other exemplary opioid antagonists include cyclazocine and naltrexone, both of which have cyclopropylmethyl substitutions on the nitrogen, retain much of their efficacy by the oral route and their durations of action are much longer, approaching 24 hours after oral doses. in another aspect of the invention, the antagonist is naltrexone. naltrexone is known as a synthetic congener of oxymorphone with no opioid agonist properties, and differs in structure from oxymorphone by replacement of the methyl group located on the nitrogen atom of oxymorphone with a cyclopropylmethyl group. as a result, the physicochemical properties of naltrexone (and chemically related antagonists) are nearly identical to those inherent to structurally related opioid agonists. this renders the physical separation of naltrexone-opioid agonist mixtures essentially impossible without the employment of highly sophisticated chemical separation techniques (e.g. high-performance liquid chromatography—hplc). naltrexone has been reported to exert strong preferential blocking action against mu over delta receptor sub-types. the hydrochloride salt of naltrexone is soluble in water up to about 100 mg/ml. following oral administration, naltrexone is rapidly absorbed (within 1 hour) and has an oral bioavailability ranging from 5-40%. naltrexone's protein binding is approximately 21% and the volume of distribution following single-dose administration is 16.1 l/kg. it is known that when co-administered with morphine, heroin or other opioids, naltrexone blocks the development of physical dependence to opioids. in the treatment of patients previously addicted to opioids, naltrexone has been used in large oral doses (over 100 mg) to prevent the euphorigenic effects of opioid agonists. naltrexone is commercially available in tablet form (revia®) for the treatment of alcohol dependence and for the blockade of exogenously administered opioids. an oral dosage of 50 mg revia® blocks the pharmacological effects of 25 mg of iv administered heroin for up to 24 hours. the oral dosage form of the present invention can further include, in addition to an opioid agonist and an opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate, one or more drugs that may or may not act synergistically therewith. thus, in one aspect of the invention, the oral dosage form can contain one or more opioid agonist, one or more opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate, and a non-opioid drug. such non-opioid drugs would preferably provide additional analgesia and/or anti-inflammatory effects, and include, for example, aspirin, acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (“nsaids”) such as, for example, naproxen, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, n-methyl-d-aspartate (nmda) receptor antagonists, such as, for example, a morphinan such as dextromethorphan or dextrorphan, or ketamine, a cycooxygenase-ii inhibitors (“cox-ii inhibitors”); and/or glycine receptor antagonists. opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate an opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate can have the generalized structure as shown below: (d-x—z) m —p (i) wherein d is an opioid antagonist; x is a labile functionality capable of being hydrolyzed or fragmented to release d under controlled conditions; z is a covalent linkage between x and the polymer; p is a polymer. the polymer can have a total molecular weight ranging from 1,000 to 1,000,000. wherein m is an integer that represents the number of (d-x—z—) units in the antagonist-polymer conjugate. the value for m can be derived from the degree of substitution, ds, of the polymer defined as the percent of the total monomer units in the polymer that are functionalized with (—z—x-d). the values for ds can range from 0.001% to 100%. in one aspect of the invention, ds is between 1% and 90%, preferably, between 1% and 80%, more preferably between 10% and 50%. the value of m will depend on the selected polymer as well as on the amount of loading onto the polymer. in one aspect of the invention, an opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate of the invention may comprise a water-soluble polymer such as poly(ethylene glycol), covalently attached directly, or via a suitable linker, to an opioid antagonist and having a generalized structure as shown below. (d-x—z) m —peg (ii) wherein d is an opioid antagonist; x is a labile functionality capable of being hydrolyzed or fragmented to release d under controlled conditions; z is a covalent linkage between x and the polymer; peg is a peg-based (or related linear, dendrimeric, or branched polyalkylene glycol) polymer; and m is an integer selected to be between 1 and 25, preferably, between 1 and 20, more preferably between 1 and 10. thus, m can be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, and the like. in some embodiments, m can be an integer from about 1 to about 100, from about 100 to about 200, from about 200 to about 300, from about 300 to about 400, from about 400 to about 500, from about 500 to about 600, from about 600 to about 700, from about 700 to about 800, from about 800 to about 900, or from about 900 to about 1000, such as the integers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 189, 190, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219, 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 226, 227, 228, 229, 230, 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239, 240, 241, 242, 243, 244, 245, 246, 247, 248, 249, 250, 251, 252, 253, 254, 255, 256, 257, 258, 259, 260, 261, 262, 263, 264, 265, 266, 267, 268, 269, 270, 271, 272, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277, 278, 279, 280, 281, 282, 283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 288, 289, 290, 291, 292, 293, 294, 295, 296, 297, 298, 299, 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 314, 316, 317, 318, 319, 320, 321, 322, 323, 324, 325, 326, 327, 328, 329, 330, 331, 332, 333, 334, 335, 336, 337, 338, 339, 340, 341, 342, 343, 344, 345, 346, 347, 348, 349, 350, 351, 352, 353, 354, 355, 356, 357, 358, 359, 360, 361, 362, 363, 364, 365, 366, 367, 368, 369, 370, 371, 372, 373, 374, 375, 376, 377, 378, 379, 380, 381, 382, 383, 384, 385, 386, 387, 388, 389, 390, 391, 392, 393, 394, 395, 396, 397, 398, 399, 400, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 409, 410, 411, 412, 413, 414, 415, 416, 417, 418, 419, 420, 421, 422, 423, 424, 425, 426, 427, 428, 429, 430, 431, 432, 433, 434, 435, 436, 437, 438, 439, 440, 441, 442, 443, 444, 445, 446, 447, 448, 449, 450, 451, 452, 453, 454, 455, 456, 457, 458, 459, 460, 461, 462, 463, 464, 465, 466, 467, 468, 469, 470, 471, 472, 473, 474, 475, 476, 477, 478, 479, 480, 481, 482, 483, 484, 485, 486, 487, 488, 489, 490, 491, 492, 493, 494, 495, 496, 497, 498, 499, 500, 501, 502, 503, 504, 505, 506, 507, 508, 509, 510, 511, 512, 513, 514, 515, 516, 517, 518, 519, 520, 521, 522, 523, 524, 525, 526, 527, 528, 529, 530, 531, 532, 533, 534, 535, 536, 537, 538, 539, 540, 541, 542, 543, 544, 545, 546, 547, 548, 549, 550, 551, 552, 553, 554, 555, 556, 557, 558, 559, 560, 561, 562, 563, 564, 565, 566, 567, 568, 569, 570, 571, 572, 573, 574, 575, 576, 577, 578, 579, 580, 581, 582, 583, 584, 585, 586, 587, 588, 589, 590, 591, 592, 593, 594, 595, 596, 597, 598, 599, 600, 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, 606, 607, 608, 609, 610, 611, 612, 613, 614, 615, 616, 617, 618, 619, 620, 621, 622, 623, 624, 625, 626, 627, 628, 629, 630, 631, 632, 633, 634, 635, 636, 637, 638, 639, 640, 641, 642, 643, 644, 645, 646, 647, 648, 649, 650, 651, 652, 653, 654, 655, 656, 657, 658, 659, 660, 661, 662, 663, 664, 665, 666, 667, 668, 669, 670, 671, 672, 673, 674, 675, 676, 677, 678, 679, 680, 681, 682, 683, 684, 685, 686, 687, 688, 689, 690, 691, 692, 693, 694, 695, 696, 697, 698, 699, 700, 701, 702, 703, 704, 705, 706, 707, 708, 709, 710, 711, 712, 713, 714, 715, 716, 717, 718, 719, 720, 721, 722, 723, 724, 725, 726, 727, 728, 729, 730, 731, 732, 733, 734, 735, 736, 737, 738, 739, 740, 741, 742, 743, 744, 745, 746, 747, 748, 749, 750, 751, 752, 753, 754, 755, 756, 757, 758, 759, 760, 761, 762, 763, 764, 765, 766, 767, 768, 769, 770, 771, 772, 773, 774, 775, 776, 777, 778, 779, 780, 781, 782, 783, 784, 785, 786, 787, 788, 789, 790, 791, 792, 793, 794, 795, 796, 797, 798, 799, 800, 801, 802, 803, 804, 805, 806, 807, 808, 809, 810, 811, 812, 813, 814, 815, 816, 817, 818, 819, 820, 821, 822, 823, 824, 825, 826, 827, 828, 829, 830, 831, 832, 833, 834, 835, 836, 837, 838, 839, 840, 841, 842, 843, 844, 845, 846, 847, 848, 849, 850, 851, 852, 853, 854, 855, 856, 857, 858, 859, 860, 861, 862, 863, 864, 865, 866, 867, 868, 869, 870, 871, 872, 873, 874, 875, 876, 877, 878, 879, 880, 881, 882, 883, 884, 885, 886, 887, 888, 889, 890, 891, 892, 893, 894, 895, 896, 897, 898, 899, 900, 901, 902, 903, 904, 905, 906, 907, 908, 909, 910, 911, 912, 913, 914, 915, 916, 917, 918, 919, 920, 921, 922, 923, 924, 925, 926, 927, 928, 929, 930, 931, 932, 933, 934, 935, 936, 937, 938, 939, 940, 941, 942, 943, 944, 945, 946, 947, 948, 949, 950, 951, 952, 953, 954, 955, 956, 957, 958, 959, 960, 961, 962, 963, 964, 965, 966, 967, 968, 969, 970, 971, 972, 973, 974, 975, 976, 977, 978, 979, 980, 981, 982, 983, 984, 985, 986, 987, 988, 989, 990, 991, 992, 993, 994, 995, 996, 997, 998, 999, or 1000. the peg polymer includes polyglycols such as poly(ethylene glycol) or alkyl substituted analogs such as poly(propylene)glycol in any form, including linear forms (e.g., alkoxy peg or bifunctional peg), branched or multi-arm forms (e.g., forked peg or peg attached to a polyol core), pendant peg, and the like. commercially available polymers suitable for use in the invention include, but are not limited to, mpeg-nh 2 (m w ˜10 kda, ˜20 kda), mpeg-oh (m w ˜1 kda, 2 kda, ˜3 kda, ˜5 kda, ˜10 kda, ˜12 kda, ˜20 kda), 3-arm peg-triol (m w ˜10 kda glycerol core, 15 kda glycerol core, ˜20 kda glycerol core), 4-arm peg-tetrol (m w ˜2 kda pentaerythritol core, ˜10 kda pentaerythritol core, ˜15 kda pentaerythritol core, ˜20 kda pentaerythritol core), 8-arm peg-octol (m w ˜2 kda hexaglycerine, ˜10 kda hexaglycerine, ˜15 kda hexaglycerine, ˜20 kda hexaglycerine, ˜40 kda hexaglycerine); such as poly(acrylic acid), m w ˜50 kda, poly(l-glycerol methacrylate), poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid), poly(ethylene oxide-block-propylene oxide), poly(l-lysine) hydrobromide, poly(styrenesulfonic acid), poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(vinyl amine) hydrochloride, poly(caprolactone)diol; o,o′-bis(2-carboxyethyl)dodecaethylene glycol, poly(allyl amine), poly(antholesulfonic acid, sodium salt), poly(caprolactone)triol 1,1,1-tris(hydroxymethyl)propane core, poly(di(ethylene glycol) phthalate)diol, poly(di(ethylene glycol)/trimethylolpropane-alt-adipic acid), polyol, peg-bis(3-aminopropyl) terminated, peg-bis(carboxymethyl) ether m w ˜250 da, peg-bis(carboxymethyl) ether m w ˜600 da, peg-block-ppg-block-peg diol (m w ˜1,100 da, ˜1,900 da, ˜2,000 da, ˜2,800 da, ˜2,900 da, ˜4,400 da, ˜5,800 da, ˜8,400 da, ˜14,600 da), peg-ran-ppg diol (m w ˜2,500 da, ˜12,000 da, ˜970 da, ˜1,700 da, ˜3,900 da), peg-tetrahydrofurfuryl ether, poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate), polyoxyethylene bis(amine) m w ˜2,000 da, polyoxyethylene bis(amine) m w ˜20,000 da, ppg diol (m w ˜425 da, ˜725 da, ˜1,000 da, ˜2,000 da, ˜2,700 da, ˜3,500 da), poly(dl-lysine) hydrobromide (m w ˜1,000-4,000 da, ˜30,000-70,000 da, ˜500-2,000 da, ˜1,000-4,000 da, ˜4,000-15,000 da, ˜15,000-30,000 da, ˜30,000-70,000 da), poly(d-lysine) hydrobromide (m w ˜1,000-4,000 da, ˜4,000-15,000 da, ˜15,000-30,000 da, ˜30,000-70,000 da), poly(l-tyrosine) m w ˜10,000-40,000 da, poly(l-serine) m w ˜5,000-10,000 da, poly(l-threonine) m w ˜5,000-15,000 da, pamam dendrimer g(0)-nh 2 , ethylenediamine core (surface groups: 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64), pamam dendrimer g(2)-oh, ethylenediamine core (surface groups: 16, 32, 64), dab-am-4, polypropyleneimine tetraamine dendrimer (surface groups: 4, 8, 16, 32, 64), pamam-tris(hydroxymethyl)amidomethane dendrimer, generation 2, ethylenediamine core (surface groups: 48), pamam-tris(hydroxymethyl)amidomethane dendrimer, generation 3, ethylenediamine core (surface groups: 96), pamam-succinamic acid dendrimer, ethylenediamine core, generation 2 (surface groups: 16), amino-dpeg 2 ™ t-butyl ester, amino-dpeg 4 ™ t-butyl ester, amino-dpeg 8 ™ t-butyl ester, amino-dpeg 12 ™ t-butyl ester, amino-dpeg 24 ™ t-butyl ester, m-dpeg 4 ™ amine, m-dpeg 12 ™ amine, m-dpeg 24 ™ amine, hydroxy-dpeg 4 ™ t-butyl ester, hydroxy-dpeg 8 ™ t-butyl ester, m-dpeg 11 ™ alcohol, dpeg 12 ™ diol, mono-n-t-boc-amido-dpeg 3 ™-amine, mono-n-t-boc-amido-dpeg 11 ™-amine, mono-n-t-cbz-amido-dpeg 3 ™-amine, n-t-boc-amido-dpeg 4 ™ alcohol, n-t-boc-amido-dpeg 12 ™ alcohol, bis-dpeg 5 ™ acid, bis-dpeg 7 ™ acid, bis-dpeg 5 ™ half benzyl half acid, bis-dpeg 9 ™ half benzyl half acid, n-fmoc-amido-dpeg 2 ™ acid, n-fmoc-amido-dpeg 4 ™ acid, n-fmoc-amido-dpeg 8 ™ acid, n-fmoc-amido-dpeg 12 ™ acid, n-fmoc-amido-dpeg 24 ™ acid, n-cbz-amido-dpeg 4 ™-acid, n-cbz-amido-dpeg 8 ™-acid, n-cbz-amido-dpeg 12 ™-acid, n-cbz-amido-dpeg 24 ™-acid, n-t-boc-amido-dpeg 4 ™-acid, and the like. non-limiting examples of other polymers for use in the present invention include: polyesters, polyethers, poly(orthoesters), poly(vinyl alcohols), polyamides, polycarbonates, polyacrylamides, polyalkylene glycols, polyalkylene oxides, polyalkylene terephthalates, polyolefins, polyvinyl ethers, polyvinyl esters, polyvinyl halides, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyglycolides, polysiloxanes, polylactides, polyurethanes, polyethylenes, polyanhydrides, polyhydroxyacids, polypropylfumerates, polycaprolactones, polyacetals, polyurethanes, polyphosphazenes, polyacrylates, polymethacrylates, polycyanoacrylates, polyureas, polystyrenes, polyamines, olefinic polymers derived from metatheses reactions with functionalized monomers, and block- or co-polymers thereof. in some cases, the polymer is a biopolymer. non-limiting examples of biopolymers for use in the present invention include: polyesters such as polyhyroxyalkanoates, polylactic acid and the like; proteins such as silks, collagens, gelatins, elastin, resilin, adhesives, polyamino acids, soy, zein, wheat gluten, casein, serum albumin and the like; polysaccharides such as xanthan, dextran, gellan, levan, curd ian, polygalactosamine, cellulose, pullulan, elsinan, yeast glucans, starch, agar, alginate, carrageenan, pectin, konjac, and various gums (e.g. guar), chitin, chitosan, hyaluronic acid, and the like; lipids/surfactants such as acetoglycerides, waxes, emulsions, and the like; polyphenols such as lignin, tannin, humic acid and the like; speciality polymers such as shellac, poly-gamma-glutamic acid, natural rubbers, synthetic rubbers from natural fats, and the like. also included are chemically modified versions (to enhance solubility/functionality in the drug product formulation, resist digestion/degradation, facilitate chemical modification with antagonist synthons, etc.) of the above biopolymers. in one aspect of the invention, the molecular weight of the polymer portion of a polymer conjugate of the invention is greater than about 1,000 daltons (da), and more preferably is greater than about 2,000 da. in another aspect of the invention, the polymer has a molecular weight of about 10,000 da to about 250,000 da. thus, the ranges of molecular weights for the polymer portion of the conjugate can be from about 1,000 da to about 200,000 da, preferably about 1,000 da to about 50,000 da, more preferably about 7,000 da to about 50,000 da, or from about 10,000 da to about 50,000 da. the polymer backbones having an average molecular weight of about 5,000 da, about 7,000 da, about 10,000, about 15,000 da and about 17,500 da, about 20,000 da, about 30,000 da, about 35,000 da, about 40,000 da, about 45,000 da, and about 50,000 da are particularly preferred. the covalent linkage between the polymer backbone and the opioid antagonist (“z” in formula i, above) is preferably stable enough under physiological conditions so that the monomeric opioid antagonist containing fragment is not released from the polymer following administration to a subject. the labile linkage “x” is chosen so that it is not significantly hydrolyzed when orally ingested by the pain patient, but is hydrolyzed in a predictable manner under controlled conditions over a predetermined period of time within the drug product formulation. thus, the labile linkage x for connecting the opioid antagonist and the polymer may include, but is not limited to: ester, thioester, amide, amine, carbamate, carbonate, ether, thioether, and urea linkages or linkages designed to undergo elimination and/or cyclization-release reactions including, but not limited to, alkyesters or alkylamides substituted in the beta position of the carbonyl moiety with -d or —oc(o)-d, or appropriately tethered nucleophiles (e.g. amines, thiols, anilines, carboxylates, phenols, etc.) that are capable of releasing the opioid agonist via a kinetically controlled intramolecular cyclization-release reaction. the particular linkage and linkage chemistry employed will depend upon the available functional groups on the opioid antagonist for attachment to a polymer or conversion to a suitable attachment moiety, the presence of additional functional groups within the molecule, and the like, and can be readily determined by one skilled in the art based upon the guidance presented herein. using naltrexone as the exemplary opioid antagonist, the opioid-linkage for use in the invention includes the following: where w can be o, s, nh, nr; q can be o, n, s, nh, nr, c(r′, r″), where r, r′, and r″ can be independently selected to be hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, heteroaryl. in some cases, q can be substituted with a tethered nucleophile capable of mediating cyclization-release of the opioid antagonist via an intramolecular reaction of the carbon bearing q; z can be a direct bond, an alkyl amine, a nitrogen atom, an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom, a substituted amine, an alkyl group, a cyclo-alkyl group, a heteroalkyl group, an aryl group, or an amino acid. the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugates of the invention are not required to have, and preferably do not have opioid antagonist activity. thus, in one aspect of the invention, a polymer conjugate in accordance with the invention will retain from about 0% to about 30% of the specific activity of the unmodified parent opioid antagonist compound. such activity may be determined using suitable in-vivo, or in-vitro assays, depending upon the known activity of the particular opioid antagonist parent compound. for example, a functional opioid receptor based assay, or an in vivo hot-plate or tail-flick analgesia assay can be used to assess the level of antagonist activity of the polymer conjugates of the invention. thus, an opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate of the invention will possess a specific activity of about 0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 0.75%, 1% 2%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 25%, or 30% relative to that of the unmodified parent opioid antagonist, when measured in a suitable model, such as those well known in the art. preferably, an opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate of the invention will have <5% of the opioid antagonist activity of the unmodified parent compound. in another aspect of the invention, the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugates of the invention are not required to be, and preferably are not, bioavailable. thus, in one aspect of the invention, an opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate in accordance with the invention will retain from about 0% to about 30% of the bioavailablity of the unmodified parent opioid antagonist compound. bioavailability can be determined using suitable in-vivo or in-vitro assays. thus, an opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate of the invention will possess bioavailability of about 0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 0.75%, 1% 2%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 25%, or 30% relative to that of the unmodified parent opioid antagonist, when measured in a suitable model, such as those well known in the art. non-limiting examples of polymers for use in the present invention include: polyesters, polyethers, poly(orthoesters), poly(vinyl alcohols), polyamides, polycarbonates, polyacrylamides, polyalkylene glycols, polyalkylene oxides, polyalkylene terephthalates, polyolefins, polyvinyl ethers, polyvinyl esters, polyvinyl halides, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyglycolides, polysiloxanes, polylactides, polyurethanes, polyethylenes, polyanhydrides, polyhydroxyacids, polypropylfumerates, polycaprolactones, polyacetals, polyurethanes, polyphosphazenes, polyacrylates, polymethacrylates, polycyanoacrylates, polyureas, polystyrenes, polyamines, olefinic polymers derived from romp reaction with functionalized monomers, and block- or co-polymers thereof. non-limiting examples of biopolymers for use in the present invention include: polyesters such as polyhyroxyalkanoates, polylactic acid and the like; proteins such as silks, collagens, gelatins, elastin, resilin, adhesives, polyamino acids, soy, zein, wheat gluten, casein, serum albumin and the like; polysaccharides such as xanthan, dextran, gellan, levan, curd ian, polygalactosamine, cellulose, pullulan, elsinan, yeast glucans, starch, agar, alginate, carrageenan, pectin, konjac, and various gums (e.g. guar), chitin, chitosan, hyaluronic acid, and the like; lipids/surfactants such as acetoglycerides, waxes, emulsions, and the like; polyphenols such as lignin, tannin, humic acid and the like; speciality polymers such as shellac, poly-gamma-glutamic acid, natural rubbers, synthetic rubbers from natural fats, and the like. also included are chemically modified versions (to enhance solubility/functionality in the drug product formulation, resist digestion/degradation, facilitate chemical modification with antagonist synthons, etc.) of the above biopolymers. non-limiting examples of polysaccharides and biopolymers for use in the present invention include amylose, amylopectin, glycogen, cellulose, hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate, heparin, dextrin, inulin, mannan, chitin, galactose, guar gum, carrageenan, agar, furcellaran, xanthan gum, other hydrocolloid gums, pectic acid and pectin, locust bean gum, acacia, ghatti gum, pentosan, arabinogalactan, alginates and alginate derivatives, gellan, gellan gum, glucose, collagen (and gelatin), cellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxymethylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, methylcellulose, and methoxycellulose, fibrin, xanthan and xanthan gum, agarose, chitosan (polycationic polysaccharide polymers), albumin, human gamma globulin, pullulan, carrageenan (polyanionic polysaccharide polymers), dextrin, dextran, dextran sulfate, keratin, inulin, dextrose, amylose, glycogen, amylopectin, polylysine and other polyamino acids, and copolymers, graft copolymers, synthetic derivatives, blends and other mixtures of the above. exemplary natural polymers include naturally occurring polysaccharides, such as, for example, arabinans, fructans, fucans, galactans, galacturonans, glucans, mannans, xylans (such as, for example, inulin), levan, fucoidan, carrageenan, galatocarolose, pectic acid, pectins, including amylose, pullulan, glycogen, amylopectin, cellulose, dextran, dextrin, dextrose, glucose, polyglucose, polydextrose, pustulan, chitin, agarose, keratin, chondroitin, dermatan, hyaluronic acid, alginic acid, xanthan gum, starch and various other natural homopolymer or heteropolymers, such as those containing one or more of the following aldoses, ketoses, acids or amines: erythrose, threose, ribose, arabinose, xylose, lyxose, allose, altrose, glucose, dextrose, mannose, gulose, idose, galactose, talose, erythrulose, ribulose, xylulose, psicose, fructose, sorbose, tagatose, mannitol, sorbitol, lactose, sucrose, trehalose, maltose, cellobiose, glycine, serine, threonine, cysteine, tyrosine, asparagine, glutamine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, lysine, arginine, histidine, glucuronic acid, gluconic acid, glucaric acid, galacturonic acid, mannuronic acid, glucosamine, galactosamine, and neuraminic acid, and naturally occurring derivatives thereof. accordingly, suitable polymers include, for example, proteins, such as albumin, silks, collagen, elastin, resilin, polyamino acids, soy, wheat gluten, and casein. non-limiting examples of polyesters include polylactic acid, polyglycolic acid, poly(lactide-co-glycolide), poly(e-caprolactone), polydioxanone, poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(malic acid), poly(tartronic acid), polyphosphazenes, poly(orthoester), poly(valeric acid), poly(buteric acid), polyhydroxybutyrate, polyhydroxyvalerate, polyanhydride, and copolymers of the monomers used to synthesize any of the above-mentioned polymers, e.g., poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (plga) or the copolymer of polyhydroxy butyrate with hydroxyvaleric acid. polyethers and poly(orthoesters) can also be used in preparing the polymer conjugate for use in the present invention. these polymers can be incorporated into multi-blocks resulting in block polymers having diverse degradation rates, mechanical strengths, porosities, diffusivities, and inherent viscosities. examples of polyethers include polyethylene glycol and polypropylene glycol. an example of a multi-block copolymer is poly(ether ester amide). additionally, triblock copolymers of poly(orthoesters) with various poly(ethylene glycol) contents are useful for their stability in water/oil (w/o) emulsions. other useful block copolymers include di-block copolymers of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) and poly(ethylene glycol) (peg), triblock copolymers of peg-plga-peg, copolymers of plga and polylysine, and poly(ester ether) block copolymers. in one aspect of the invention, the polymer is poly(ethylene glycol) (peg) or a related poly(alkylene glycol). the term peg includes poly(ethylene glycol) in any its forms, including linear forms (e.g., alkoxy peg or bifunctional peg), branched or multi-arm forms (e.g., forked peg or peg attached to a polyol core), pendant peg, and the like. the general formula of peg is —ch 2 ch 2 o—(ch 2 ch 2 o) n —ch 2 ch 2 — wherein n is from about 0 to about 500, typically from about 2 to about 200. similar polymers can also be comprised of polypropylene glycol and related poly(alkylene) glycols. multi-armed or branched peg molecules, such as those described in u.s. pat. no. 5,932,462 can also be used as the peg polymer. generally speaking, multi-armed, branched, or star or dendrimeric polymers possess two or more polymer arms extending from a central branch point that is covalently attached, either directly or indirectly via intervening connecting atoms, to one or more active moieties such as an opioid antagonist. it is understood by those skilled in the art that the term poly(ethylene glycol) or peg represents or includes all the above forms of peg or poly(alkylene glycols). in another aspect of the invention, the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugates are naltrexone-peg-dimers depicted below where r can be h or lower alkyl, and n can be an integer between 1 and 10,000, preferably between 1 and 100. the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugates of the invention can be synthesized using techniques and materials known to those of skill in the art, such as described, for example, in smith and march, march's advanced organic chemistry: reactions, mechanisms, and structure, fifth edition, (wiley-interscience, 2001), vogel, a textbook of practical organic chemistry, including qualitative organic analysis, fourth edition, new york, (longman, 1978), carey and sundberg, advanced organic chemisty 3 rd ed., vols. a and b (plenum 1992), and green and wuts, protective groups in organic synthesis 2 nd ed. (wiley 1991). starting materials for the compounds of the invention can be obtained using standard techniques and commercially available precursor materials, such as those available from aldrich chemical co. (milwaukee, wis.), sigma chemical co. (st. louis, mo.), lancaster synthesis (ward hill, mass.), apin chemicals, ltd. (new brunswick, n.j.), ryan scientific (columbia, s.c.), maybridge (cornwall, england) and trans world chemicals (rockville, md.). the procedures described herein for synthesizing the compounds of the invention can include one or more steps of protection and deprotection (e.g., the formation and removal of suitable protecting groups). in addition, the synthetic procedures disclosed below can include various purifications, such as column chromatography, flash chromatography, thin-layer chromatography (tlc), recrystallization, distillation, high-pressure liquid chromatography (hplc), dialysis, size-exclusion chromatography, and the like. also, various techniques well known in the chemical arts for the identification and quantification of chemical reaction products, such as proton and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 h and 13 c nmr), infrared and ultraviolet spectroscopy (ir and uv), x-ray crystallography, elemental analysis (ea), hplc and mass spectroscopy (ms), and multi-angle light scattering (mals) can be used as well. methods of protection and deprotection, purification and identification and quantification are well known in the chemical arts. in general, the synthetic methods use a polymer having a functional group, where the functional group can react with a functional group on the opioid antagonist, or a suitably modified opioid antagonist, thereby providing a covalently-bonded opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate. the functional group of the polymer can be, for example, a carboxylic acid, an ester, an aldehyde, an alcohol, an amine, an isocyanate, and the like. the functional group of the polymer can be selected such that it can form a covalent bond either at the phenolic group, tertiary alcohol, amine, or the ketone group of the antagonist. optionally, the opioid antagonist can be chemically modified either at the phenolic group, tertiary alcohol, amine, or the ketone group with an appropriate moiety prior to attachment to the polymer. the syntheses of opioid antagonist-polymer conjugates covalently bonded via an ester linkage, a carbonate linkage, a primary or secondary carbamate linkage are generally described herein. for example, the polymer and the antagonist can be bonded using a coupling reagent to form an ester linkage, or an activated antagonist, such as an antagonist whose phenolic group is activated as a para-nitrophenyl carbamate, or related activated derivative, that can be reacted with an alcohol-containing or amine-containing polymer to form a carbonate or a carbamate linkage, respectively. in another aspect, the polymer and the antagonist can be directly attached. in yet another aspect, the polymer and the antagonist can be bonded via a labile functional group x that is capable of being hydrolyzed or fragmented under controlled conditions. the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate product can be collected and purified using methods known in the art. in general, compounds as described herein can be purified by any of the means known in the art, including chromatographic means, such as high performance liquid chromatography (hplc), preparative thin layer chromatography, flash column chromatography and ion exchange chromatography, size exclusion chromatography. any suitable stationary phase can be used, including normal and reversed phases as well as ionic resins. see, e.g., introduction to modern liquid chromatography, 2nd edition, ed. l. r. snyder and j. j. kirkland, john wiley and sons, 1979; and thin layer chromatography, ed e. stahl, springer-verlag, new york, 1969. the compounds described herein can contain one or more chiral centers and/or double bonds and therefore, can exist as stereoisomers, such as double-bond isomers (i.e., geometric isomers), enantiomers or diastereomers. accordingly, all possible enantiomers and stereoisomers of the compounds including the stereoisomerically pure form (e.g., geometrically pure, enantiomerically pure or diastereomerically pure) and enantiomeric and stereoisomeric mixtures are included in the description of the compounds herein. enantiomeric and stereoisomeric mixtures can be resolved into their component enantiomers or stereoisomers using separation techniques or chiral synthesis techniques well known to the skilled artisan. the compounds can also exist in several tautomeric forms including the enol form, the keto form and mixtures thereof. accordingly, the chemical structures depicted herein encompass all possible tautomeric forms of the illustrated compounds. the compounds described also include isotopically labeled compounds where one or more atoms have an atomic mass different from the atomic mass conventionally found in nature. examples of isotopes that can be incorporated into the compounds disclosed herein include, but are not limited to, 2 h, 3 h, 11 c, 13 c, 14 c, 15 n, 18 o, 17 o, etc. compounds can exist in unsolvated forms as well as solvated forms, including hydrated forms. in general, compounds can be hydrated or solvated. certain compounds can exist in multiple crystalline or amorphous forms. in general, all physical forms are equivalent for the uses contemplated herein and are intended to be within the scope of the present disclosure. in one aspect of the invention, opioid antagonists where the ketone group has been modified are provided, wherein the opioid antagonist has an optionally substituted morphinan structure: wherein the ketone is situated at the 6-position of the morphinan structure and r′ is hydrogen or other group, such as, but not limited to, alkyl or substituted alkyl. the opioid antagonist can be any of the antagonists containing a ketone group. in certain instances, a ketone-containing opioid antagonist is selected from naloxone and naltrexone. in certain embodiments, the opioid antagonist has the following optionally substituted morphinan structure: wherein r′ is hydrogen or other group, such as, but not limited to, alkyl or substituted alkyl, and r is hydrogen, hydroxyl, methoxy, ethoxy, alkyl or substituted alkyl. the structure is shown as an enol, in which attachment to the polymer, preferably using a linker, is through the enolic oxygen atom of the ketone moiety such that the hydrogen atom of the corresponding enolic group of the ketone-containing opioid is replaced. in certain embodiments, the opioid antagonist d has the following optionally substituted morphinan structure: wherein d is an opioid and r n is hydrogen or other group, such as, but not limited to, alkyl or substituted alkyl. the structures above result from a ketone that has been reductively aminated, in which attachment to the polymer is through the resulting amino group such that the hydrogen atom of the corresponding amino group is replaced. in certain embodiments, the opioid antagonist has the structure where the ketone can be reductively aminated and the attachment to the polymer is through the amino group that is generated from reductive amination of the ketone moiety. a representative formula of such an opioid antagonist is below: wherein r′ is hydrogen or other group, such as, but not limited to, alkyl or substituted alkyl and r n is hydrogen or other group, such as, but not limited to, alkyl or substituted alkyl. as shown, the attachment to the polymer is through the amino group generated from reductive amination of the ketone moiety such that the hydrogen atom of the amino group is replaced by a covalent bond to the polymer or a linker that is attached to the polymer. for example, the ketone group of naloxone or naltrexone can be subjected to reductive amination to form an amino derivative of naloxone or naltrexone using known methodology. the amino derivative can then reacted with an active ester- or active carbonate-terminated polymer to form an amide or carbamate linkage. a representative synthesis for an antagonist-polymer conjugate, where the covalent bond is via the ketone group of the opioid-antagonist is shown below in scheme i. a representative synthesis for an antagonist-polymer conjugate, where the covalent bond is via the phenolic group of the opioid-antagonist is shown below in schemes ii and iii. a representative synthesis for an antagonist-polymer conjugate, where the covalent bond is via the phenolic group of the opioid-antagonist, and the attachment to the polymer is via an amide bond is shown below in scheme iv. a representative synthesis for an antagonist-polymer conjugate, where the covalent bond is via the phenolic group of the opioid-antagonist using the labile carbonate functionality, and the attachment to the polymer is via an amide bond is shown below in scheme v. a representative synthesis for an antagonist-polymer conjugate, where the covalent bond is via the ketone group of the opioid-antagonist, and an ester, that is labile under certain conditions, links the antagonist to the polymer is shown below in scheme vi. a representative synthesis for an antagonist-polymer conjugate, where the covalent bond is via the ketone group of the opioid-antagonist, and a carbonate, that is labile under certain conditions, links the antagonist to the polymer is shown below in scheme vii. a representative synthesis for an antagonist-polymer conjugate, where the covalent bond is via the ketone group of the opioid-antagonist, and a carbamate, that is labile under certain conditions, links the antagonist to the polymer is shown below in scheme viii. a representative synthesis for an antagonist-polymer conjugate, where the covalent bond is via the ketone group of the opioid-antagonist, and an ether functionality links the antagonist to the polymer is shown below in scheme ix. a representative synthesis for an antagonist-polymer conjugate, where the covalent bond is via the ketone group of the opioid-antagonist, and a carbonate, that is labile under certain conditions, links the antagonist to the polymer is shown below in scheme x. exemplary antagonist-polymer conjugates, where the covalent bond is via a ketone group, a phenolic group, or a tertiary hydroxyl group of the opioid-antagonist, and the labile functionality is an ester that links the antagonist to the polymer are shown below. where r′ and r″ can be hydrogen or lower alkyl, and m can be an integer between 1 and 10,000, preferably between 1 and 1000, and the values for n defining the length of the polyethylene glycol polymer, can be an integer between 10 and 10,000, preferably between 10 and 1000. exemplary antagonist-polymer conjugates, where the covalent bond is via a ketone group, a phenolic group, or a tertiary hydroxyl group of the opioid-antagonist, and the labile functionality is an ester that links the antagonist to the polymer are shown below. the opioid agonist is released via an intramolecular cyclization-release mechanism, where r′, r″, are as defined above and the values for n defining the length of the polyethylene glycol polymer, can be an integer between 10 and 10,000, preferably between 10 and 1000. exemplary antagonist-polymer conjugates, where the covalent bond is via a ketone group, a phenolic group, or a tertiary hydroxyl group of the opioid-antagonist, and the labile functionality is a carbamate that links the antagonist to the polymer are shown below: where r′, r″, m, and the values for n defining the length of the polyethylene glycol polymer are as defined above. exemplary antagonist-polymer conjugates, where the covalent bond is via a ketone group, a phenolic group, or a tertiary hydroxyl group of the opioid-antagonist, and the labile functionality is a carbamate that links the antagonist to the polymer are shown below. the opioid agonist is released via an intramolecular cyclization-release mechanism, where n is defined as above. exemplary antagonist-polymer conjugates, where the covalent bond is via a ketone group, a phenolic group, or a tertiary hydroxyl group of the opioid-antagonist, and the labile functionality is a carbonate that links the antagonist to the polymer are shown below, where the values for n defining the length of the polyethylene glycol polymer are as defined above. vii. release of the opioid antagonist from the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate as was described in detail above, the covalent bond between the polymer and the antagonist in the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate is preferably physiologically stable enough so that the opioid antagonist is not significantly released from the polymer following oral administration to a patient. rather, the covalent bond between the polymer and the antagonist in the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate is preferably broken over a well-defined period of time within the dose form. the resulting accumulation of the released bioavailable antagonist in the dose form over time will attenuate, and eventually ablate, the effects of the co-formulated agonist, thereby reducing both abuse and diversion. thus, the covalent bond between the polymer and the antagonist is subjected to conditions in the formulation such that it has a half-life of antagonist release that is about 0.5 y to about 5 y, more preferably about 1 y to about 3 y, or most preferably about 1.5 y to about 2.5 y. thus, the half-life can be about 0.5 y, about 0.75 y, about 1.0 y, about 1.5 y, about 1.75 y, about 2 y, about 2.25 y, or about 2.5 y. in one aspect of the invention, the bond between the polymer and the antagonist can be hydrolyzed under controlled conditions over a predetermined period of time, such as about 1.5 y, about 1.75 y, about 2 y, about 2.25 y, about 2.5 y or about 3 y. the bond can be hydrolyzed by the solvent, the co-solvent, or added nucleophile or catalyst selected to result in a rate of reaction that corresponds to the predetermined period of time. additionally, buffers can be added to the co-formulation to modulate the reaction rate between the polymeric antagonist and nucleophiles that effect the release of the antagonist. the half-life of an intermolecular or intramolecular reaction between the antagonist polymer conjugate and an extrinsic or appended nucleophile can also be tuned by modifying (i) the intrinsic nucleophilicity or basicity of the nucleophile and/or the amount of nucleophile relative to the polymer-antagonist conjugate, (ii) the internal ph of the formulation, and (iii) inclusion of lewis acid catalysts (e.g magnesium salts) and/or suitable buffer systems. thus, in one aspect of the invention, the opioid antagonist can be released from the polymer-antagonist conjugate via the action of a nucleophile, as illustrated below, where d is the antagonist: in another aspect of the invention, the opioid antagonist can be released from the polymer-antagonist conjugate via an elimination reaction, as illustrated below: in one aspect of the invention, a buffer mediates the rate of the elimination reaction. in another aspect of the invention, a lewis acid/base can be added to act as a catalyst for the elimination reaction. the buffer and/or catalyst is selected such that rate of elimination corresponds to a predetermined period of time, such as about 0.5 y, 1.5 y, about 1.75 y, about 2 y, about 2.25 y, about 2.5 y or about 3 y. viii. formulations also embraced within this invention is a class of pharmaceutical compositions comprising one or more compounds identified using the method described above in association with one or more non-toxic, pharmaceutically acceptable carriers and/or diluents and/or adjuvants (collectively referred to herein as “carrier” materials) and, if desired, other active ingredients. the compounds of the present invention can be administered by any suitable route, preferably in the form of a pharmaceutical composition adapted to such a route, and in a dose effective for the treatment intended. the compounds and composition can, for example, be administered orally, transdermally, subcutaneously, rectally, or topically. for oral administration, the pharmaceutical composition can be in the form of, for example, a tablet, capsule, a soft gelatin (softgel) capsule, a hard gelatin capsule, suspension or liquid. the pharmaceutical composition is preferably made in the form of a dosage unit containing a particular amount of the active ingredient. examples of such dosage units are tablets or softgel capsules. the active ingredient can also be administered by injection as a composition wherein, for example, saline, dextrose or water can be used as a suitable carrier. soft gelatin capsules can be prepared in which capsules contain a mixture of the agonist, the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate, and oleaginous and/or non-aqueous, and/or water miscible solvents such as polyethylene glycol and the like. hydrophilic solvents compatible with softgel capsules can include peg400, peg800, ethanol, glycerin, ppg, polysorbates, povidone (pvp), lubrasol®, labrafac® and the like containing up to about 1-12% water. the softgel capsules can optionally contain a buffer, a co-solvent, or a nucleophile. hard gelatin capsules can contain mixtures of the agonist, the polymer-antagonist conjugate in combination with a solid, pulverulent carrier, such as, for example, lactose, saccharose, sorbitol, mannitol, potato starch, corn starch, amylopectin, cellulose derivatives, or gelatin. the amount of therapeutically active compound that is administered and the dosage regimen for treating a disease condition with the compounds and/or compositions of this invention depends on a variety of factors, including the age, weight, sex and medical condition of the subject, the severity of the pain, the route and frequency of administration, and the particular compound employed, and thus may vary widely. the pharmaceutical compositions may contain the opioid agonist in the range of about 0.1 to 2000 mg, preferably in the range of about 0.5 to 500 mg and most preferably between about 1 and 100 mg. a daily dose of about 0.001 mg/kg to 100 mg/kg body weight, may be appropriate. the daily dose can be administered in one to four doses per day. the concentration of the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate is selected such that at a pre-selected expiry date of the composition, the molar ratio of the agonist to delivered antagonist is in the range of about 0.5:1 to about 10:1, preferably about 0.5:1 to about 2:1. for therapeutic purposes, the compounds of this invention are ordinarily combined with one or more excipients appropriate to the indicated route of administration. if administered orally, the compounds may be admixed with lactose, sucrose, starch powder, cellulose esters of alkanoic acids, cellulose alkyl esters, talc, stearic acid, magnesium stearate, magnesium oxide, sodium and calcium salts of phosphoric and sulfuric acids, gelatin, acacia gum, sodium alginate, polyvinylpyrrolidone, and/or polyvinyl alcohol, and then tableted or encapsulated for convenient administration. such capsules or tablets may contain a controlled-release formulation as may be provided in a dispersion of active compound in hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose. formulations for parenteral administration may be in the form of aqueous or non-aqueous isotonic sterile injection solutions or suspensions. these solutions and suspensions can be prepared from sterile powders or granules having one or more of the carriers or diluents mentioned for use in the formulations for oral administration. the compounds can be dissolved or suitably emulsified in water, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, ethanol, corn oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, benzyl alcohol, sodium chloride, and/or various buffers. other adjuvants and modes of administration are well and widely known in the pharmaceutical art. unit dosage forms a dose unit form, softgel capsule, or composition of the disclosure can be designed to provide an analgesic effect to a subject for a defined period of time. the amount of opioid antagonist within a compound, softgel, or dose unit that becomes bioavailable over time can be determined based on in vitro or in vivo calculations and experiments. an opioid agonist described herein and a compound of formula i (d-x—z) m —p can each independently be present in a unit dosage form of the invention in a range of from about 1 mg to about 2000 mg; from about 5 mg to about 1000 mg, from about 10 mg to about 25 mg to 500 mg, from about 50 mg to about 250 mg, from about 100 mg to about 200 mg, from about 1 mg to about 50 mg, from about 50 mg to about 100 mg, from about 100 mg to about 150 mg, from about 150 mg to about 200 mg, from about 200 mg to about 250 mg, from about 250 mg to about 300 mg, from about 300 mg to about 350 mg, from about 350 mg to about 400 mg, from about 400 mg to about 450 mg, from about 450 mg to about 500 mg, from about 500 mg to about 550 mg, from about 550 mg to about 600 mg, from about 600 mg to about 650 mg, from about 650 mg to about 700 mg, from about 700 mg to about 750 mg, from about 750 mg to about 800 mg, from about 800 mg to about 850 mg, from about 850 mg to about 900 mg, from about 900 mg to about 950 mg, from about 950 mg to about 1000 mg, from about 1000 mg to about 1050 mg, from about 1050 mg to about 1100 mg, from about 1100 mg to about 1150 mg, from about 1150 mg to about 1200 mg, from about 1200 mg to about 1250 mg, from about 1250 mg to about 1300 mg, from about 1300 mg to about 1350 mg, from about 1350 mg to about 1400 mg, from about 1400 mg to about 1450 mg, from about 1450 mg to about 1500 mg, from about 1500 mg to about 1550 mg, from about 1550 mg to about 1600 mg, from about 1600 mg to about 1650 mg, from about 1650 mg to about 1700 mg, from about 1700 mg to about 1750 mg, from about 1750 mg to about 1850 mg, from about 1850 mg to about 1900 mg, from about 1900 mg to about 1950 mg, from about 1950 mg to about 2000 mg, from about 2000 mg to about 2050 mg, from about 2050 mg to about 2100 mg, from about 2100 mg to about 2150 mg, from about 2150 mg to about 2200 mg, from about 2200 mg to about 2250 mg, from about 2250 mg to about 2300 mg, from about 2300 mg to about 2350 mg, from about 2350 mg to about 2400 mg, from about 2400 mg to about 2450 mg, or from about 2450 mg to about 2500 mg. the mass of a compound described herein can be present in a composition in an amount of about 1 mg, about 2 mg, about 3 mg, about 4 mg, about 5 mg, about 6 mg, about 7 mg, about 8 mg, about 9 mg, about 10 mg, about 15 mg, about 20 mg, about 25 mg, about 30 mg, about 35 mg, about 40 mg, about 45 mg, about 50 mg, about 55 mg, about 60 mg, about 65 mg, about 70 mg, about 75 mg, about 80 mg, about 85 mg, about 90 mg, about 95 mg, about 100 mg, about 125 mg, about 150 mg, about 175 mg, about 200 mg, about 250 mg, about 300 mg, about 350 mg, about 400 mg, about 450 mg, about 500 mg, about 550 mg, about 600 mg, about 650 mg, about 700 mg, about 750 mg, about 800 mg, about 850 mg, about 900 mg, about 950 mg, about 1000 mg, about 1050 mg, about 1100 mg, about 1150 mg, about 1200 mg, about 1250 mg, about 1300 mg, about 1350 mg, about 1400 mg, about 1450 mg, about 1500 mg, about 1550 mg, about 1600 mg, about 1650 mg, about 1700 mg, about 1750 mg, about 1800 mg, about 1850 mg, about 1900 mg, about 1950 mg, about 2000 mg, about 2050 mg, about 2100 mg, about 2150 mg, about 2200 mg, about 2250 mg, about 2300 mg, about 2350 mg, about 2400 mg, about 2450 mg, or about 2500 mg. the following are non-limiting examples of molar ratios of an opioid agonist described herein and a compound of formula i (d-x—z) m —p, such as a compound a. the molar ratio can be: about 20: about 1; about 19.9: about 1; about 19.8: about 1; about 19.7: about 1; about 19.6: about 1; about 19.5: about 1; about 19.4: about 1; about 19.3: about 1; about 19.2: about 1; about 19.1: about 1; about 19: about 1; about 18.9: about 1; about 18.8: about 1; about 18.7: about 1; about 18.6: about 1; about 18.5: about 1; about 18.4: about 1; about 18.3: about 1; about 18.2: about 1; about 18.1: about 1; about 18: about 1; about 17.9: about 1; about 17.8: about 1; about 17.7: about 1; about 17.6: about 1; about 17.5: about 1; about 17.4: about 1; about 17.3: about 1; about 17.2: about 1; about 17.1: about 1; about 17: about 1; about 16.9: about 1; about 16.8: about 1; about 16.7: about 1; about 16.6: about 1; about 16.5: about 1; about 16.4: about 1; about 16.3: about 1; about 16.2: about 1; about 16.1: about 1; about 16: about 1; about 15.9: about 1; about 15.8: about 1; about 15.7: about 1; about 15.6: about 1; about 15.5: about 1; about 15.4: about 1; about 15.3: about 1; about 15.2: about 1; about 15.1: about 1; about 15: about 1; about 14.9: about 1; about 14.8: about 1; about 14.7: about 1; about 14.6: about 1; about 14.5: about 1; about 14.4: about 1; about 14.3: about 1; about 14.2: about 1; about 14.1: about 1; about 14: about 1; about 13.9: about 1; about 13.8: about 1; about 13.7: about 1; about 13.6: about 1; about 13.5: about 1; about 13.4: about 1; about 13.3: about 1; about 13.2: about 1; about 13.1: about 1; about 13: about 1; about 12.9: about 1; about 12.8: about 1; about 12.7: about 1; about 12.6: about 1; about 12.5: about 1; about 12.4: about 1; about 12.3: about 1; about 12.2: about 1; about 12.1: about 1; about 12: about 1; about 11.9: about 1; about 11.8: about 1; about 11.7: about 1; about 11.6: about 1; about 11.5: about 1; about 11.4: about 1; about 11.3: about 1; about 11.2: about 1; about 11.1: about 1; about 11: about 1; about 10.9: about 1; about 10.8: about 1; about 10.7: about 1; about 10.6: about 1; about 10.5: about 1; about 10.4: about 1; about 10.3: about 1; about 10.2: about 1; about 10.1: about 1; about 10: about 1; about 9.9: about 1; about 9.8: about 1; about 9.7: about 1; about 9.6: about 1; about 9.5: about 1; about 9.4: about 1; about 9.3: about 1; about 9.2: about 1; about 9.1: about 1; about 9: about 1; about 8.9: about 1; about 8.8: about 1; about 8.7: about 1; about 8.6: about 1; about 8.5: about 1; about 8.4: about 1; about 8.3: about 1; about 8.2: about 1; about 8.1: about 1; about 8: about 1; about 7.9: about 1; about 7.8: about 1; about 7.7: about 1; about 7.6: about 1; about 7.5: about 1; about 7.4: about 1; about 7.3: about 1; about 7.2: about 1; about 7.1: about 1; about 7: about 1; about 6.9: about 1; about 6.8: about 1; about 6.7: about 1; about 6.6: about 1; about 6.5: about 1; about 6.4: about 1; about 6.3: about 1; about 6.2: about 1; about 6.1: about 1; about 6: about 1; about 5.9: about 1; about 5.8: about 1; about 5.7: about 1; about 5.6: about 1; about 5.5: about 1; about 5.4: about 1; about 5.3: about 1; about 5.2: about 1; about 5.1: about 1; about 5: about 1; about 4.9: about 1; about 4.8: about 1; about 4.7: about 1; about 4.6: about 1; about 4.5: about 1; about 4.4: about 1; about 4.3: about 1; about 4.2: about 1; about 4.1: about 1; about 4: about 1; about 3.9: about 1; about 3.8: about 1; about 3.7: about 1; about 3.6: about 1; about 3.5: about 1; about 3.4: about 1; about 3.3: about 1; about 3.2: about 1; about 3.1: about 1; about 3: about 1; about 2.9: about 1; about 2.8: about 1; about 2.7: about 1; about 2.6: about 1; about 2.5: about 1; about 2.4: about 1; about 2.3: about 1; about 2.2: about 1; about 2.1: about 1; about 2: about 1; about 1.9: about 1; about 1.8: about 1; about 1.7: about 1; about 1.6: about 1; about 1.5: about 1; about 1.4: about 1; about 1.3: about 1; about 1.2: about 1; about 1.1: about 1; or about 1: about 1. pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics the self-expiring (auto-expiring) dose unit, composition, or softgel of the invention can release a therapeutically-effective amount of an opioid for a first period of time; and an amount of an opioid antagonist for a defined second period of time. a unit dosage, softgel, or composition of the disclosure can provide an opioid agonist and a compound of formula i described herein to provide a therapeutically-effective (i.e., analgesic) plasma concentration of an opioid agonist for a first period of time. a first period of time can be from the day of manufacture (day 0) up to 3 months, up to 4 months, up to 5 months, up to 6 months, up to 7 months, up to 8 months, up to 9 months, up to 10 months, up to 11 months, up to 12 months, up to 13 months, up to 14 months, up to 15 months, up to 16 months, up to 17 months, up to 18 months, up to 19 months, up to 20 months, up to 21 months, up to 22 months, up to 23 months, up to 24 months, up to 25 months, up to 26 months, up to 27 months, up to 28 months, up to 29 months, up to 30 months, up to 31 months, up to 32 months, up to 33 months, up to 34 months, up to 35 months, or up to 36 months. a unit dosage, softgel, or composition of the disclosure can provide an effective plasma concentration of an opioid antagonist for a second period of time after manufacture. a second period of time can start from about 3 months to about 4 months, from about 3 months to about 5 months, from about 3 months to about 6 months, from about 3 months to about 7 months, from about 3 months to about 8 months, from about 3 months to about 9 months, from about 3 months to about 10 months, from about 3 months to about 11 months, from about 3 months to about 12 months, from about 3 months to about 13 months, from about 3 months to about 14 months, from about 3 months to about 15 months, from about 3 months to about 16 months, from about 3 months to about 17 months, from about 3 months to about 18 months, from about 3 months to about 19 months, from about 3 months to about 20 months, from about 3 months to about 21 months, from about 3 months to about 22 months, from about 3 months to about 23 months, from about 3 months to about 24 months, from about 3 months to about 25 months, from about 3 months to about 26 months, from about 3 months to about 27 months, from about 3 months to about 28 months, from about 3 months to about 29 months, from about 3 months to about 30 months, from about 3 months to about 31 months, from about 3 months to about 32 months, from about 3 months to about 33 months, from about 3 months to about 34 months, from about 3 months to about 35 months, or from about 3 months to about 36 months. in some cases, a second period of time can start from about 6 months to about 7 months, from about 6 months to about 8 months, from about 6 months to about 9 months, from about 6 months to about 10 months, from about 6 months to about 11 months, from about 6 months to about 12 months, from about 6 months to about 13 months, from about 6 months to about 14 months, from about 6 months to about 15 months, from about 6 months to about 16 months, from about 6 months to about 17 months, from about 6 months to about 18 months, from about 6 months to about 19 months, from about 6 months to about 20 months, from about 6 months to about 21 months, from about 6 months to about 22 months, from about 6 months to about 23 months, from about 6 months to about 24 months, from about 6 months to about 25 months, from about 6 months to about 26 months, from about 6 months to about 27 months, from about 6 months to about 28 months, from about 6 months to about 29 months, from about 6 months to about 30 months, from about 6 months to about 31 months, from about 6 months to about 32 months, from about 6 months to about 33 months, from about 6 months to about 34 months, from about 6 months to about 35 months, or from about 6 months to about 36 months. in other cases, a second period of time can start from about 12 months to about 13 months, from about 12 months to about 14 months, from about 12 months to about 15 months, from about 12 months to about 16 months, from about 12 months to about 17 months, from about 12 months to about 18 months, from about 12 months to about 19 months, from about 12 months to about 20 months, from about 12 months to about 21 months, from about 12 months to about 22 months, from about 12 months to about 23 months, from about 12 months to about 24 months, from about 12 months to about 25 months, from about 12 months to about 26 months, from about 12 months to about 27 months, from about 12 months to about 28 months, from about 12 months to about 29 months, from about 12 months to about 30 months, from about 12 months to about 31 months, from about 12 months to about 32 months, from about 12 months to about 33 months, from about 12 months to about 34 months, from about 12 months to about 35 months, or from about 12 months to about 36 months. in yet other cases, a second period of time can be from about 18 months to about 19 months, from about 18 months to about 20 months, from about 18 months to about 21 months, from about 18 months to about 22 months, from about 18 months to about 23 months, from about 18 months to about 24 months, from about 18 months to about 25 months, from about 18 months to about 26 months, from about 18 months to about 27 months, from about 18 months to about 28 months, from about 18 months to about 29 months, from about 18 months to about 30 months, from about 18 months to about 31 months, from about 18 months to about 32 months, from about 18 months to about 33 months, from about 18 months to about 34 months, from about 18 months to about 35 months, or from about 18 months to about 36 months. in addition, a second period of time can be from about 24 months to about 25 months, from about 24 months to about 26 months, from about 24 months to about 27 months, from about 24 months to about 28 months, from about 24 months to about 29 months, from about 24 months to about 30 months, from about 24 months to about 31 months, from about 24 months to about 32 months, from about 24 months to about 33 months, from about 24 months to about 34 months, from about 24 months to about 35 months, or from about 24 months to about 36 months. a concentration can be the amount of the opioid agonist or an opioid antagonist in a given volume of plasma. a composition, softgel, or dose unit of the invention can provide a peak plasma concentration (c max ) of an opioid agonist or of an opioid antagonist described herein after administration. a c max can be provided by one or more dose units of the invention, alone or in combination. a mean c max can be of about 500 pg/ml, about 1 ng/ml, about 2 ng/ml, about 3 ng/ml, about 4 ng/ml, about 5 ng/ml, about 6 ng/ml, about 7 ng/ml, about 8 ng/ml, about 9 ng/ml, about 10 ng/ml, about 11 ng/ml, about 12 ng/ml, about 13 ng/ml, about 14 ng/ml, about 15 ng/ml, about 16 ng/ml, about 17 ng/ml, about 18 ng/ml, about 19 ng/ml, about 20 ng/ml, about 21 ng/ml, about 22 ng/ml, about 23 ng/ml, about 24 ng/ml, about 25 ng/ml, about 26 ng/ml, about 27 ng/ml, about 28 ng/ml, about 29 ng/ml, about 30 ng/ml, about 31 ng/ml, about 32 ng/ml, about 33 ng/ml, about 34 ng/ml, about 35 ng/ml, about 36 ng/ml, about 37 ng/ml, about 38 ng/ml, about 39 ng/ml, about 40 ng/ml, about 41 ng/ml, about 42 ng/ml, about 43 ng/ml, about 44 ng/ml, about 45 ng/ml, about 46 ng/ml, about 47 ng/ml, about 48 ng/ml, about 49 ng/ml, about 50 ng/ml, about 51 ng/ml, about 52 ng/ml, about 53 ng/ml, about 54 ng/ml, about 55 ng/ml, about 56 ng/ml, about 57 ng/ml, about 58 ng/ml, about 59 ng/ml, about 60 ng/ml, about 61 ng/ml, about 62 ng/ml, about 63 ng/ml, about 64 ng/ml, about 65 ng/ml, about 66 ng/ml, about 67 ng/ml, about 68 ng/ml, about 69 ng/ml, about 70 ng/ml, about 71 ng/ml, about 72 ng/ml, about 73 ng/ml, about 74 ng/ml, about 75 ng/ml, about 76 ng/ml, about 77 ng/ml, about 78 ng/ml, about 79 ng/ml, about 80 ng/ml, about 81 ng/ml, about 82 ng/ml, about 83 ng/ml, about 84 ng/ml, about 85 ng/ml, about 86 ng/ml, about 87 ng/ml, about 88 ng/ml, about 89 ng/m, about 90 ng/ml, about 91 ng/ml, about 92 ng/ml, about 93 ng/ml, about 94 ng/ml, about 95 ng/ml, about 96 ng/ml, about 97 ng/ml, about 98 ng/ml, about 99 ng/ml, about 100 ng/ml, about 101 ng/ml, about 102 ng/ml, about 103 ng/ml, about 104 ng/ml, about 105 ng/ml, about 106 ng/ml, about 107 ng/ml, about 108 ng/ml, about 109 ng/ml, about 110 ng/ml, about 111 ng/ml, about 112 ng/ml, about 113 ng/ml, about 114 ng/ml, about 115 ng/ml, about 116 ng/ml, about 117 ng/ml, about 118 ng/ml, about 119 ng/ml, about 120 ng/ml, about 121 ng/ml, about 122 ng/ml, about 123 ng/ml, about 124 ng/ml, about 125 ng/ml, about 126 ng/ml, about 127 ng/ml, about 128 ng/ml, about 129 ng/ml, about 130 ng/ml, about 131 ng/ml, about 132 ng/ml, about 133 ng/ml, about 134 ng/ml, about 135 ng/ml, about 136 ng/ml, about 137 ng/ml, about 138 ng/ml, about 139 ng/ml, about 140 ng/ml, about 141 ng/ml, about 142 ng/ml, about 143 ng/ml, about 144 ng/ml, about 145 ng/ml, about 146 ng/ml, about 147 ng/ml, about 148 ng/ml, about 149 ng/ml, about 150 ng/ml, about 151 ng/ml, about 152 ng/ml, about 153 ng/ml, about 154 ng/ml, about 155 ng/ml, about 156 ng/ml, about 157 ng/ml, about 158 ng/ml, about 159 ng/ml, about 160 ng/ml, about 161 ng/ml, about 162 ng/ml, about 163 ng/ml, about 164 ng/ml, about 165 ng/ml, about 166 ng/ml, about 167 ng/ml, about 168 ng/ml, about 169 ng/ml, about 170 ng/ml, about 171 ng/ml, about 172 ng/ml, about 173 ng/ml, about 174 ng/ml, about 175 ng/ml, about 176 ng/ml, about 177 ng/ml, about 178 ng/ml, about 179 ng/ml, about 180 ng/ml, about 181 ng/ml, about 182 ng/ml, about 183 ng/ml, about 184 ng/ml, about 185 ng/ml, about 186 ng/ml, about 187 ng/ml, about 188 ng/ml, about 189 ng/ml, about 190 ng/ml, about 191 ng/ml, about 192 ng/ml, about 193 ng/ml, about 194 ng/ml, about 195 ng/ml, about 196 ng/ml, about 197 ng/ml, about 198 ng/ml, about 199 ng/ml, or about 200 ng/ml, a suitable range of the mean values provided herein. a mean c max can be of about 50 pg/ml to about 250 pg/ml, from about 250 pg/ml to about 500 pg/ml, from about 500 pg/ml to about 750 pg/ml, from about 750 pg/ml to about 1000 pg/ml, from about 1000 pg/ml to about 1250 pg/ml, from about 1250 pg/ml to about 1500 pg/ml, from about 1500 pg/ml to about 1750 pg/ml, from about 1750 pg/ml to about 2000 pg/ml, from about 2000 pg/ml to about 2250 pg/ml, from about 2250 pg/ml to about 2500 pg/ml, from about 2500 pg/ml to about 2750 pg/ml, from about 2750 pg/ml to about 3000 pg/ml, from about 3000 pg/ml to about 3250 pg/ml, from about 3250 pg/ml to about 3500 pg/ml, from about 3500 pg/ml to about 3750 pg/ml, from about 4000 pg/ml to about 4250 pg/ml, from about 4250 pg/ml to about 4500 pg/ml, from about 4500 pg/ml to about 4750 pg/ml, or from about 4750 pg/ml to about 5000 pg/ml. a composition, softgel, or dose unit of the invention can provide a plasma concentration of a compound described herein that is defined by a plasma area under the curve (auc). an auc can provide a plasma compound concentration-time curve, thereby identifying the exposure of a subject to a self-expiring pill that has “expired” or not. the auc 0-24 of a compound described herein can range from about 1 pg/ml*h to about 10,000 ng/ml*h, from about 10 pg/ml*h to about 1,000 ng/ml*h, from about 0.1 ng/ml*h to about 1,000 ng/ml*h, 0.5 ng/ml*h to about 500 ng/ml*h, or from about 0.1 ng/ml*h to about 100 ng/ml*h. examples below are examples of specific embodiments for carrying out the present invention. the examples are offered for illustrative purposes only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way. efforts have been made to ensure accuracy with respect to numbers used (e.g., amounts, temperatures, etc.), but some experimental errors and deviations should, of course, be allowed for. example 1: synthesis of product 1 to a solution of peg-5000 dicarboxylic acid (10 mmol) in dmf (20 ml) was added naltrexone (22 mmol), dipea (40 mmol) and n-hydroxyazabenzotriazole(hatu) (22 mmol). the reaction mixture was stirred at rt overnight. the reaction mixture was diluted with etoac (60 ml) and the organic layer was washed successively with water (50 ml), saturated aqueous nahco 3 (50 ml) and brine (50 ml). the organic layer was separated, dried over na 2 so 4 , and concentrated to give crude product 1. purification by flash column chromatography provides isolated product 1. example 2: synthesis of product 2 naltrexone (74 mmol) and diea (8 mmol) is suspended in dichloromethane (50 ml). p-nitrophenylchloroformate (8 mmol) in dichloromethane (50 ml) is then added dropwise over a period of 5 minutes. the reaction mixture is then sonicated for 2 hours to afford a stock solution of the activated naltrexone that is used in the next step. to a solution of peg-5000 (10 mmol) in dmf (20 ml) was added sodium hydride (22 mmol) and allowed to stir until hydrogen gas evolution stops. next, activated naltrexone p-nitrophenylcarbonate (22 mmol) is added dropwise. the reaction mixture was stirred at rt overnight. the reaction mixture was diluted with etoac (60 ml) and the organic layer was washed successively with water (50 ml), saturated aqueous nahco 3 (50 ml) and brine (50 ml). the organic layer was separated, dried over na 2 so 4 , and concentrated to give crude product 2. purification by flash column chromatography provides isolated product 2. example 3: synthesis of product 3 peg-5000 diamine (10 mmol) and diisopropylethylamine (30 mmol) are dissolved in dmf (5 ml) and then activated naltrexone (21 mmol) is added dropwise. the solution is stirred for 5 hours. the solvent is evaporated under vacuum, the reaction mixture was dissolved into etoac (60 ml) and the organic layer was washed successively with water (50 ml), saturated aqueous nahco 3 (50 ml) and brine (50 ml). the organic layer was separated, dried over na 2 so 4 , and concentrated to give crude product 3. purification by flash column chromatography provides isolated product 3. example 4: synthesis of product 4 to an ice chilled solution (0° c.) of peg-5000 diamine (10 mmol) in thf (20 ml) was added nosyl chloride (22 mmol) and tea (40 mmol). the reaction mixture was stirred at rt for 15 h. the reaction mixture was diluted with etoac (60 ml) and the organic layer was washed successively with water (50 ml), saturated aqueous nahco 3 (50 ml) and brine (50 ml). the organic layer was separated, dried over na 2 so 4 , and concentrated to give crude peg-5000 di-nosylamine. purification by flash column chromatography provides isolated peg-5000 di-nosylamine. to a solution of peg-5000 di-nosylamine (10 mmol) in dmf (25 ml) at room temperature was added k 2 co 3 (40 mmol) in one portion. the mixture was cooled in an ice water bath to 0° c. mei (39 mmol) was added in small portions via syringe over 10 min. the resulting mixture was allowed to warm to room temperature over 30 min and stirring was continued for 3 h. the reaction mixture was diluted with etoac (100 ml) and the organic layer was washed successively with water (100 ml), saturated aqueous nahco 3 (100 ml) and brine (100 ml). the organic layer was separated, dried over na 2 so 4 , and concentrated to give crude peg-5000 di-methylnosylamine. purification by flash column chromatography provides isolated peg-5000 di-methylnosylamine. to a solution containing peg-5000 di-methylnosylamine (5 mmol) in dmf (15 ml) was cooled in an ice bath to 0° c. the to mixture was added thiophenol (10 mmol). the mixture was allowed to warm to room temperature and was stirred for 6 h. water (15 ml) was added. the reaction mixture was extracted with etoac (3×20 ml). the combined etoac extracts were washed successively with water (100 ml), saturated aqueous nahco 3 (100 ml) and brine (100 ml). the organic layer was separated, dried over na 2 so 4 , and concentrated to give crude peg-5000 di-methylamine. purification by flash column chromatography provides isolated peg-5000 di-methylamine. peg-5000 di-methylamine (5 mmol) and diisopropylethylamine (15 mmol) are dissolved in dmf (5 ml) and then activated naltrexone (11 mmol) is added. the solution is stirred for 5 hours. the solvent is evaporated under vacuum, the reaction mixture was dissolved into etoac (30 ml) and the organic layer was washed successively with water (25 ml), saturated aqueous nahco 3 (25 ml) and brine (25 ml). the organic layer was separated, dried over na 2 so 4 , and concentrated to give crude product 4. purification by flash column chromatography provides isolated product 4. example 5: synthesis of product 5 to a solution of naltrexone (10 mmol) and k 2 co 3 (30 mmol) are dissolved in dmf (5 ml) and tert-butyl acrylate (12 mmol) is added dropwise. the solution is stirred for 5 hours at 60° c. the reaction is cooled to room temperature and then the solvent is evaporated under vacuum. the reaction mixture was dissolved into etoac (60 ml) and the organic layer was washed successively with water (50 ml), saturated aqueous nahco 3 (50 ml) and brine (50 ml). the organic layer was separated, dried over na 2 so 4 , and concentrated to give crude naltrexone phenolic ester. the material was purified by silica gel chromatography. to a solution of naltrexone phenolic ester (10 mmol) in dcm (10 ml) was added tfa (1 ml) and the reaction mixture was allowed to stir for 1 h. next the reaction was condensed under vacuum and then dissolved into etoac (25 ml) and the organic layer was washed successively with water (50 ml), saturated aqueous nahco 3 (50 ml) and brine (50 ml). the organic layer was separated, dried over na 2 so 4 , and concentrated to give crude phenolic acid which was used directly in the next step without purification. to a solution of peg-5000 diamine (10 mmol) in dmf (20 ml) was added phenolic acid (22 mmol), dipea (60 mmol) and n-hydroxyazabenzotriazole (hatu) (22 mmol). the reaction mixture was stirred at rt overnight. the reaction mixture was diluted with etoac (100 ml) and the organic layer was washed successively with water (100 ml), saturated aqueous nahco 3 (100 ml) and brine (100 ml). the organic layer was separated, dried over na 2 so 4 , and concentrated to give crude product 5. purification by flash column chromatography provides isolated product 5. example 6: synthesis of product 6 to a solution of tert-butyl 3-hydroxypropionate (10 mmol) in thf (5 ml) was added nah (12 mmol). the solution is stirred until evolution of hydrogen gas ceases. next, activated naltrexone (12 mmol) is added in one portion. the solution is stirred for 5 h at room temperature. the solvent is evaporated under vacuum, the reaction mixture was dissolved into etoac (60 ml) and the organic layer was washed successively with water (50 ml), saturated aqueous nahco 3 (50 ml) and brine (50 ml). the organic layer was separated, dried over na 2 so 4 , and concentrated to give crude naltrexone carbonate ester which was purified by flash column chromatography. to a solution of naltrexone carbonate ester (10 mmol) in dcm (10 ml) was added tfa (1 ml) and the reaction mixture was allowed to stir for 1 h. next the reaction was condensed under vacuum and then dissolved into etoac (25 ml) and the organic layer was washed successively with water (50 ml), saturated aqueous nahco 3 (50 ml) and brine (50 ml). the organic layer was separated, dried over na 2 so 4 , and concentrated to give crude naltrexone carbonate acid which was used directly in the next step without purification. to a solution of peg-5000 diamine (10 mmol) in dmf (20 ml) was added naltrexone carbonate acid (22 mmol), dipea (60 mmol) and n-hydroxyazabenzotriazole (hatu) (22 mmol). the reaction mixture was stirred at rt overnight. the reaction mixture was diluted with etoac (100 ml) and the organic layer was washed successively with water (100 ml), saturated aqueous nahco 3 (100 ml) and brine (100 ml). the organic layer was separated, dried over na 2 so 4 , and concentrated to give crude product 6. purification by flash column chromatography provides isolated product 6. example 7: synthesis of product 7 to a cooled (˜5° c.) solution of naltrexone free base (11.8 g, 36.0 mmol) in dmf (110 ml) is added imidazole (3.68 g, 54 mmol) and tbdms-cl (5.43 g, 36.0 mmol). ten min after complete addition the bath is removed and the mixture stirred at ambient temperature for 16 h. most of the dmf is removed in vacuo and the residue taken into etoac (600 ml), washed with water (2×500 ml) and brine (300 ml) and dried over mgso 4 . after evaporation of the solvent in vacuo, the crude material (white solid, 15 g) is purified by column chromatography (sio 2 330 g, 100% hexane, followed by gradient 0-80% etoac in hexane). pure tbs protected naltrexone is isolated as a white solid. to a cooled (−78° c.) solution of tbs protected naltrexone (5.31 g, 11.7 mmol) in anhydrous thf (200 ml) is added, under n 2 , dropwise a 0.5 m solution of khmds in toluene over 25 min. the yellow solution is stirred at this temperature for 30 min. then, the solution is added through a metal cannula to a cooled solution (−78° c.) of 4-nitrophenyl chloroformate (2.35 g, 11.7 mmol) in anhydrous thf (50 ml) over 5 min to give the activated tbs protected naltrexone. peg-5000 amine and activated tbs protected naltrexone, are coupled as described in example 3. subsequently, the tbs phenolic protecting group is removed via dissolving in thf (200 ml) and adding tbaf (1.0m in thf, 13 mmol). the mixture was allowed to stir for 6 h and then condensed under vacuum. the reaction mixture was diluted with etoac (200 ml) and the organic layer was washed successively with water (200 ml), saturated aqueous nahco 3 (200 ml) and brine (200 ml). the organic layer was separated, dried over na 2 so 4 , and concentrated to give crude product 9 which was purified by flash column chromatography. example 8: synthesis of compound a synthesis of compound a-2: compound a-2 was prepared according to christensen, j. b., et al, synthesis 2002(15): 2195-2202. synthesis of a-5 (activated naltrexone): a-5 was prepared according to a protocol similar to that described in pct int. appl., 2008101187, 21 aug. 2008. synthesis of a-3: to a solution of a-5 (342.6 mg, 0.677 mmol) in dcm (5 ml) was added dipea (176 μl, 1.01 mmol), hoat (84 mg, 0.615 mmol) and finally a-2 (203 mg, 0.615 mmol). the reaction was allowed to stir at room temperature for 18 h. the reaction was diluted with etoac (20 ml) and extracted with water (20 ml), saturated na 2 co 3 (3×20 ml), 1n hcl (2×20 ml) and brine (20 ml). the organic layer was dried over mgso 4 , filtered and concentrated to provide compound a-3 (420 mg (crude), 0.677 mmol). lc-ms [m+h] 698.6 (c 37 h 54 n 4 o 9 +h, calc: 698.39). compound a-3 was used without further purification. synthesis of a-4: to a solution of a-3 (420 mg, 0.677 mmol) in dcm (5 ml) was added tfa (2.5 ml). the reaction was allowed to stir for 1 h at room temperature. the reaction was then condensed, taken up in water (5 ml) and purified by preparative hplc to provide the tfa salt of compound a-4 (368 mg (3×tfa salt, 0.438 mmol). lc-ms [m+h] 499.3 (c 27 h 38 n 4 o 5 +h, calc: 498.28). synthesis of a: to a solution of a-4 (324 mg, 0.38 mmol) and mpeg-sva (800 mg, 0.40 mmol, mw:2000, laysan bio) in dmf (5 ml) was added dipea (205 μl, 1.14 mmol). the reaction was stirred for exactly 12 min at room temperature and then quenched with tfa (2 ml) to afford an approximate statistical mixture of starting material, mono-pegylated and bis-pegylated products were obtained. the desired product a was obtained via preparative hplc to provide the tfa salt of compound a (582 mg, 0.216 mmol). example 9: synthesis of compound b synthesis of compound b-2: compound b-2 was prepared from b-1 according to miller, andrew david et al, pct int. appl., 9745442, 4 dec. 1997. synthesis of compound b-3: to a solution of b-2 (6.38 g, 21.2 mmol) in etoh (100 ml) was added 1-amino-4-[(tert-butoxycarbonyl)amino]butane (4.0 g, 21.2 mmol) and dipea (11.1 ml, 63.6 mmol). the reaction was heated to 50° c. for 2 days. the reaction was then cooled to room temperature, condensed and purified by silica gel chromatography (meoh/dcm) to afford compound b-3 (4.92 g, 12.5 mmol). lc-ms [m+h] 394.1 (c 21 h 35 n 3 o 4 +h, calc: 393.52). synthesis of compound b-4: to a solution of a-5 (3.80 g, 7.5 mmol) in dcm (60 ml) was added dipea (1.3 ml, 7.5 mmol), hoat (1.12 g, 8.25 mmol) and finally b-3 (3.25 g, 8.25 mmol). the reaction was allowed to stir at 40° c. for 18 h. the reaction was diluted with etoac (200 ml) and extracted with water (200 ml), saturated na 2 co 3 (3×200 ml), 1n hcl (2×200 ml) and brine (200 ml). the organic layer was dried over mgso4, filtered, concentrated and purified by silica gel chromatography (meoh/dcm) to afford compound b-4 (2.89 g, 12.5 mmol). lc-ms [m+h] 761.4 (c 42 h 56 n 4 o 9 +h, calc: 760.40). synthesis of b-5: to a solution of b-4 (1.25 g, 1.642 mmol) in 5:1 etoh/hoac (25 ml/5 ml) was added pd(oh) 2 (10% on carbon, 0.125 g). next, hydrogen gas was introduced via balloon. the reaction was allowed to stir for 1 h at room temperature. the reaction was then condensed to afford compound b-5 as the hoac salt (1.11 g (2×hoac salt, 0.438 mmol). lc-ms [m+h] 627.2 (c 34 h 50 n 4 o 7 +h, calc: 626.37). synthesis of b: to a solution of b-5 (1.07 g, 1.71 mmol) and mpeg-sva (3.6 g, 1.8 mmol, mw:2000, laysan bio) in dmf (20 ml) was added dipea (892 μl, 5.13 mmol). the reaction was stirred for 1 h at room temperature. next, the reaction mixture was condensed and dissolved in dcm (15 ml). to the reaction mixture was added tfa (5 ml) and the reaction was allowed to stir for 1 h at room temperature. the desired product b was obtained via preparative hplc (acn/water) to provide the tfa salt of compound b (1.83 g (2×tfa salt), 0.677 mmol). example 10: synthesis of compound c compound c was prepared according to the procedure for compound b, except for the substitution of b-1 with benzyl n-(3-hydroxypropyl)-n-(propan-2-yl)carbamate and the substitution of 1-amino-4-[(tert-butoxycarbonyl)amino]butane with tert-butyl 3-aminopropyl(isopropyl)carbamate. example 11: synthesis of compound d compound d was prepared according to the procedure for compound b, except for the substitution of b-1 with benzyl n-(3-hydroxypropyl)-n-(propan-2-yl)carbamate and the substitution of 1-amino-4-[(tert-butoxycarbonyl)amino]butane with tert-butyl 3-aminopropyl(ethyl)carbamate. example 12: in vitro conversion data for compound a, compound b, compound c, and compound d this example describes in vitro conversion data for compound a, compound b, compound c, and compound d. compounds a, b, c, and d were prepared as previously described. in vitro conversion data for compound a, compound b, compound c, and compound d were determined by incubating the compounds in aqueous buffered solutions at the defined values for ph and temperature shown in table 1, followed by lc/ms analysis. table 1compound acompound bcompound ccompound dntx release profilentx release profilentx release profilentx release profilehalf-half-half-half-templifetemplifetemplifetemplifeph° c.(days)ph° c.(days)ph° c.(days)ph° c.(days)8.5 a400.418.5 a40>>608.5 a40158.5 a401.07.4 b372.37.4 b376.4a ph = 8.5 (10% saturated nahco 3 (0.14m), 40° c., 0.5 mg test article/ml);b ph = 7.4 tris buffer system (50 mm tris buffered to ph = 7.4, 37° c., 5.0 mg test article/ml). example 13: in vitro screening of peg-ntx polymer conjugates this example describes in vitro screening experiments of peg-ntx polymer conjugates with the molecular structures shown in table 2: molecular structures of compound e, compound f, and compound a: table 2compoundmolecular structurecompound ecompound fcompound a several chemotypically distinct compounds, namely compound e, compound f, and compound a, were evaluated in a series of in vitro studies. the in vitro assays and respective rationales for the experiments conducted with select peg-naltrexone conjugates are shown on table 3. table 3in vitro assayrationalechemical stability into assess and optimize the half-life ofrepresentative bufferednaltrexone release from peg-naltrexonepeg400 gelcap solutionsconjugate in representativebuffered gelcap formulationschemical stability in simu-to assess risk of undesired release oflated gastric fluid (sgf)ntx from the ntx-polymerconjugate in the stomachchemical stability in simu-to assess risk of undesired release oflated intestinal fluid (sif)ntx from the ntx-polymerconjugate in the small intestinesolid-state chemicalto assess risk of undesired release of ntxstabilityfrom the ntx-polymer conjugate in thesolid-state following prolonged storageunder ambient humidity at room temperaturechemical stability into assess the rate and extent of naltrexonehuman whole blood &release from the ntx-polymer conjugate inhuman liver microsomethe systemic circulation in manpreparations methods & data analyses: chemical stability in peg400 gelcap solutions: the study compounds were incubated in 1:1 (v/v) peg400/aqueous 10 mm citrate buffer systems at a final concentration of 20 mg/ml. the ph was controlled by the addition of aqueous solutions of 10 mmol citric acid/trisodium citrate buffers systems. prior to the incubations, the ph of the buffer solutions was confirmed using multi-panel ph indicator strips (mcolorphast™ 0-14 manufactured by emd millipore corp). a volume of 0.666 ml of the solutions was accurately dispensed into screw-top, clear glass vials with fitted w/teflon lined caps, under ambient atmosphere, then parafilmed before being placed in monitored incubation ovens pre-equilibrated for 24 hours to the desired temperature. t 0 and subsequent time-point samples were generated by pulling 50 μl aliquots from each incubate, then diluting with 950 μl of 0.1 m aqueous hcl solution. samples were analyzed using reverse-phase hplc on a beckman system gold® instrument fitted with a c 18 4.6×55 mm waters xterra® column. a 2-component mobile phase system w/0.1% tfa/water and 0.1% tfa/acetonitrile was employed. five point standard curves for ntx and mntx were generated covering a concentration range from 2.5 mg/ml down to 0.0025 mg/ml using the same hplc instrument and methods used for the study compounds. the percent ntx released was determined using the following equation: observed ntx peak area/100% ntx peak area x 100 (the 100% ntx peak area was determined experimentally by incubating a known mass of compound a as described below in table 6). half-lives were calculated by the following formula: wherein: n(t)=the quantity that still remains after time t; n 0 =the initial quantity of the substance; t 1/2 =the half-life. chemical stability in simulated intestinal fluid and simulated gastric fluid (sif & sgf): sif buffer was prepared by combining 29.98 mg dihydrogen sodium phosphate, 1.25 ml water, 385 μl 0.2 n naoh, 2.5 ml water, 50 mg pancreatin, and 865 μl, water. sgf buffer was prepared by combining 10 mg nacl, 16 mg pepsin, 35 μl, 30% hcl in 4.965 ml water. the final ph values for the sif and sgf preparations were confirmed to be 6.8 and <2.0, respectively using multi-panel ph indicator strips (mcolorphast™ 0-14 manufactured by emd millipore corp). 50 μl of a 20 mmol stock solution of test compound was added to buffer at t 0 . after defined time-points, 50 μl aliquots were taken and quenched with 100 μl of 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile. the quenched aliquots were centrifuged (14k rpm) at 4° c. for 10 min. 100 μl of resulting supernatant was diluted with 700 μl of 1% aqueous formic acid, then analyzed on an agilent 1100 hplc system using a reverse phase c 18 4.6×55 mm waters xterra® column with a 2-component mobile phase system w/0.1% tfa/water and 0.1% tfa/acetonitrile. the resulting ntx or mntx peaks were integrated and the % ntx or mntx released from the test compounds was calculated using the following equation: observed ntx peak area/100% ntx peak area×100 (the 100% peak area was determined experimentally by incubating a known mass of study compound as described below in table 5. solid-state chemical stability: 0.5 g on compound a was purified using preparative reverse phase hplc on a rainin dynamax sd-200 employing a 21.2 mm×250 mm″ varian polaris 5 c18 column and a uv-vis detector (230 nm). compound a was eluted from the column using a two component mobile phase system consisting of 0.1% tfa/water and 0.1% tfa/acetonitrile. fractions containing isolated compound a were collected, combined, frozen and lyophilized resulting in the isolation of the bis-tfa salt of compound a (compound a●2tfa) as an off-white waxy solid. a small sample (˜5 mg) of solid compound a●2tfa was placed under ambient atmosphere in a screw-top borosilicate glass vial and sealed then allowed to sit on a bench-top in the laboratory for 70 days. a small aliquot (˜1 mg) was dissolved in 0.1n hcl and analyzed using reverse-phase hplc on a beckman system gold® instrument fitted with a c 18 4.6×55 mm waters xterra® column employing a 2-component mobile phase system w/0.1% tfa/water and 0.1% tfa/acetonitrile. chemical stability in human whole blood & human liver microsomes (hlm): human liver microsomes from corning, ultrapool hlm 150, cat#452117, lot#38289, and human whole blood (male) from bioreclamation ivt cat# hmwbedta2-m, lot# brh950696 were used. for the hlm assay, the hlm containing solution was stored at −80° c. before thawing in a 37° c. water bath. after thawing, the hlm solution was kept on ice prior to dilution into the assay buffer. the concentration of human liver microsome solution was 1 mg/ml and also contained a 1 mm concentration of nadph. human blood was stored at 4° c. and warmed to 37° c. before the experiment. in each of the assays, compound a was incubated at a concentration of 0.1 mg/ml. after 0, 15, 30, and 60 min samples were collected and quenched with 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile, vortexed, centrifuged (4,000 rpm×15 mins) and the resulting supernatants were analyzed by hplc/uv-vis using a xbridge (waters) column c 18 , 50×2.1 mm, 3.5 micron employing a 2-component mobile phase system w/0.1% tfa/water and 0.1% tfa/acetonitrile. all incubations and analyses were conducted in duplicate. verapamil (hlm) and eucatropine (whole blood) were used reference standards (positive controls) at a final concentration of 1 μm. an ntx standard curve using concentrations of 1, 10, 100, 1000 μg/ml was generated and used to extrapolate the amount of ntx released from compound a during the studies. the % ntx released from the test compounds was calculated using the following equation: observed ntx peak area/100% ntx peak area x 100 (the 100% peak area was determined experimentally by incubating a known mass of compound a as described in table 6 below). the resulting data obtained for compound e, compound f, and compound a in these in vitro studies are summarized in table 5. table 5in vitro assaycompound ecompound fcompound achemical stability inntx release profile at 30° c.representativeph*half-lifeph*half-lifeph*half-lifebuffered peg400(days)(days)(days)gelcap solutions6128∞665.55.51355.5146∞52564.5298594∞4545clean conversion tono detectable ntxclean conversion to ntxntx with no otherreleasedwith no undesireddegradants detecteddegradants detected byby hplchplcchemical stability in8% mntx releasedn/ano ntx release detectedsimulated gastricfluid (sgf)chemical stability in81% mntxn/a1.5 ± 0.4% ntx releasedsimulated intestinalreleasedfluid (sif)solid-state chemicaln/an/achemically stable after 70stabilitydays at rt(no ntx release or otherdegradants detected)chemical stability inn/an/a4.2 ± 0.5% ntx detectedhuman whole bloodafter 1 h incubation at 37° c.chemical stability inn/an/a6.6 ± 1.7% ntx detectedhuman liverafter 1 h incubation at 37° c.microsomepreparation*the differential ph ranges chosen for compound e, compound f were based on predicted hydrolytic susceptibilities of the functional groups directly linking ntx. the ph range studied for compound a was designed to characterize the ph dependence of the cyclization-release reaction. example 14: chemical stability of compound a the informal chemical stability of solid-state compound a bistrifluoroacetic acid salt (compound a●2tfa) was evaluated under ambient conditions in the laboratory. analytical hplc data demonstrated no detectable release of ntx from compound a following 70-day storage at room temperature. this robust solid-state chemical stability enables the requisite purification, handling, and storage of compound a salts without the risk of undesired release of ntx. this ensures that the release of ntx will only commence once compound a salts are formulated in the final gelcap dose-forms as intended. fig. 1 is analytical hplc data for compound a●2tfa salt immediately following purification (see arrow pointing to compound a) and after several months of storage under ambient conditions (note arrow pointing to the complete overlay of the 1 and 70-day hplc traces of compound a). also shown in fig. 1 is a reference trace (see arrow pointing to ntx) of ntx, which illustrates the absence of ntx following the 70-day rt storage period. note that the small artifact peaks shown in the shaded gray were present in contemporaneous blank control injections. example 15: overall efficiency of ntx release from compound a under basic aqueous conditions in an effort to characterize the overall efficiency and extent of ntx release from compound a, an incubation study with compound a (1.0 mg/ml) in an aqueous trizma®-hcl buffer system (ph 8.5) at 37° c. was conducted. ntx release was monitored by hplc and was determined to be complete after 24 hours of incubation. during the course of this study, the initial 1.0 mg/ml compound a solution yielded a final concentration of 146.6 μg/ml ntx. the theoretical mass of releasable ntx from compound a, 142 μg/ml, was calculated based on the relative molecular weights of compound a and ntx. compound a is a poly-disperse peg2k derivative with an average molecular weight (mw avg ) of ˜2,400 g/mol. the molecular weight of ntx is 341.4 g/mol, therefore compound a is ˜14.22% ntx by weight using the formula: % ntx=mw ntx /mw compound a ×100. accordingly, the incubation of a 1.0 mg/ml solution of compound a should theoretically yield a final ntx concentration of 142 μg/ml following complete release of ntx. the experimentally determined concentration of ntx following incubation of a 1 mg/ml solution of compound a in an aqueous trizma-hcl buffer system until the measured ntx peak area no longer increased, was 146.6 μg/ml (see table 6 below). the parity between the experimentally determined vs. the theoretically predicted ntx release values confirms both the molecular structure of compound a, and that the cyclization-release reaction proceeds with a very high degree of chemical efficiency. table 6 shows the quantitation of ntx release from compound a following incubation in trizma-hcl buffer (ph 8.5) at 37° c. table 6samplentx peak area[ntx] μg/mlreference12.81standards120.1101181.310011424.91000timepoints(h)3498.243.36807.970.4221661.5145.9241679.0146.6theoretical ntx release142 method: compound a was dissolved in tris-hcl buffer solution at ph 8.5 at a concentration of 1 mg/ml. aliquots pulled at the defined time-points (1, 3, 6, 22, 24 h) were quenched by diluting 10-fold with 1% formic acid in acetonitrile then analyzed by hplc/uv-vis using a xbridge (waters) c 18 , 50×2.1 mm, 3.5 micron column employing a 2-component mobile phase system w/0.1% tfa/water and 0.1% tfa/acetonitrile. resulting ntx concentrations and % ntx released from compound a were calculated from a four point standard curve spanning a concentration range of 1, 10, 100, 1000 μg/ml. the half-life of the ntx release from compound a in a gelcap compatible solvent system can be modulated by adjusting ph (as demonstrated in table 5 (above). further characterization of the half-life of ntx release from compound a at ph values of 4.0 and 4.5 at temperatures of 30, 40 and 50° c. was conducted. the resulting data enabled the generation of arrhenius plots whereby the reaction kinetics and the expected half-life of ntx release at room temperature (˜20° c.) for self-expiring (auto-expiring) gelcaps buffered at both ph 4.5 and 4.0 could be extrapolated (see fig. 2 ). fig. 1 shows the arrhenius plots of ln (k) vs. 1/t (k) for ph 4.5 and 4.0 citrate buffered/peg400 incubations of compound a conducted at 30, 40, and 50° c. table 7 shows the correlations between incubation period (days), ph, temperature, and half-life for ntx release (days). table 7half-lifefor ntxtemperaturereleaseincubation period (days)ph(° c.)(days)304.55054.84015630298374.0501024025030545extrapolated half-life for ntx release at rtph 4.5813 daysph 4.01,409 days example 16: in vivo data: pharmacokinetics of ntx following oral administration of equimolar doses of compound a, compound d, and ntx to rats study design: equimolar doses (13.2 μmol/rat) of ntx, compound a, and compound d were orally administered to male sprague-dawley rats (n=5 per group) weighing approximately 250 grams at time of study. plasma samples were collected at specified time points (0, 0.33, 0.66, 1, 1.5, 2.5, 5, 8, 24 hours). the resulting plasma samples were processed and subsequently analyzed using lc/ms to quantitate ntx concentrations. the ntx plasma concentrations vs. time profiles following the oral administration of ntx, compound a, and compound d are shown in fig. 3 and fig. 4 . the data illustrates that minimal ntx was released following oral administration of compound a and compound d to rats. embodiments the following non-limiting embodiments provide illustrative examples of the invention, do not limit the scope of the invention. embodiment 1 a composition, the composition comprising: an opioid agonist; and a compound comprising formula i, (d-x—z) m —p (i), wherein d is an opioid antagonist; x is a labile functionality capable of being hydrolyzed or fragmented to release d under controlled conditions; z is a covalent linkage between x and the polymer; p is a polymer; and m is an integer selected to be between 1 and 100,000. embodiment 2 the composition of claim 1 , wherein the opioid agonist is morphine, hydromorphone, hydrocodone, oxycodone, codeine, levorphanol, meperidine, methadone, oxymorphone, dihydrocodeine, tramadol, pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, prodrugs thereof or mixtures thereof. embodiment 3 the composition of embodiment 1, wherein d is naltrexone, naloxone, nalmephene, cyclazocine, levallorphan, buprenorphine, derivatives thereof, or mixtures thereof. embodiment 4 the composition of any one of embodiments 1 and 2, wherein the agonist and the antagonist are present in a ratio of about 1:5 to about 1:0.001. embodiment 5 the composition of any one of embodiments 1 and 2, wherein the agonist and the antagonist are present in a ratio of about 1:1 to about 1:0.001. embodiment 6 the composition of any one of embodiments 1 and 2, wherein the agonist and the antagonist are present in a ratio of about 1:0.5 to about 1:0.05. embodiment 7 the composition of any one of embodiments 1-6, the composition further comprising a reactive agent capable of mediating the release of the opioid antagonist from the compound comprising formula (i). embodiment 8 the composition of embodiment 7, wherein the reactive agent is water, an alcohol, an organic or inorganic base, an organic or inorganic acid, a lewis acid or base, a nitrogen- or sulfur- or oxygen-based nucleophile, or an amine. embodiment 9 the composition of embodiment 8, wherein the amine is an amino acid or a peptide. embodiment 10 the composition of any one of embodiments 1-9, wherein the amino acid comprises alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glycine, glutamine, glutamic acid, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, methionine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine, lysine, valine, a dipeptide thereof, a tripeptide thereof, or a combination thereof. embodiment 11 the composition of any one of embodiments 1-10, wherein the polymer is of low (oligomeric), medium, or high molecular weight and comprises polyethylenes, polycarbonates, polyanhydrides, polyhydroxyacids, polypropylfumerates, polycaprolactones, polyamides, polyacetals, polyethers, polyesters, poly(orthoesters), polycyanoacrylates, polyvinyl alcohols, polyurethanes, polyphosphazenes, polyacrylates, polymethacrylates, polycyanoacrylates, polyureas, polystyrenes, polyamines, polysaccharides, or combinations thereof. embodiment 12 the composition of any one of embodiments 1-10, wherein the polymer comprises polyethylene glycol (peg), poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (plga), polylactide (pla), polyglycolide (pga), or a polycaprolactone. embodiment 13 a liquid dose form comprising: an effective amount of an opioid agonist; an opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate; a pharmaceutically acceptable liquid carrier; and an optional reactive agent capable of hydrolyzing the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate of formula (i). embodiment 14 a liquid dose form of embodiment 13, wherein the agonist is morphine, hydromorphone, hydrocodone, oxycodone, codeine, levorphanol, meperidine, methadone, oxymorphone, dihydrocodeine, tramadol, pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, prodrugs thereof or mixtures thereof. embodiment 15 the liquid dose form of any one of embodiments 13 and 14, wherein the reactive agent is water, an alcohol, an amine, a thiol, or an amino acid. embodiment 16 the liquid dose form of embodiments 13-14, wherein the reactive agent is a buffer, a lewis acid or a lewis base. embodiment 17 a liquid-filled dose form comprising a sheath enclosing a liquid fill, the fill comprising: an effective amount of an opioid agonist; an opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate of formula (i); a pharmaceutically acceptable liquid carrier; and an optional reactive agent capable of hydrolyzing the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate. embodiment 18 a liquid-filled dose form of embodiment 17, wherein the agonist is morphine, hydromorphone, hydrocodone, oxycodone, codeine, levorphanol, meperidine, methadone, oxymorphone, dihydrocodeine, tramadol, pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, prodrugs thereof or mixtures thereof. embodiment 19 the liquid-filled dose form of any one of embodiments 17 and 18, wherein the reactive agent is water, an alcohol, an amine, a thiol, or an amino acid. embodiment 20 the liquid-filled dose form of embodiments 17 and 18, wherein the reactive agent is a buffer, a lewis acid or a lewis base. embodiment 21 a solid dose form comprising: an effective amount of an opioid agonist; an opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate of formula (i); an optional reactive agent capable of hydrolyzing the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate; and one or more acceptable pharmaceutical excipients used for solid dose forms. embodiment 22 a solid dose form of embodiment 21, wherein the agonist is morphine, hydromorphone, hydrocodone, oxycodone, codeine, levorphanol, meperidine, methadone, oxymorphone, dihydrocodeine, tramadol, pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, prodrugs thereof or mixtures thereof. embodiment 23 the solid dose form of any one of embodiments 21 and 22, wherein the reactive agent is water, an alcohol, an amine, a thiol, or an amino acid. embodiment 24 the solid dose form of embodiments 21 and 22, wherein the reactive agent is a buffer, a lewis acid or a lewis base. embodiment 25 the solid dose form composition of any of embodiments 21-24 whereby the solid dose form provides short-acting analgesia (i.e. rapid release of the opioid agonist) following oral ingestion by a subject. embodiment 26 the solid dose form composition of any of embodiments 21-24 whereby the solid dose form provides long-acting analgesia (i.e. extended release of the opioid agonist) following oral ingestion by a subject. embodiment 27 a dose unit form for use in treating a condition, wherein the dose unit form comprises: i) an opioid agonist; ii) a opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate, wherein the polymer-opioid antagonist releases or hydrolyzes an amount of an opioid antagonist after a period of time. embodiment 28 a dose unit form for use in treating a condition, wherein the dose unit form comprises: i) an opioid agonist; ii) a opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate, wherein the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate liberates an amount of an opioid antagonist over a period of time. embodiment 29 the dose unit form of any one of embodiments 27 and 28, wherein the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate is a compound of formula i, (d-x—z) m —p (i), wherein d is an opioid antagonist; x is a labile functionality capable of being hydrolyzed or fragmented to release d under controlled conditions; z is a covalent linkage between x and the polymer; p is a polymer; and m is an integer selected to be between 1 and 100,000. embodiment 30 a method for providing analgesia to a subject in need thereof, the method comprising administrating to the subject a dose unit form comprising: i) an opioid agonist; and ii) a opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate; wherein the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate provides an opioid antagonist at a rate that attenuates the pharmacodynamic effects of the opioid agonist over a period of time. embodiment 31 a method for providing analgesia to a subject in need thereof, the method comprising administrating to the subject a dose unit form comprising: i) an opioid agonist; and ii) a polymer-opioid antagonist conjugate; wherein the polymer-opioid antagonist conjugate provides an opioid antagonist at a rate that limits the therapeutic efficacy of the opioid agonist to a first period of time. embodiment 32 the method of any one of embodiments 30 and 31, wherein the therapeutically-effective plasma level of the opioid agonist is from about 10 pg/ml to about 1,000 ng/ml. embodiment 33 the method of any one of embodiments 30 and 31, wherein the therapeutically-effective plasma level of the opioid agonist is from about 0.5 ng/ml to about 500 ng/ml. embodiment 34 the method of any one of embodiments 30 and 31, wherein the therapeutically-effective plasma level of the opioid agonist is from about 0.1 ng/ml to about 100 ng/ml. embodiment 35 the method of any one of embodiments 30-34, wherein the first period of time is up to 3 months. embodiment 36 the method of any one of embodiments 30-34, wherein the first period of time is up to 6 months. embodiment 37 the method of any one of embodiments 30-34, wherein the first period of time is up to 9 months. embodiment 38 the method of any one of embodiments 30-34, wherein the first period of time is up to 12 months. embodiment 39 the method of any one of embodiments 30-38, wherein the opioid agonist is morphine, hydromorphone, hydrocodone, oxycodone, codeine, levorphanol, meperidine, methadone, oxymorphone, dihydrocodeine, tramadol, pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, prodrugs thereof or mixtures thereof. embodiment 40 the method of any one of embodiments 30-39, wherein the opioid antagonist is naltrexone, naloxone, nalmephene, cyclazocine, levallorphan, buprenorphine, derivatives thereof, or mixtures thereof. embodiment 41 the method of any one of embodiments 30-40, wherein the agonist and the antagonist are present in a ratio of about 1:5 to about 1:0.001. embodiment 42 the method of any one of embodiments 30-40, wherein the agonist and the antagonist are present in a ratio of about 1:1 to about 1:0.001. embodiment 43 the method of any one of embodiments 30-40, wherein the agonist and the antagonist are present in a ratio of about 1:0.5 to about 1:0.05. embodiment 44 a pharmaceutical composition comprising: an effective amount of an opioid agonist; an opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate; a pharmaceutically acceptable liquid carrier; and an optional reactive agent capable of mediating the release of the opioid antagonist from the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate. embodiment 45 a liquid-filled capsule comprising a sheath enclosing a liquid fill, the fill comprising: an effective amount of an opioid agonist; an opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate; a pharmaceutically acceptable liquid carrier; and a reactive agent capable of mediating the release of the opioid antagonist from the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate. embodiment 46 a pharmaceutical composition comprising: an effective amount of an opioid agonist; an opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate; one or more pharmaceutically acceptable excipients a reactive agent capable of mediating the release of the opioid antagonist from the opioid antagonist-polymer conjugate. embodiment 47 a composition comprising: an effective amount of an opioid agonist; a polymer-opioid antagonist conjugate capable of releasing an opioid antagonist at a defined rate; pharmaceutically acceptable excipient(s). embodiment 48 a oral pharmaceutical composition comprising: an effective amount of an opioid agonist; a polymer-opioid antagonist conjugate capable of releasing an opioid antagonist at a defined rate; and a pharmaceutically acceptable liquid carrier.
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194-741-847-260-937
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US
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[
"EP",
"WO",
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H04W72/12,H04L1/18,H04L5/00,H04W72/04,H04L5/14,H04L27/26,H04W4/00,H04L1/08
| 2019-11-27T00:00:00 |
2019
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[
"H04"
] |
cross carrier shared channel repetition
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methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. techniques are described herein for cross component carrier (cc) shared channel repetition. the method for wireless communications may include identifying a set of ccs supported by a user equipment (ue) for communications with a base station. a ue may receive a downlink control message from the base station that schedules multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, where a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs. the method may also include transmitting or receiving the first repetition via the first cc and the second repetition via the second cc.
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claims what is claimed is: 1. a method for wireless communications at a user equipment (ue), comprising: identifying a set of component carriers supported by the ue for communications with a base station; receiving a downlink control message from the base station, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, wherein a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first component carrier of the set of component carriers and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second component carrier of the set of component carriers; and transmitting or receiving the first repetition via the first component carrier and the second repetition via the second component carrier. 2. the method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving an indication that the multiple repetitions of the transport block are scheduled via the first and second component carriers according to one or both of a frequency division multiplexing (fdm) scheme or a time division multiplexing (tdm) scheme. 3. the method of claim 2, wherein the indication is received via radio resource control (rrc) signaling, a medium access control (mac) control element (mac- ce), or downlink control information (dci). 4. the method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving an indication of a subset of the set of component carriers available for the multiple repetitions of the transport block, the subset comprising at least the first component carrier and the second component carrier, wherein the indication is received via radio resource control (rrc) signaling, a medium access control (mac) control element (mac-ce), or downlink control information (dci). 5. the method of claim 4, wherein the indication comprises a set of carrier indices that corresponds to the subset of the set of component carriers. 6 the method of claim 1 further comprising: receiving an indication of at least one component carrier of the set of component carriers to be dropped for the multiple repetitions of the transport block. 7. the method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving an indication of a starting component carrier for the multiple repetitions of the transport block. 8. the method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting feedback for a subset of the set of component carriers; and receiving an indication of a starting component carrier for the multiple repetitions of the transport block based at least in part on the feedback, wherein the subset comprises the starting component carrier and the feedback indicates acknowledgement (ack)/negative ack (nack) feedback or a signal to interference plus noise ratio (sinr) for each component carrier of the subset. 9. the method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, via radio resource control (rrc) signaling, a reference subcarrier spacing configuration for each of a subset of the set of component carriers; and determining a number of symbols between the downlink control message and transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first component carrier based at least in part on the reference subcarrier spacing configuration. 10. the method of claim 9, wherein the number of symbols is based at least in part on a minimum or a maximum slot format indicator of the subset, an indication within the downlink control message, a subcarrier spacing of the first component carrier, or a subcarrier spacing associated with the downlink control message. 11. the method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a first number of symbols between the downlink control message and transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first component carrier based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing of the first component carrier; and determining a second of symbols between the downlink control message and transmission or reception of the second repetition via the second component carrier based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing of the second component carrier. 12. the method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, via radio resource control (rrc) signaling, a reference subcarrier spacing configuration for each of a subset of the set of component carriers; and determining a slot for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first component carrier based at least in part on the reference subcarrier spacing configuration. 13. the method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a first slot for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first component carrier based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing of the first component carrier; and determining a second slot for transmission or reception of the second repetition via the second component carrier based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing of the second component carrier. 14. the method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, via radio resource control (rrc) signaling, a reference subcarrier spacing configuration for each of a subset of the set of component carriers; and determining a starting symbol and length in time for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first component carrier based at least in part on the reference subcarrier spacing configuration, wherein the starting symbol and length in time is the same for the first component carrier and the second component carrier. 15. the method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a number of symbols for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first component carrier, wherein the number of symbols is the same for the first component carrier and the second component carrier. 16. the method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a transport block size for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first component carrier based at least in part on a nominal length in time and a nominal set of resource elements indicated by the downlink control message, wherein the transport block size is the same for the first component carrier and the second component carrier. 17. the method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a transport block size for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first component carrier based at least in part on a nominal set of resource elements for the first component carrier and the second component carrier. 18. a method for wireless communications at a base station, comprising: identifying a set of component carriers supported by a user equipment (ue) for communications with the base station; transmitting a downlink control message to the ue, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, wherein a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first component carrier of the set of component carriers and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second component carrier of the set of component carriers; and transmitting or receiving the first repetition via the first component carrier and the second repetition via the second component carrier. 19. the method of claim 18, further comprising: transmitting an indication that the multiple repetitions of the transport block are scheduled via the first and second component carriers according to one or both of a frequency division multiplexing (fdm) scheme or a time division multiplexing (tdm) scheme. 20. the method of claim 19, wherein the indication is transmitted via radio resource control (rrc) signaling, a medium access control (mac) control element (mac- ce), or downlink control information (dci). 21. the method of claim 18, further comprising: transmitting an indication of a subset of the set of component carriers available for the multiple repetitions of the transport block, the subset comprising at least the first component carrier and the second component carrier, wherein the indication is transmitted via radio resource control (rrc) signaling, a medium access control (mac) control element (mac-ce), or downlink control information (dci). 22. the method of claim 21, wherein the indication comprises a set of carrier indices that corresponds to the subset of the set of component carriers. 23. the method of claim 18, further comprising: transmitting an indication of at least one component carrier of the set of component carriers to be dropped for the multiple repetitions of the transport block. 24. the method of claim 18, further comprising: transmitting an indication of a starting component carrier for the multiple repetitions of the transport block. 25. the method of claim 18, further comprising: receiving, from the ue, feedback for a subset of the set of component carriers; and transmitting an indication of a starting component carrier for the multiple repetitions of the transport block based at least in part on the feedback, wherein the subset comprises the starting component carrier and the feedback indicates acknowledgement (ack)/negative ack (nack) feedback or a signal to interference plus noise ratio (sinr) for each component carrier of the subset. 26. the method of claim 18, further comprising: transmitting, via radio resource control (rrc) signaling, a reference subcarrier spacing configuration for each of a subset of the set of component carriers; scheduling transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first component carrier based at least in part on the reference subcarrier spacing configuration; and scheduling transmission or reception of the second repetition via the second component carrier based at least in part on the reference subcarrier spacing configuration. 27. the method of claim 18, further comprising: scheduling transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first component carrier based at least in part on a first subcarrier spacing configuration associated with the first component carrier; and scheduling transmission or reception of the second repetition via the second component carrier based at least in part on a second subcarrier spacing configuration associated with the second component carrier. 28. the method of claim 18, further comprising: scheduling transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first component carrier based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing configuration associated with the downlink control message. 29. an apparatus for wireless communications at a user equipment (ue), comprising: means for identifying a set of component carriers supported by the ue for communications with a base station; means for receiving a downlink control message from the base station, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, wherein a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first component carrier of the set of component carriers and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second component carrier of the set of component carriers; and means for transmitting or receiving the first repetition via the first component carrier and the second repetition via the second component carrier. 30. an apparatus for wireless communications at a base station, comprising: means for identifying a set of component carriers supported by a user equipment (ue) for communications with the base station; means for transmitting a downlink control message to the ue, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, wherein a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first component carrier of the set of component carriers and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second component carrier of the set of component carriers; and means for transmitting or receiving the first repetition via the first component carrier and the second repetition via the second component carrier.
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cross carrier shared channel repetition cross reference [0001] the present application for patent claims priority to u.s. patent application no. 16/951,438 by fakoorian et al., entitled “cross carrier shared channel repetition” filed november 18, 2020, which claims the benefit of u.s. provisional patent application no. 62/941,631 by fakoorian et al., entitled “cross carrier shared channel repetition,” filed november 27, 2019, assigned to the assignee hereof. field of technology [0002] the following relates generally to wireless communications and more specifically to cross carrier shared channel repetition. background [0003] wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. these systems may be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). examples of such multiple- access systems include fourth generation (4g) systems such as long term evolution (lte) systems, lte- advanced (lte- a) systems, or lte-a pro systems, and fifth generation (5g) systems which may be referred to as new radio (nr) systems. these systems may employ technologies such as code division multiple access (cdma), time division multiple access (tdma), frequency division multiple access (fdma), orthogonal fdma (ofdma), or discrete fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (dft-s- ofdm). a wireless multiple-access communications system may include one or more base stations or one or more network access nodes, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiple communication devices, which may be otherwise known as user equipment (ue). [0004] control information for a ue may be used to schedule uplink or downlink transmissions between the ue and a base station. the control information may schedule transmissions via a component carrier (cc) configured for uplink communications or downlink communications · such control information, however, may be limited in flexibility for scheduling via multiple ccs, which may result in reduced throughput or increased signaling overhead. summary [0005] the described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatuses that support cross carrier shared channel repetition. generally, the described techniques provide for scheduling, using a single downlink control information (dci), multiple transmissions or repetitions of a transport block over different component carriers (ccs). the scheduling of the transport block(s) may be indicated statically or dynamically by the dci and the time resources scheduled for transmission of the transport block(s) may differ between ccs. further, the scheduling across multiple ccs may be based on factors such as nominal number of repetitions of the transport block(s), nominal length of the transport block(s) per repetition, a start and length indicator (sliv) associated with the transport block(s), among others, for example. [0006] a method of wireless communications at a user equipment (ue) is described. the method may include identifying a set of ccs supported by the ue for communications with a base station, receiving a downlink control message from the base station, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, where a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs, and transmitting or receiving the first repetition via the first cc and the second repetition via the second cc. [0007] an apparatus for wireless communications at a ue is described. the apparatus may include a processor, memory coupled with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. the instructions may be executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to identify a set of ccs supported by the ue for communications with a base station, receive a downlink control message from the base station, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, where a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs, and transmit or receiving the first repetition via the first cc and the second repetition via the second cc. [0008] another apparatus for wireless communications at a ue is described. the apparatus may include means for identifying a set of ccs supported by the ue for communications with a base station, receiving a downlink control message from the base station, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, where a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs, and transmitting or receiving the first repetition via the first cc and the second repetition via the second cc. [0009] a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications at a ue is described. the code may include instructions executable by a processor to identify a set of ccs supported by the ue for communications with a base station, receive a downlink control message from the base station, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, where a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs, and transmit or receiving the first repetition via the first cc and the second repetition via the second cc. [0010] some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving an indication that the multiple repetitions of the transport block may be scheduled via the first and second ccs according to one or both of a frequency division multiplexing (fdm) scheme or a time division multiplexing (tdm) scheme. [0011] in some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer- readable medium described herein, the indication may be received via radio resource control (rrc) signaling, a medium access control (mac) control element (mac-ce), or dci. [0012] some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving an indication of a subset of the set of ccs available for the multiple repetitions of the transport block, the subset including at least the first cc and the second cc, where the indication may be received via rrc signaling, a mac-ce, or dci. [0013] in some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer- readable medium described herein, the indication includes a set of carrier indices that corresponds to the subset of the set of ccs. [0014] some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving an indication of at least one cc of the set of ccs to be dropped for the multiple repetitions of the transport block. [0015] some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving an indication of a starting cc for the multiple repetitions of the transport block. [0016] some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting feedback for a subset of the set of ccs, and receiving an indication of a starting cc for the multiple repetitions of the transport block based on the feedback, where the subset includes the starting cc. [0017] in some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer- readable medium described herein, the feedback indicates acknowledgement (ack)/negative ack (nack) feedback or a signal to interference plus noise ratio (sinr) for each cc of the subset. [0018] some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving, via rrc signaling, a reference subcarrier spacing configuration for each of a subset of the set of ccs, and determining a number of symbols between the downlink control message and transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based on the reference subcarrier spacing configuration. [0019] in some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer- readable medium described herein, the number of symbols may be based on a minimum or a maximum slot format indicator of the subset, an indication within the downlink control message, a subcarrier spacing of the first cc, or a subcarrier spacing associated with the downlink control message. [0020] some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining a first number of symbols between the downlink control message and transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based on a subcarrier spacing of the first cc, and determining a second of symbols between the downlink control message and transmission or reception of the second repetition via the second cc based on a subcarrier spacing of the second cc. [0021] some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving, via rrc signaling, a reference subcarrier spacing configuration for each of a subset of the set of ccs, and determining a slot for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based on the reference subcarrier spacing configuration. [0022] some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining a first slot for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based on a subcarrier spacing of the first cc, and determining a second slot for transmission or reception of the second repetition via the second cc based on a subcarrier spacing of the second cc. [0023] some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving, via rrc signaling, a reference subcarrier spacing configuration for each of a subset of the set of ccs, and determining a starting symbol and length in time for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based on the reference subcarrier spacing configuration, where the starting symbol and length in time may be the same for the first cc and the second cc. [0024] some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining a number of symbols for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc, where the number of symbols may be the same for the first cc and the second cc. [0025] some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining a transport block size for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based on a nominal length in time and a nominal set of resource elements indicated by the downlink control message, where the transport block size may be the same for the first cc and the second cc. [0026] some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining a transport block size for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based on a nominal set of resource elements for the first cc and the second cc. [0027] a method of wireless communications at a base station is described. the method may include identifying a set of ccs supported by a ue for communications with the base station, transmitting a downlink control message to the ue, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, where a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs, and transmitting or receiving the first repetition via the first cc and the second repetition via the second cc. [0028] an apparatus for wireless communications at a base station is described. the apparatus may include a processor, memory coupled with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. the instructions may be executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to identify a set of ccs supported by a ue for communications with the base station, transmit a downlink control message to the ue, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, where a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs, and transmit or receiving the first repetition via the first cc and the second repetition via the second cc. [0029] another apparatus for wireless communications at a base station is described. the apparatus may include means for identifying a set of ccs supported by a ue for communications with the base station, transmitting a downlink control message to the ue, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, where a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs, and transmitting or receiving the first repetition via the first cc and the second repetition via the second cc. [0030] a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications at a base station is described. the code may include instructions executable by a processor to identify a set of ccs supported by a ue for communications with the base station, transmit a downlink control message to the ue, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, where a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs, and transmit or receiving the first repetition via the first cc and the second repetition via the second cc. [0031] some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting an indication that the multiple repetitions of the transport block may be scheduled via the first and second ccs according to one or both of a fdm scheme or a tdm scheme. [0032] in some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer- readable medium described herein, the indication may be transmitted via rrc signaling, a mac-ce, or dci. [0033] some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting an indication of a subset of the set of ccs available for the multiple repetitions of the transport block, the subset including at least the first cc and the second cc, where the indication may be transmitted via rrc signaling, a mac-ce, or dci. [0034] in some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer- readable medium described herein, the indication includes a set of carrier indices that corresponds to the subset of the set of ccs. [0035] some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting an indication of at least one cc of the set of ccs to be dropped for the multiple repetitions of the transport block. [0036] some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting an indication of a starting cc for the multiple repetitions of the transport block. [0037] some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving, from the ue, feedback for a subset of the set of ccs, and transmitting an indication of a starting cc for the multiple repetitions of the transport block based on the feedback, where the subset includes the starting cc. [0038] in some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer- readable medium described herein, the feedback indicates ack/nack feedback or a sinr for each cc of the subset. [0039] some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting, via rrc signaling, a reference subcarrier spacing configuration for each of a subset of the set of ccs, scheduling transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based on the reference subcarrier spacing configuration, and scheduling transmission or reception of the second repetition via the second cc based on the reference subcarrier spacing configuration. [0040] some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for scheduling transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based on a first subcarrier spacing configuration associated with the first cc, and scheduling transmission or reception of the second repetition via the second cc based on a second subcarrier spacing configuration associated with the second cc. [0041] some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for scheduling transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based on a subcarrier spacing configuration associated with the downlink control message. brief description of the drawings [0042] figs.1 through 4 illustrate example wireless communications systems that support cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. [0043] fig.5 illustrates an example of a process flow that supports cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. [0044] figs.6 and 7 show block diagrams of devices that support cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. [0045] fig.8 shows a block diagram of a communications manager that supports cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. [0046] fig.9 shows a diagram of a system including a device that supports cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. [0047] figs.10 and 11 show block diagrams of devices that support cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. [0048] fig.12 shows a block diagram of a communications manager that supports cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. [0049] fig.13 shows a diagram of a system including a device that supports cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. [0050] figs.14 through 20 show flowcharts illustrating methods that support cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. detailed description [0051] downlink control information (dci) may be used by a base station to schedule one or more transport blocks for a user equipment (ue) as part of an uplink or downlink data transmission, which may be transmitted via an uplink data channel (e.g., a physical uplink shared channel (pusch)) or a downlink data channel (e.g., a physical downlink shared channel (pdsch)) scheduled by the dci. additionally, the uplink or downlink may be scheduled by the dci across more than one component carrier (cc). for example, a base station may schedule multiple transmissions or repetitions of a transport block using cross cc shared channel repetition such that dci is transmitted via a first cc and schedules transmissions via multiple other ccs different from the first cc. [0052] techniques are described herein for cross cc shared channel repetition using a single dci. the techniques may facilitate scheduling one or more transport blocks across multiple ccs for uplink communications or downlink communications. multiple transmission or repetitions of the one or more transport blocks across the multiple ccs may be scheduled using a single dci. additionally, the scheduling of the transport blocks may be indicated statically or dynamically by the dci based on factors associated with the ccs, the transport blocks, the ue, or the base station, among others. [0053] aspects of the disclosure are initially described in the context of wireless communications systems. aspects of the disclosure are described with reference to a process flow. aspects of the disclosure are further illustrated by and described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts that relate to downlink control information for scheduling one or more transport blocks. [0054] fig.1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 100 that supports cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. the wireless communications system 100 may include one or more base stations 105, one or more ues 115, and a core network 130. in some examples, the wireless communications system 100 may be a long term evolution (lte) network, an lte- advanced (lte-a) network, an lte-a pro network, or a new radio (nr) network. in some examples, the wireless communications system 100 may support enhanced broadband communications, ultra-reliable (e.g., mission critical) communications, low latency communications, communications with low-cost and low-complexity devices, or any combination thereof. [0055] the base stations 105 may be dispersed throughout a geographic area to form the wireless communications system 100 and may be devices in different forms or having different capabilities. the base stations 105 and the ues 115 may wirelessly communicate via one or more communication links 125. each base station 105 may provide a coverage area 110 over which the ues 115 and the base station 105 may establish one or more communication links 125. the coverage area 110 may be an example of a geographic area over which a base station 105 and a ue 115 may support the communication of signals according to one or more radio access technologies. [0056] the ues 115 may be dispersed throughout a coverage area 110 of the wireless communications system 100, and each ue 115 may be stationary, or mobile, or both at different times. the ues 115 may be devices in different forms or having different capabilities. some example ues 115 are illustrated in fig.1. the ues 115 described herein may be able to communicate with various types of devices, such as other ues 115, the base stations 105, or network equipment (e.g., core network nodes, relay devices, integrated access and backhaul (iab) nodes, or other network equipment), as shown in fig.1. [0057] the base stations 105 may communicate with the core network 130, or with one another, or both. for example, the base stations 105 may interface with the core network 130 through one or more backhaul links 120 (e.g., via an s1, n2, n3, or other interface). the base stations 105 may communicate with one another over the backhaul links 120 (e.g., via an x2, xn, or other interface) either directly (e.g., directly between base stations 105), or indirectly (e.g., via core network 130), or both. in some examples, the backhaul links 120 may be or include one or more wireless links. [0058] one or more of the base stations 105 described herein may include or may be referred to by a person having ordinary skill in the art as a base transceiver station, a radio base station, an access point, a radio transceiver, a nodeb, an enodeb (enb), a next- generation nodeb or a giga-nodeb (either of which may be referred to as a gnb), a home nodeb, a home enodeb, or other suitable terminology. [0059] a ue 115 may include or may be referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a handheld device, or a subscriber device, or some other suitable terminology, where the “device” may also be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client, among other examples. a ue 115 may also include or may be referred to as a personal electronic device such as a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (pda), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or a personal computer. in some examples, a ue 115 may include or be referred to as a wireless local loop (wll) station, an internet of things (iot) device, an internet of everything (ioe) device, or a machine type communications (mtc) device, among other examples, which may be implemented in various objects such as appliances, or vehicles, meters, among other examples. [0060] the ues 115 described herein may be able to communicate with various types of devices, such as other ues 115 that may sometimes act as relays as well as the base stations 105 and the network equipment including macro enbs or gnbs, small cell enbs or gnbs, or relay base stations, among other examples, as shown in fig.1. [0061] the ues 115 and the base stations 105 may wirelessly communicate with one another via one or more communication links 125 over one or more carriers. the term “carrier” may refer to a set of radio frequency spectrum resources having a defined physical layer structure for supporting the communication links 125. for example, a carrier used for a communication link 125 may include a portion of a radio frequency spectrum band (e.g., a bandwidth part (bwp)) that is operated according to one or more physical layer channels for a given radio access technology (e.g., lte, lte-a, lte-a pro, nr). each physical layer channel may carry acquisition signaling (e.g., synchronization signals, system information), control signaling that coordinates operation for the carrier, user data, or other signaling. the wireless communications system 100 may support communication with a ue 115 using carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation. a ue 115 may be configured with multiple downlink ccs and one or more uplink ccs according to a carrier aggregation configuration. carrier aggregation may be used with both frequency division duplexing (fdd) and time division duplexing (tdd) ccs. [0062] in some examples (e.g., in a carrier aggregation configuration), a carrier may also have acquisition signaling or control signaling that coordinates operations for other carriers. a carrier may be associated with a frequency channel (e.g., an evolved universal mobile telecommunication system terrestrial radio access (e-utra) absolute radio frequency channel number (earfcn)) and may be positioned according to a channel raster for discovery by the ues 115. a carrier may be operated in a standalone mode where initial acquisition and connection may be conducted by the ues 115 via the carrier, or the carrier may be operated in a non-standalone mode where a connection is anchored using a different carrier (e.g., of the same or a different radio access technology). [0063] the communication links 125 shown in the wireless communications system 100 may include uplink transmissions from a ue 115 to a base station 105, or downlink transmissions from a base station 105 to a ue 115. carriers may carry downlink or uplink communications (e.g., in an fdd mode) or may be configured to carry downlink and uplink communications (e.g., in a tdd mode). [0064] a carrier may be associated with a particular bandwidth of the radio frequency spectrum, and in some examples the carrier bandwidth may be referred to as a “system bandwidth” of the carrier or the wireless communications system 100. for example, the carrier bandwidth may be one of a number of determined bandwidths for carriers of a particular radio access technology (e.g., 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40, or 80 megahertz (mhz)). devices of the wireless communications system 100 (e.g., the base stations 105, the ues 115, or both) may have hardware configurations that support communications over a particular carrier bandwidth or may be configurable to support communications over one of a set of carrier bandwidths. in some examples, the wireless communications system 100 may include base stations 105 or ues 115 that support simultaneous communications via carriers associated with multiple carrier bandwidths. in some examples, each served ue 115 may be configured for operating over portions (e.g., a sub-band, a bwp) or all of a carrier bandwidth. [0065] signal waveforms transmitted over a carrier may be made up of multiple subcarriers (e.g., using multi-carrier modulation (mcm) techniques such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (ofdm) or discrete fourier transform spread ofdm (dft- s-ofdm)). in a system employing mcm techniques, a resource element may consist of one symbol period (e.g., a duration of one modulation symbol) and one subcarrier, where the symbol period and subcarrier spacing are inversely related. the number of bits carried by each resource element may depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme, the coding rate of the modulation scheme, or both). thus, the more resource elements that a ue 115 receives and the higher the order of the modulation scheme, the higher the data rate may be for the ue 115. a wireless communications resource may refer to a combination of a radio frequency spectrum resource, a time resource, and a spatial resource (e.g., spatial layers or beams), and the use of multiple spatial layers may further increase the data rate or data integrity for communications with a ue 115. [0066] one or more numerologies for a carrier may be supported, where a numerology may include a subcarrier spacing (δƒ ) and a cyclic prefix. a carrier may be divided into one or more bwps having the same or different numerologies. in some examples, a ue 115 may be configured with multiple bwps. in some examples, a single bwp for a carrier may be active at a given time and communications for the ue 115 may be restricted to one or more active bwps. [0067] the time intervals for the base stations 105 or the ues 115 may be expressed in multiples of a basic time unit which may, for example, refer to a sampling period of t s = 1 /(δf max ' n f ) seconds, where δƒ max may represent the maximum supported subcarrier spacing, and n ƒ may represent the maximum supported discrete fourier transform (dft) size. time intervals of a communications resource may be organized according to radio frames each having a specified duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms)). each radio frame may be identified by a system frame number (sfn) (e.g., ranging from 0 to 1023). [0068] each frame may include multiple consecutively numbered subframes or slots, and each subframe or slot may have the same duration. in some examples, a frame may be divided (e.g., in the time domain) into subframes, and each subframe may be further divided into a number of slots. alternatively, each frame may include a variable number of slots, and the number of slots may depend on subcarrier spacing. each slot may include a number of symbol periods (e.g., depending on the length of the cyclic prefix prepended to each symbol period). in some wireless communications systems 100, a slot may further be divided into multiple mini-slots containing one or more symbols. excluding the cyclic prefix, each symbol period may contain one or more (e.g., n f ) sampling periods. the duration of a symbol period may depend on the subcarrier spacing or frequency band of operation. [0069] a subframe, a slot, a mini-slot, or a symbol may be the smallest scheduling unit (e.g., in the time domain) of the wireless communications system 100 and may be referred to as a transmission time interval (tti). in some examples, the tti duration (e.g., the number of symbol periods in a tti) may be variable. additionally or alternatively, the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communications system 100 may be dynamically selected (e.g., in bursts of shortened ttis (sttis)). [0070] physical channels may be multiplexed on a carrier according to various techniques. a physical control channel and a physical data channel may be multiplexed on a downlink carrier, for example, using one or more of time division multiplexing (tdm) techniques, frequency division multiplexing (fdm) techniques, or hybrid tdm-fdm techniques. a control region (e.g., a control resource set (coreset)) for a physical control channel may be defined by a number of symbol periods and may extend across the system bandwidth or a subset of the system bandwidth of the carrier. one or more control regions (e.g., coresets) may be configured for a set of the ues 115. for example, one or more of the ues 115 may monitor or search control regions for control information according to one or more search space sets, and each search space set may include one or multiple control channel candidates in one or more aggregation levels arranged in a cascaded manner. an aggregation level for a control channel candidate may refer to a number of control channel resources (e.g., control channel elements (cces)) associated with encoded information for a control information format having a given payload size. search space sets may include common search space sets configured for sending control information to multiple ues 115 and ue-specific search space sets for sending control information to a specific ue 115. [0071] each base station 105 may provide communication coverage via one or more cells, for example a macro cell, a small cell, a hot spot, or other types of cells, or any combination thereof. the term “cell” may refer to a logical communication entity used for communication with a base station 105 (e.g., over a carrier) and may be associated with an identifier for distinguishing neighboring cells (e.g., a physical cell identifier (pcid), a virtual cell identifier (vcid), or others). in some examples, a cell may also refer to a geographic coverage area 110 or a portion of a geographic coverage area 110 (e.g., a sector) over which the logical communication entity operates. such cells may range from smaller areas (e.g., a structure, a subset of structure) to larger areas depending on various factors such as the capabilities of the base station 105. for example, a cell may be or include a building, a subset of a building, or exterior spaces between or overlapping with geographic coverage areas 110, among other examples. [0072] a macro cell generally covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by the ues 115 with service subscriptions with the network provider supporting the macro cell. a small cell may be associated with a lower-powered base station 105, as compared with a macro cell, and a small cell may operate in the same or different (e.g., licensed, unlicensed) frequency bands as macro cells. small cells may provide unrestricted access to the ues 115 with service subscriptions with the network provider or may provide restricted access to the ues 115 having an association with the small cell (e.g., the ues 115 in a closed subscriber group (csg), the ues 115 associated with users in a home or office). a base station 105 may support one or multiple cells and may also support communications over the one or more cells using one or multiple ccs. [0073] in some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., mtc, narrowband iot (nb-iot), enhanced mobile broadband (embb)) that may provide access for different types of devices. [0074] in some examples, a base station 105 may be movable and therefore provide communication coverage for a moving geographic coverage area 110. in some examples, different geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may overlap, but the different geographic coverage areas 110 may be supported by the same base station 105. in other examples, the overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may be supported by different base stations 105. the wireless communications system 100 may include, for example, a heterogeneous network in which different types of the base stations 105 provide coverage for various geographic coverage areas 110 using the same or different radio access technologies. [0075] the wireless communications system 100 may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. for synchronous operation, the base stations 105 may have similar frame timings, and transmissions from different base stations 105 may be approximately aligned in time. for asynchronous operation, the base stations 105 may have different frame timings, and transmissions from different base stations 105 may, in some examples, not be aligned in time. the techniques described herein may be used for either synchronous or asynchronous operations. [0076] some ues 115, such as mtc or iot devices, may be low cost or low complexity devices and may provide for automated communication between machines (e.g., via machine-to-machine (m2m) communication). m2m communication or mtc may refer to data communication technologies that allow devices to communicate with one another or a base station 105 without human intervention. in some examples, m2m communication or mtc may include communications from devices that integrate sensors or meters to measure or capture information and relay such information to a central server or application program that makes use of the information or presents the information to humans interacting with the application program. some ues 115 may be designed to collect information or enable automated behavior of machines or other devices. examples of applications for mtc devices include smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipment monitoring, healthcare monitoring, wildlife monitoring, weather and geological event monitoring, fleet management and tracking, remote security sensing, physical access control, and transaction- based business charging. [0077] some ues 115 may be configured to employ operating modes that reduce power consumption, such as half-duplex communications (e.g., a mode that supports one-way communication via transmission or reception, but not transmission and reception simultaneously). in some examples, half-duplex communications may be performed at a reduced peak rate. other power conservation techniques for the ues 115 include entering a power saving deep sleep mode when not engaging in active communications, operating over a limited bandwidth (e.g., according to narrowband communications), or a combination of these techniques. for example, some ues 115 may be configured for operation using a narrowband protocol type that is associated with a defined portion or range (e.g., set of subcarriers or resource blocks (rbs)) within a carrier, within a guard-band of a carrier, or outside of a carrier. [0078] the wireless communications system 100 may be configured to support ultra- reliable communications or low-latency communications, or various combinations thereof. for example, the wireless communications system 100 may be configured to support ultra- reliable low-latency communications (urllc) or mission critical communications. the ues 115 may be designed to support ultra-reliable, low-latency, or critical functions (e.g., mission critical functions). ultra-reliable communications may include private communication or group communication and may be supported by one or more mission critical services such as mission critical push-to-talk (mcptt), mission critical video (mcvideo), or mission critical data (mcdata). support for mission critical functions may include prioritization of services, and mission critical services may be used for public safety or general commercial applications. the terms ultra-reliable, low-latency, mission critical, and ultra-reliable low- latency may be used interchangeably herein. [0079] in some examples, a ue 115 may also be able to communicate directly with other ues 115 over a device-to-device (d2d) communication link 135 (e.g., using a peer-to-peer (p2p) or d2d protocol). one or more ues 115 utilizing d2d communications may be within the geographic coverage area 110 of a base station 105. other ues 115 in such a group may be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of a base station 105 or be otherwise unable to receive transmissions from a base station 105. in some examples, groups of the ues 115 communicating via d2d communications may utilize a one-to-many (1:m) system in which each ue 115 transmits to every other ue 115 in the group. in some examples, a base station 105 facilitates the scheduling of resources for d2d communications. in other cases, d2d communications are carried out between the ues 115 without the involvement of a base station 105. [0080] in some systems, the d2d communication link 135 may be an example of a communication channel, such as a sidelink communication channel, between vehicles (e.g., ues 115). in some examples, vehicles may communicate using vehicle-to-everything (v2x) communications, vehicle-to-vehicle (v2v) communications, or some combination of these. a vehicle may signal information related to traffic conditions, signal scheduling, weather, safety, emergencies, or any other information relevant to a v2x system. in some examples, vehicles in a v2x system may communicate with roadside infrastructure, such as roadside units, or with the network via one or more network nodes (e.g., base stations 105) using vehicle-to-network (v2n) communications, or with both. [0081] the core network 130 may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, internet protocol (ip) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. the core network 130 may be an evolved packet core (epc) or 5g core (5gc), which may include at least one control plane entity that manages access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (mme), an access and mobility management function (amf)) and at least one user plane entity that routes packets or interconnects to external networks (e.g., a serving gateway (s-gw), a packet data network (pdn) gateway (p-gw), or a user plane function (upf)). the control plane entity may manage non-access stratum (nas) functions such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management for the ues 115 served by the base stations 105 associated with the core network 130. user ip packets may be transferred through the user plane entity, which may provide ip address allocation as well as other functions. the user plane entity may be connected to the network operators ip services 150. the operators ip services 150 may include access to the internet, intranet(s), an ip multimedia subsystem (ims), or a packet-switched streaming service. [0082] some of the network devices, such as a base station 105, may include subcomponents such as an access network entity 140, which may be an example of an access node controller (anc). each access network entity 140 may communicate with the ues 115 through one or more other access network transmission entities 145, which may be referred to as radio heads, smart radio heads, or transmission/reception points (trps). each access network transmission entity 145 may include one or more antenna panels. in some configurations, various functions of each access network entity 140 or base station 105 may be distributed across various network devices (e.g., radio heads and ancs) or consolidated into a single network device (e.g., a base station 105). [0083] the wireless communications system 100 may operate using one or more frequency bands, typically in the range of 300 megahertz (mhz) to 300 gigahertz (ghz). generally, the region from 300 mhz to 3 ghz is known as the ultra-high frequency (uhf) region or decimeter band because the wavelengths range from approximately one decimeter to one meter in length. the uhf waves may be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features, but the waves may penetrate structures sufficiently for a macro cell to provide service to the ues 115 located indoors. the transmission of uhf waves may be associated with smaller antennas and shorter ranges (e.g., less than 100 kilometers) compared to transmission using the smaller frequencies and longer waves of the high frequency (hf) or very high frequency (vhf) portion of the spectrum below 300 mhz. [0084] the wireless communications system 100 may also operate in a super high frequency (shf) region using frequency bands from 3 ghz to 30 ghz, also known as the centimeter band, or in an extremely high frequency (ehf) region of the spectrum (e.g., from 30 ghz to 300 ghz), also known as the millimeter band. in some examples, the wireless communications system 100 may support millimeter wave (mmw) communications between the ues 115 and the base stations 105, and ehf antennas of the respective devices may be smaller and more closely spaced than uhf antennas. in some examples, this may facilitate use of antenna arrays within a device. the propagation of ehf transmissions, however, may be subject to even greater atmospheric attenuation and shorter range than shf or uhf transmissions. the techniques disclosed herein may be employed across transmissions that use one or more different frequency regions, and designated use of bands across these frequency regions may differ by country or regulating body. [0085] the wireless communications system 100 may utilize both licensed and unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands. for example, the wireless communications system 100 may employ license assisted access (laa), lte-unlicensed (lte-u) radio access technology, or nr technology in an unlicensed band such as the 5 ghz industrial, scientific, and medical (ism) band. when operating in unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands, devices such as the base stations 105 and the ues 115 may employ carrier sensing for collision detection and avoidance. in some examples, operations in unlicensed bands may be based on a carrier aggregation configuration in conjunction with ccs operating in a licensed band (e.g., laa). operations in unlicensed spectrum may include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, p2p transmissions, or d2d transmissions, among other examples. [0086] a base station 105 or a ue 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas, which may be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (mimo) communications, or beamforming. the antennas of a base station 105 or a ue 115 may be located within one or more antenna arrays or antenna panels, which may support mimo operations or transmit or receive beamforming. for example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may be co-located at an antenna assembly, such as an antenna tower. in some examples, antennas or antenna arrays associated with a base station 105 may be located in diverse geographic locations. a base station 105 may have an antenna array with a number of rows and columns of antenna ports that the base station 105 may use to support beamforming of communications with a ue 115. likewise, a ue 115 may have one or more antenna arrays that may support various mimo or beamforming operations. additionally or alternatively, an antenna panel may support radio frequency beamforming for a signal transmitted via an antenna port. [0087] the base stations 105 or the ues 115 may use mimo communications to exploit multipath signal propagation and increase the spectral efficiency by transmitting or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers. such techniques may be referred to as spatial multiplexing. the multiple signals may, for example, be transmitted by the transmitting device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. likewise, the multiple signals may be received by the receiving device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. each of the multiple signals may be referred to as a separate spatial stream and may carry bits associated with the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) or different data streams (e.g., different codewords). different spatial layers may be associated with different antenna ports used for channel measurement and reporting. mimo techniques include single-user mimo (su-mimo), where multiple spatial layers are transmitted to the same receiving device, and multiple-user mimo (mu-mimo), where multiple spatial layers are transmitted to multiple devices. [0088] the wireless communications system 100 may be a packet-based network that operates according to a layered protocol stack. in the user plane, communications at the bearer or packet data convergence protocol (pdcp) layer may be ip-based. a radio link control (rlc) layer may perform packet segmentation and reassembly to communicate over logical channels. a medium access control (mac) layer may perform priority handling and multiplexing of logical channels into transport channels. the mac layer may also use error detection techniques, error correction techniques, or both to support retransmissions at the mac layer to improve link efficiency. in the control plane, the radio resource control (rrc) protocol layer may provide establishment, configuration, and maintenance of an rrc connection between a ue 115 and a base station 105 or a core network 130 supporting radio bearers for user plane data. at the physical layer, transport channels may be mapped to physical channels. [0089] the ues 115 and the base stations 105 may support retransmissions of data to increase the likelihood that data is received successfully. hybrid automatic repeat request (harq) feedback is one technique for increasing the likelihood that data is received correctly over a communication link 125. harq may include a combination of error detection (e.g., using a cyclic redundancy check (crc)), forward error correction (fec), and retransmission (e.g., automatic repeat request (arq)). harq may improve throughput at the mac layer in poor radio conditions (e.g., low signal-to-noise conditions). in some examples, a device may support same-slot harq feedback, where the device may provide harq feedback in a specific slot for data received in a previous symbol in the slot. in other cases, the device may provide harq feedback in a subsequent slot, or according to some other time interval. [0090] wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. these systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). a wireless network, for example a wireless local area network (wlan), such as a wi-fi (i.e., institute of electrical and electronics engineers (ieee) 802.11) network may include an access point (ap) that may communicate with one or more wireless or mobile devices. the ap may be coupled to a network, such as the internet, and may enable a mobile device to communicate via the network (or communicate with other devices coupled to the access point). a wireless device may communicate with a network device bi-directionally. for example, in a wlan, a device may communicate with an associated ap via downlink (e.g., the communication link from the ap to the device) and uplink (e.g., the communication link from the device to the ap). a wireless personal area network (pan), which may include a bluetooth connection, may provide for short range wireless connections between two or more paired wireless devices. for example, wireless devices such as cellular phones may utilize wireless pan communications to exchange information such as audio signals with wireless headsets. [0091] techniques are described herein for scheduling one or more transport blocks across multiple ccs for uplink communications or downlink communications. multiple transmission or repetitions of the one or more transport blocks across the multiple ccs may be scheduled using a single dci. additionally, the scheduling of the transport blocks may be indicated statically or dynamically by the dci based on a plurality of factors associated with the ccs, the transport blocks, the ue, or the base station, among other factors. [0092] as such, the wireless communications system 100 may more efficiently utilize transmission or reception resources available to a base station 105 and a ue 115 to transmit or receive one or more transport blocks as scheduled by a dci. such features may improve signaling efficiency and reduce latency by increasing a number of ccs available to transmission or reception at a given time and by facilitating efficient determination of scheduling of the transport blocks using a single dci. in some examples, scheduling repetitions of one or more transport blocks across multiple ccs may improve the coverage area available for transmission and reception between the base station 105 and the ue 115. in some examples, scheduling the repetitions or transmission of the one or more transport blocks across multiple ccs using a single dci may reduce a power consumption of the ue 115 when communicating with the base station 105. by scheduling repetitions of transport blocks across multiple ccs using a single dci that may statically or dynamically determine the scheduling of the repetitions, the user experience with the ues 115 may improve by increased battery life of the ues 115, increased data throughput, increased transmission and reception availability, and a decreased likelihood that data is lost. [0093] fig.2 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 200 that supports cross cc shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. in some examples, the wireless communications system 200 may implement aspects of wireless communication system 100. wireless communications system 200 may include ue 115-a and base station 105-a, which may be examples of a ue 115 and a base station 105 described with reference to fig.1. [0094] in some cases, base station 105-a and ue 115-a may communicate using a downlink link 205 and an uplink link 210. base station 105-a may transmit dci to ue 115-a on the downlink link 205 to schedule transmissions. for example, the dci may schedule resources for base station 105-a for cross cc shared channel repetition on the downlink link 205 to ue 115-a for downlink communications. or, the dci may schedule ue 115-a to transmit using cross cc shared channel repetition on the uplink link 210 to base station 105-a for uplink communications. in some cases, cross cc shared channel repetition may be used to carry uplink or downlink data which may be transmitted on an uplink data channel (e.g., a pusch) or a downlink data channel (e.g., a pdsch) scheduled by the dci. [0095] in some cases, a single dci transmission may schedule multiple transmission or repetitions of a transport block on different ccs. as illustrated in fig.2, dci 215 may schedule pusch repetitions on multiple different ccs. for example, dci 215 may schedule a first repetition 245 over four symbols on a first cc 220, a second repetition 250 over four symbols on a second cc 225, and a third repetition 255 over four symbols on a third cc 230. in the illustrated example, each of the repetitions occur within a first slot 235 and over overlapping symbols across the ccs. [0096] in some cases, the dci 215 may support scheduling multiple pdsch or pusch repetitions across one or more of the ccs. for example, the repetitions may be scheduled according to an fdm scheme. when using an fdm scheme, because of intra-band repetitions, the dci 215 may incorporate power sharing across the ccs as part of scheduled pusch repetitions. in some cases, the repetitions may be scheduled according to a tdm scheme. when using a tdm scheme, power sharing is not indicated, however system latency may increase as compared to use of a fdm scheme during scheduled pusch repetitions. in some cases, the ue 115-a may be one of configured or dynamically indicated by the dci 215 to operate using one of the fdm or the tdm scheme, or to perform each repetition on a single cc. [0097] in some cases, the single dci 215 may indicate which ccs are to be used for each repetition. in some cases, ccs that will be utilized as part of the repetition scheme may be dynamically or semi-statically indicated. in some cases, the ccs may be indicated dynamically via the dci 215. in such cases, starting with the first cc 220, a carrier indicator field (cif) may indicate which cc index may be dropped, and following ccs (e.g., ccs to be used) may be indicated by a modulo. in this example, the modulo may be utilize cif plus k, n cap , where k = 0, 1, ..., and n cap is equivalent to a number of configured uplink cells or a number of configured downlink cells for pusch or pdsch repetitions, respectively. [0098] in some cases, the ccs to be involved in scheduled repetitions may be dynamically indicated through the dci 215 by using an indication from the ue 115-a. for example, as part of a downlink transmission, the ue 115-a may provide a “soft” ack/nack, which may yield information related to a sinr or a decodability of each of the ccs. the cif within the dci 215 may acknowledge such a suggestion from the ue 115-a and may acknowledge the suggestion by indicating a cc index at the top of a list maintained by the ue 115-a. additional ccs may be obtained by the modulo from the list maintained by the ue 115-a, the list further containing information related to a ranking of the ccs (e.g., according to an order based on priority, signal quality or other measurements, or other parameters related to the ccs). [0099] fig.3 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 300 that supports cross cc shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. in some examples, the wireless communications system 300 may implement aspects of wireless communications systems 100 or 200. wireless communications system 300 may include ue 115-b and base station 105-b, which may be examples of a ue 115 and a base station 105 described with reference to fig.1. [0100] in some cases, base station 105-b and ue 115-b may communicate using a downlink link 305 and an uplink link 310. base station 105-b may transmit dci 315 to ue 115-b on the downlink link 305 to schedule transmissions. for example, the dci 315 may schedule resources for base station 105-b for cross cc shared channel repetition on the downlink link 305 to ue 115-b for downlink communications. or, the dci 315 may schedule ue 115-b to transmit using cross cc shared channel repetition on the uplink link 310 to base station 105-b for uplink communications. in some cases, cross cc shared channel repetition may be used to carry uplink or downlink data which may be transmitted on an uplink data channel (e.g., a pusch) or a downlink data channel (e.g., a pdsch) scheduled by the dci 315. [0101] in some cases, as illustrated in fig.3, a single dci transmission may schedule multiple transmission or repetitions of a transport block on different ccs. in such cases, dci 315 may schedule pusch repetitions on a multiple different ccs. for example, dci 315 may schedule a first repetition 345 over four symbols on a first cc 320, a second repetition 350 over four symbols on a second cc 325, and a third repetition 355 over four symbols on a third cc 330. in the illustrated example, the first repetition 345 is positioned within a first slot 235, and second repetition 350 and third repetition 355 are staggered relative to the first repetition and relative to each other within a second slot 340, which consecutively follows the first slot 335 such that none of the repetitions or only a portion of the repetitions overlap in time. [0102] in the example embodiments, a transmission on a single carrier, n 2 , which is the number of symbols between reception of dci and transmission of a shared channel scheduled by the dci, may be based on µ, where µ corresponds to one of µdl or µul corresponding to a largest t proc,2 . in such examples, µdl may correspond to a subcarrier spacing of a downlink channel used to transmit a physical downlink control channel (pdcch) carrying the dci 215 used for scheduling a pusch. additionally, in such examples, µul may correspond to a subcarrier spacing of an uplink channel used to transmit a pusch. [0103] in some cases, for pusch repetitions using differing ccs, n 2 for each cc may be obtained. in some cases, µul may correspond to a reference subcarrier spacing (scs) configuration. in such cases, the ue 115-b may be provided by a reference scs configuration for each cell and µul may be a minimum µul or a maximum µul across a configured cell. in some cases, µul may be determined through the use of a constant, which may be provided by the cif within the dci 215. in some cases, the µul may correspond to a subcarrier spacing of an active uplink bwp of the cell given by the dci 215. in some cases, µul may correspond to a subcarrier spacing of a µdl used to transmit a pdcch that was carrying the dci 215. in some additional examples, µul for each cell may correspond to a scs of one of an active or a default uplink bwp used to transmit the pusch. [0104] in some cases, pusch repetitions may be on separate and distinct ccs, and a k2 for transmission on each of the ccs may be obtained by a time domain resource allocation (tdra) based on a numerology. in some cases, determination of the numerology may be given by examining a µpusch and k2, which may both correspond to a reference scs configuration indicating that each repetition may start at the same time. in some cases, µpusch and k 2 for each cell may correspond to a scs of one of the active or default ul bwp used to transmit the pusch. [0105] for downlink shared channels, pdsch repetitions may be on separate and distinct ccs, and a k 0 for transmission on each of the ccs may be obtained by a tdra based on a numerology. in some cases, determination of the numerology may be given by examining a µpdsch and k0, which may both correspond to a reference scs configuration indicating that each repetition may start at the same time. in some cases, µpdsch and k 0 for each cell may correspond to a scs of one of the active or default downlink bwp used to transmit the pdsch. [0106] fig.4 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 400 that supports cross cc shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. in some examples, the wireless communications system 400 may implement aspects of wireless communications systems 100, 200, or 300. wireless communications system 400 may include ue 115-c and base station 105-c, which may be examples of a ue 115 and a base station 105 described with reference to fig.1. [0107] in this case, base station 105-c and ue 115-c may communicate using a downlink link 405 and an uplink link 410. base station 105-c may transmit dci 415 to ue 115-c on the downlink link 405 to schedule transmissions. for example, the dci 415 may schedule resources for base station 105-c for cross cc shared channel repetition on the downlink link 405 to ue 115-c for downlink communications. or, the dci 415 may schedule ue 115-c to transmit using cross cc shared channel repetition on the uplink link 410 to base station 105-c for uplink communications. in some cases, cross cc shared channel repetition may be used to carry uplink or downlink data which may be transmitted on an uplink data channel (e.g., a pusch) or a downlink data channel (e.g., a pdsch) scheduled by the dci 415. [0108] in some cases, as illustrated in fig.4, a single dci transmission may schedule multiple transmission or repetitions of a transport block on different ccs. in such cases, dci 415 may schedule pusch repetitions on multiple different ccs. for example, dci 415 may schedule a first repetition 445 over four symbols on a first cc 420, a second repetition 450 over two symbols on a second cc 425, and a third repetition 455 over four symbols on a third cc 430. here, second cc 425 is configured with a different scs than first cc 420 and third cc 430, which, as shown, corresponds to a different symbol duration for symbols of the second cc 425 as compared to symbols of the first cc 420 and the third cc 430. in the illustrated example, the first repetition 445 is positioned within a first slot 435, and second repetition 450 and third repetition 455 are positioned relative to each other within a second slot 440, which immediately adjoins the first slot 435, such that the second repetition 450 at least partially overlaps the third repetition 455. [0109] in some cases, when each of the repetitions occur on separate ccs, a sliv indicated by a single dci may represent a number of symbols and nominal transmission time on a reference scs. in such cases, the reference scs may be determined using methods described herein. in some examples, each cc of the plurality of ccs may transmit using the same absolute time, i.e., the number of symbols for each cc will vary based on symbol duration and scs of the respective cc. that is, repetitions scheduled on each cc may span a same duration in time, but may be scheduled over different numbers of symbols for one or more of the ccs due to the varying scss configured for the ccs. [0110] in some cases, the sliv indicated by the single dci, such as the dci 415, may represent a number of symbols for data transmission, which may be the same across each of the ccs of the plurality of ccs. in such an example, the absolute transmission time for each cc may differ even though the number of symbols for each of the ccs is the same. [0111] in some cases, when repetitions on different ccs are scheduled by a single dci, the transport block size may be determined based on a nominal length for the transmission and a nominal re, which may be indicated by the dci 415. additionally, in some cases, the transport block size may be determined based on nominal res common across all ccs. in such cases, different repetitions are typically not self-decodable. [0112] fig.5 illustrates an example of a process flow 500 that supports cross cc shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. in some examples, the process flow 500 may implement aspects of wireless communications systems 100, 200, 300, or 400. process flow 500 may include ue 115-d and base station 105-d, which may be examples of ue 115 and base station 105 described with reference to figs.1, 2, 3, and 4. [0113] when transmitting dci, the base station 105-d may communicate with the ue 115-d to facilitate cross cc shared channel repetition. [0114] at 505, the base station 105-d may identify a set of ccs supported by the ue 115-d for communications with the base station 105-d. in some cases, the ue 115-d may identify the set of ccs that are supported by the ue 115-d for communications with the base station 105-d. in some cases, the set of ccs supported by the ue 115-d may include a first cc and a second cc. in some cases, a plurality of ccs may be supported by the ue 115-d for communications with the base station 105-d. [0115] at 510, the ue 115-d may receive a downlink control message from the base station 105-d. in some cases, the downlink control message may schedule multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue 115-d. in some cases, a first repetition of the multiple repetitions may be scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs. in some cases, a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs. [0116] in some cases, one of the ue 115-d or the base station 105-d may receive, via rrc signaling, a reference scs configuration for each of a subset of the set of ccs. in such cases, the one of the ue 115-d or the base station 105-d may determine a number of symbols between the downlink control message and transmission of the first repetition via the first cc based at least in part on the reference scs configuration. in some cases, the one of the ue 115-d or the base station 105-d may determine the number of symbols between the downlink control message and reception of the first repetition. in some such cases, the number of symbols is based at least in part on a minimum or a maximum slot format indicator of the subset, an indication within the downlink control message, a scs of the first cc, or a scs associated with the downlink control message. [0117] at 515, the ue 115-d may determine a first number of symbols between the downlink control message and transmission of a first repetition. in some cases, the ue 115-d may determine a first number of symbols between the downlink control message and reception of the first repetition. in some cases, the ue 115-d may determine the first number of symbols between the downlink control message and either of the transmission or the reception of the first repetition via the first cc based at least in part on a scs of the first cc. [0118] at 520, the ue 115-d may determine a second number of symbols between the downlink control message and transmission of a second repetition. in some cases, the ue 115-d may determine a second number of symbols between the downlink control message and reception of the second repetition. in some cases, the ue 115-d may determine the second number of symbols between the downlink control message and either of the transmission or the reception of the second repetition via the first cc based at least in part on a scs of the second cc. [0119] in some cases, one of the ue 115-d or the base station 105-d may determine a first slot for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based at least in part on a scs of the first cc. in such cases, the one of the ue 115-d or the base station 105-d may determine a second slot for transmission or reception of the second repetition via the second cc based at least in part on a scs of the second cc. [0120] in some examples, one of the ue 115-d or the base station 105-d may receive, via rrc signaling, a reference scs configuration for each of a subset of the set of ccs. in such examples, the one of the ue 115-d or the base station 105-d may determine a starting symbol and length in time for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based at least in part on the reference scs configuration. in these such examples, the starting symbol and length in time may be the same for the first cc and the second cc. [0121] in some cases, one of the base station 105-d or the ue 115-d may determine a number of symbols for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc. in such examples, the number of symbols may be the same for the first cc and the second cc. in some examples, one of the base station 105-d or the ue 115-d may determine a transport block size for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based at least in part on a nominal length in time and a nominal set of resource elements indicated by the downlink control message. in such examples, the transport block size may be the same for the first cc and the second cc. [0122] in some cases, one of the base station 105-d or the ue 115-d may determine a transport block size for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based at least in part on a nominal set of resource elements for the first cc and the second cc. [0123] at 525, the base station 105-d may receive an indication of scheduling the transport blocks. in some cases, the indication received by the base station 105-d may indicate that the multiple repetitions of the transport block are scheduled via the first and second ccs. in some cases, the multiple repetitions of the transport block may be scheduled via the first and second ccs according to one or both of a fdm scheme or a tdm scheme. in some cases, the indication may be received via rrc signaling, a mac-ce, or dci. [0124] in some examples, one of the base station 105-d or the ue 115-d may receive an indication of a subset of the set of ccs available for the multiple repetitions of the transport block. in some cases, the subset may include at least the first cc and the second cc. in some case, the indication of the subset may be received by the base station 105-d via rrc signaling, a mac-ce, or dci. in some cases, the indication of the subset includes a set of carrier indices that corresponds to the subset of the set of ccs. [0125] in some cases, one of the base station 105-d or the ue 115-d may receive an indication of at least one cc of the set of ccs to be dropped for the multiple repetitions of the transport block. in some cases, one of the base station 105-d or the ue 115-d may receive an indication of a starting cc for the multiple repetitions of the transport block. in some examples, one of the ue 115-d or the base station 105-d may transmit feedback for a subset of the ccs and one of the ue 115-d or the base station 105-d may receive an indication of a starting cc for the multiple repetitions of the transport block based at least in part on the feedback. in such an example, the subset may include the starting cc and the feedback may indicate ack/nack feedback or a sinr for each cc of the subset. [0126] in some cases, one of the base station 105-d or the ue 115-d may receive, via rrc signaling, a reference scs configuration for each of a subset of the set of ccs. in such cases, in the one of the base station 105-d or the ue 115-d may determine a slot for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based at least in part on the reference scs configuration. [0127] at 530, the ue 115-d may transmit the first repetition via the first cc, and at 535, the ue 115-d may transmit the second repetition via the second cc. [0128] fig.6 shows a block diagram 600 of a device 605 that supports cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. the device 605 may be an example of aspects of a ue 115 as described herein. the device 605 may include a receiver 610, a communications manager 615, and a transmitter 620. the device 605 may also include a processor. each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses). [0129] the receiver 610 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to cross carrier shared channel repetition, etc.). information may be passed on to other components of the device 605. the receiver 610 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 920 described with reference to fig.9. the receiver 610 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas. [0130] the communications manager 615 may identify a set of ccs supported by the ue for communications with a base station, receive a downlink control message from the base station, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, where a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs, and transmit or receiving the first repetition via the first cc and the second repetition via the second cc. the communications manager 615 may be an example of aspects of the communications manager 910 described herein. [0131] the communications manager 615, or its sub-components, may be implemented in hardware, code (e.g., software or firmware) executed by a processor, or any combination thereof. if implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communications manager 615, or its sub-components may be executed by a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (dsp), an application-specific integrated circuit (asic), a field programmable gate array (fpga) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in the present disclosure. [0132] the communications manager 615, or its sub-components, may be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations by one or more physical components. in some examples, the communications manager 615, or its sub-components, may be a separate and distinct component in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. in some examples, the communications manager 615, or its sub-components, may be combined with one or more other hardware components, including but not limited to an input/output (i/o) component, a transceiver, a network server, another computing device, one or more other components described in the present disclosure, or a combination thereof in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [0133] the transmitter 620 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device 605. in some examples, the transmitter 620 may be collocated with a receiver 610 in a transceiver module. for example, the transmitter 620 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 920 described with reference to fig.9. the transmitter 620 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas. [0134] the communications manager 615 as described herein may be implemented to realize one or more potential advantages. one implementation may provide for reduced signaling overhead when scheduling communications across multiple ccs.. for example, the device 605 may receive dci that schedules uplink or downlink communications on multiple ccs. by scheduling communications for multiple ccs using a single dci, signaling overhead and signal monitoring by the device 604 may be reduced [0135] utilizing such techniques, a processor of a ue 115 (e.g., a processor controlling the receiver 610, the communications manager 615, the transmitter 620, etc.) may reduce processing resources used for communications. for example, when a single dci scheduling across multiple ccs is received, the processor may refrain from monitoring one or more ccs for additional control messages corresponding to those ccs. as such, the device 605 may reduce power consumption and increase battery life. [0136] fig.7 shows a block diagram 700 of a device 705 that supports cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. the device 705 may be an example of aspects of a device 605, or a ue 115 as described herein. the device 705 may include a receiver 710, a communications manager 715, and a transmitter 735. the device 705 may also include a processor. each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses). [0137] the receiver 710 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to cross carrier shared channel repetition, etc.). information may be passed on to other components of the device 705. the receiver 710 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 920 described with reference to fig.9. the receiver 710 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas. [0138] the communications manager 715 may be an example of aspects of the communications manager 615 as described herein. the communications manager 715 may include a cc manager 720, a downlink control receiver 725, and a repetition communications component 730. the communications manager 715 may be an example of aspects of the communications manager 910 described herein. [0139] the cc manager 720 may identify a set of ccs supported by the ue for communications with a base station. [0140] the downlink control receiver 725 may receive a downlink control message from the base station, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, where a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs. [0141] the repetition communications component 730 may transmit or receiving the first repetition via the first cc and the second repetition via the second cc. [0142] the transmitter 735 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device 705. in some examples, the transmitter 735 may be collocated with a receiver 710 in a transceiver module. for example, the transmitter 735 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 920 described with reference to fig.9. the transmitter 735 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas. [0143] fig.8 shows a block diagram 800 of a communications manager 805 that supports cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. the communications manager 805 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 615, a communications manager 715, or a communications manager 910 described herein. the communications manager 805 may include a cc manager 810, a downlink control receiver 815, a repetition communications component 820, an indication receiver 825, a feedback transmitter 830, a configuration receiver 835, a symbol component 840, a slot manager 845, a sliv module 850, and a block size manager 855. each of these modules may communicate, directly or indirectly, with one another (e.g., via one or more buses). [0144] the cc manager 810 may identify a set of ccs supported by the ue for communications with a base station. [0145] the downlink control receiver 815 may receive a downlink control message from the base station, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, where a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs. [0146] the repetition communications component 820 may transmit or receiving the first repetition via the first cc and the second repetition via the second cc. [0147] the indication receiver 825 may receive an indication that the multiple repetitions of the transport block are scheduled via the first and second ccs according to one or both of a fdm scheme or a tdm scheme. [0148] in some examples, the indication receiver 825 may receive an indication of a subset of the set of ccs available for the multiple repetitions of the transport block, the subset including at least the first cc and the second cc, where the indication is received via rrc signaling, a mac-ce, or dci. [0149] in some examples, the indication receiver 825 may receive an indication of at least one cc of the set of ccs to be dropped for the multiple repetitions of the transport block. [0150] in some examples, the indication receiver 825 may receive an indication of a starting cc for the multiple repetitions of the transport block. [0151] in some examples, receiving an indication of a starting cc for the multiple repetitions of the transport block based on the feedback, where the subset includes the starting cc. [0152] in some cases, the indication is received via rrc signaling, a mac-ce, or dci. [0153] in some cases, the indication includes a set of carrier indices that corresponds to the subset of the set of ccs. [0154] the feedback transmitter 830 may transmit feedback for a subset of the set of ccs. [0155] in some cases, the feedback indicates ack/(nack feedback or a sinr for each cc of the subset. [0156] the configuration receiver 835 may receive, via rrc signaling, a reference scs configuration for each of a subset of the set of ccs. [0157] the symbol component 840 may determine a number of symbols between the downlink control message and transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based on the reference scs configuration. [0158] in some examples, the symbol component 840 may determine a first number of symbols between the downlink control message and transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based on a scs of the first cc. [0159] in some examples, the symbol component 840 may determine a second of symbols between the downlink control message and transmission or reception of the second repetition via the second cc based on a scs of the second cc. [0160] in some examples, the symbol component 840 may determine a number of symbols for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc, where the number of symbols is the same for the first cc and the second cc. [0161] in some cases, the number of symbols is based on a minimum or a maximum slot format indicator of the subset, an indication within the downlink control message, a scs of the first cc, or a scs associated with the downlink control message. [0162] the slot manager 845 may determine a slot for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based on the reference scs configuration. [0163] in some examples, the slot manager 845 may determine a first slot for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based on a scs of the first cc. [0164] in some examples, the slot manager 845 may determine a second slot for transmission or reception of the second repetition via the second cc based on a scs of the second cc. [0165] the sliv module 850 may determine a starting symbol and length in time for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based on the reference scs configuration, where the starting symbol and length in time is the same for the first cc and the second cc. [0166] the block size manager 855 may determine a transport block size for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based on a nominal length in time and a nominal set of resource elements indicated by the downlink control message, where the transport block size is the same for the first cc and the second cc. [0167] in some examples, the block size manager 855 may determine a transport block size for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based on a nominal set of resource elements for the first cc and the second cc. [0168] fig.9 shows a diagram of a system 900 including a device 905 that supports cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. the device 905 may be an example of or include the components of device 605, device 705, or a ue 115 as described herein. the device 905 may include components for bi-directional voice and data communications including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including a communications manager 910, an i/o controller 915, a transceiver 920, an antenna 925, memory 930, and a processor 940. these components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses (e.g., bus 945). [0169] the communications manager 910 may identify a set of ccs supported by the ue for communications with a base station, receive a downlink control message from the base station, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, where a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs, and transmit or receiving the first repetition via the first cc and the second repetition via the second cc. [0170] the i/o controller 915 may manage input and output signals for the device 905. the i/o controller 915 may also manage peripherals not integrated into the device 905. in some cases, the i/o controller 915 may represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral. in some cases, the i/o controller 915 may utilize an operating system such as ios®, android®, ms-dos®, ms-windows®, os/2®, unix®, linux®, or another known operating system. in other cases, the i/o controller 915 may represent or interact with a modem, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchscreen, or a similar device. in some cases, the i/o controller 915 may be implemented as part of a processor. in some cases, a user may interact with the device 905 via the i/o controller 915 or via hardware components controlled by the i/o controller 915. [0171] the transceiver 920 may communicate bi-directionally, via one or more antennas, wired, or wireless links as described herein. for example, the transceiver 920 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. the transceiver 920 may also include a modem to modulate the packets and provide the modulated packets to the antennas for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the antennas. [0172] in some cases, the wireless device may include a single antenna 925. however, in some cases the device may have more than one antenna 925, which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. [0173] the memory 930 may include random access memory (ram) and read only memory (rom). the memory 930 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 935 including instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform various functions described herein. in some cases, the memory 930 may contain, among other things, a basic i/o system (bios) which may control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices. [0174] the processor 940 may include an intelligent hardware device, (e.g., a general- purpose processor, a dsp, a central processing unit (cpu), a microcontroller, an asic, an fpga, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). in some cases, the processor 940 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. in other cases, a memory controller may be integrated into the processor 940. the processor 940 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 930) to cause the device 905 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting cross carrier shared channel repetition). [0175] the code 935 may include instructions to implement aspects of the present disclosure, including instructions to support wireless communications. the code 935 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or other type of memory. in some cases, the code 935 may not be directly executable by the processor 940 but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein. [0176] fig.10 shows a block diagram 1000 of a device 1005 that supports cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. the device 1005 may be an example of aspects of a base station 105 as described herein. the device 1005 may include a receiver 1010, a communications manager 1015, and a transmitter 1020. the device 1005 may also include a processor. each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses). [0177] the receiver 1010 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to cross carrier shared channel repetition, etc.). information may be passed on to other components of the device 1005. the receiver 1010 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1320 described with reference to fig.13. the receiver 1010 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas. [0178] the communications manager 1015 may identify a set of ccs supported by a ue for communications with the base station, transmit a downlink control message to the ue, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, where a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs, and transmit or receiving the first repetition via the first cc and the second repetition via the second cc. the communications manager 1015 may be an example of aspects of the communications manager 1310 described herein. [0179] the communications manager 1015, or its sub-components, may be implemented in hardware, code (e.g., software or firmware) executed by a processor, or any combination thereof. if implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communications manager 1015, or its sub-components may be executed by a general-purpose processor, a dsp, an asic, an fpga or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in the present disclosure. [0180] the communications manager 1015, or its sub-components, may be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations by one or more physical components. in some examples, the communications manager 1015, or its sub-components, may be a separate and distinct component in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. in some examples, the communications manager 1015, or its sub-components, may be combined with one or more other hardware components, including but not limited to an i/o component, a transceiver, a network server, another computing device, one or more other components described in the present disclosure, or a combination thereof in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [0181] the transmitter 1020 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device 1005. in some examples, the transmitter 1020 may be collocated with a receiver 1010 in a transceiver module. for example, the transmitter 1020 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1320 described with reference to fig.13. the transmitter 1020 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas. [0182] fig.11 shows a block diagram 1100 of a device 1105 that supports cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. the device 1105 may be an example of aspects of a device 1005, or a base station 105 as described herein. the device 1105 may include a receiver 1110, a communications manager 1115, and a transmitter 1135. the device 1105 may also include a processor. each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses). [0183] the receiver 1110 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to cross carrier shared channel repetition, etc.). information may be passed on to other components of the device 1105. the receiver 1110 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1320 described with reference to fig.13. the receiver 1110 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas. [0184] the communications manager 1115 may be an example of aspects of the communications manager 1015 as described herein. the communications manager 1115 may include a cc module 1120, a downlink control transmitter 1125, and a repetition manager 1130. the communications manager 1115 may be an example of aspects of the communications manager 1310 described herein. [0185] the cc module 1120 may identify a set of ccs supported by a ue for communications with the base station. [0186] the downlink control transmitter 1125 may transmit a downlink control message to the ue, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, where a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs. [0187] the repetition manager 1130 may transmit or receiving the first repetition via the first cc and the second repetition via the second cc. [0188] the transmitter 1135 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device 1105. in some examples, the transmitter 1135 may be collocated with a receiver 1110 in a transceiver module. for example, the transmitter 1135 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1320 described with reference to fig.13. the transmitter 1135 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas. [0189] fig.12 shows a block diagram 1200 of a communications manager 1205 that supports cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. the communications manager 1205 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 1015, a communications manager 1115, or a communications manager 1310 described herein. the communications manager 1205 may include a cc module 1210, a downlink control transmitter 1215, a repetition manager 1220, an indication transmitter 1225, a feedback receiver 1230, a configuration transmitter 1235, and a scheduling manager 1240. each of these modules may communicate, directly or indirectly, with one another (e.g., via one or more buses). [0190] the cc module 1210 may identify a set of ccs supported by a ue for communications with the base station. [0191] the downlink control transmitter 1215 may transmit a downlink control message to the ue, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, where a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs. [0192] the repetition manager 1220 may transmit or receiving the first repetition via the first cc and the second repetition via the second cc. [0193] the indication transmitter 1225 may transmit an indication that the multiple repetitions of the transport block are scheduled via the first and second ccs according to one or both of a fdm scheme or a tdm scheme. [0194] in some examples, the indication transmitter 1225 may transmit an indication of a subset of the set of ccs available for the multiple repetitions of the transport block, the subset including at least the first cc and the second cc, where the indication is transmitted via rrc signaling, a mac-ce, or dci. [0195] in some examples, the indication transmitter 1225 may transmit an indication of at least one cc of the set of ccs to be dropped for the multiple repetitions of the transport block. [0196] in some examples, the indication transmitter 1225 may transmit an indication of a starting cc for the multiple repetitions of the transport block. [0197] in some examples, transmitting an indication of a starting cc for the multiple repetitions of the transport block based on the feedback, where the subset includes the starting cc. [0198] in some cases, the indication is transmitted via rrc signaling, a mac-ce, or dci. [0199] in some cases, the indication includes a set of carrier indices that corresponds to the subset of the set of ccs. [0200] the feedback receiver 1230 may receive, from the ue, feedback for a subset of the set of ccs. [0201] in some cases, the feedback indicates ack/ nack feedback or a sinr for each cc of the subset. [0202] the configuration transmitter 1235 may transmit, via rrc signaling, a reference scs configuration for each of a subset of the set of ccs. [0203] the scheduling manager 1240 may schedule transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based on the reference scs configuration. [0204] in some examples, the scheduling manager 1240 may schedule transmission or reception of the second repetition via the second cc based on the reference scs configuration. [0205] in some examples, the scheduling manager 1240 may schedule transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based on a first scs configuration associated with the first cc. [0206] in some examples, the scheduling manager 1240 may schedule transmission or reception of the second repetition via the second cc based on a second scs configuration associated with the second cc. [0207] in some examples, the scheduling manager 1240 may schedule transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first cc based on a scs configuration associated with the downlink control message. [0208] fig.13 shows a diagram of a system 1300 including a device 1305 that supports cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. the device 1305 may be an example of or include the components of device 1005, device 1105, or a base station 105 as described herein. the device 1305 may include components for bi-directional voice and data communications including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including a communications manager 1310, a network communications manager 1315, a transceiver 1320, an antenna 1325, memory 1330, a processor 1340, and an inter-station communications manager 1345. these components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses (e.g., bus 1350). [0209] the communications manager 1310 may identify a set of ccs supported by a ue for communications with the base station, transmit a downlink control message to the ue, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, where a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs, and transmit or receiving the first repetition via the first cc and the second repetition via the second cc. [0210] the network communications manager 1315 may manage communications with the core network (e.g., via one or more wired backhaul links). for example, the network communications manager 1315 may manage the transfer of data communications for client devices, such as one or more ues 115. [0211] the transceiver 1320 may communicate bi-directionally, via one or more antennas, wired, or wireless links as described herein. for example, the transceiver 1320 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. the transceiver 1320 may also include a modem to modulate the packets and provide the modulated packets to the antennas for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the antennas. [0212] in some cases, the wireless device may include a single antenna 1325. however, in some cases the device may have more than one antenna 1325, which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. [0213] the memory 1330 may include ram, rom, or a combination thereof. the memory 1330 may store computer-readable code 1335 including instructions that, when executed by a processor (e.g., the processor 1340) cause the device to perform various functions described herein. in some cases, the memory 1330 may contain, among other things, a bios which may control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices. [0214] the processor 1340 may include an intelligent hardware device, (e.g., a general- purpose processor, a dsp, a cpu, a microcontroller, an asic, an fpga, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). in some cases, the processor 1340 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. in some cases, a memory controller may be integrated into processor 1340. the processor 1340 may be configured to execute computer- readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 1330) to cause the device 1305 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting cross carrier shared channel repetition). [0215] the inter-station communications manager 1345 may manage communications with other base station 105, and may include a controller or scheduler for controlling communications with ues 115 in cooperation with other base stations 105. for example, the inter-station communications manager 1345 may coordinate scheduling for transmissions to ues 115 for various interference mitigation techniques such as beamforming or joint transmission. in some examples, the inter-station communications manager 1345 may provide an x2 interface within an lte/lte-a wireless communication network technology to provide communication between base stations 105. [0216] the code 1335 may include instructions to implement aspects of the present disclosure, including instructions to support wireless communications. the code 1335 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or other type of memory. in some cases, the code 1335 may not be directly executable by the processor 1340 but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein. [0217] fig.14 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1400 that supports cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. the operations of method 1400 may be implemented by a ue 115 or its components as described herein. for example, the operations of method 1400 may be performed by a communications manager as described with reference to figs.6 through 9. in some examples, a ue may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the ue to perform the functions described herein. additionally or alternatively, a ue may perform aspects of the functions described herein using special-purpose hardware. [0218] at 1405, the ue may identify a set of ccs supported by the ue for communications with a base station. the operations of 1405 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 1405 may be performed by a cc manager as described with reference to figs.6 through 9. [0219] at 1410, the ue may receive a downlink control message from the base station, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, where a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs. the operations of 1410 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 1410 may be performed by a downlink control receiver as described with reference to figs.6 through 9. [0220] at 1415, the ue may transmit or receiving the first repetition via the first cc and the second repetition via the second cc. the operations of 1415 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 1415 may be performed by a repetition communications component as described with reference to figs.6 through 9. [0221] fig.15 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1500 that supports cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. the operations of method 1500 may be implemented by a ue 115 or its components as described herein. for example, the operations of method 1500 may be performed by a communications manager as described with reference to figs.6 through 9. in some examples, a ue may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the ue to perform the functions described herein. additionally or alternatively, a ue may perform aspects of the functions described herein using special-purpose hardware. [0222] at 1505, the ue may identify a set of ccs supported by the ue for communications with a base station. the operations of 1505 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 1505 may be performed by a cc manager as described with reference to figs.6 through 9. [0223] at 1510, the ue may receive an indication of at least one cc of the set of ccs to be dropped for the multiple repetitions of the transport block. the operations of 1510 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 1510 may be performed by an indication receiver as described with reference to figs.6 through 9. [0224] at 1515, the ue may receive a downlink control message from the base station, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, where a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs. the operations of 1515 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 1515 may be performed by a downlink control receiver as described with reference to figs.6 through 9. [0225] at 1520, the ue may transmit or receiving the first repetition via the first cc and the second repetition via the second cc. the operations of 1520 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 1520 may be performed by a repetition communications component as described with reference to figs.6 through 9. [0226] fig.16 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1600 that supports cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. the operations of method 1600 may be implemented by a ue 115 or its components as described herein. for example, the operations of method 1600 may be performed by a communications manager as described with reference to figs.6 through 9. in some examples, a ue may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the ue to perform the functions described herein. additionally or alternatively, a ue may perform aspects of the functions described herein using special-purpose hardware. [0227] at 1605, the ue may identify a set of ccs supported by the ue for communications with a base station. the operations of 1605 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 1605 may be performed by a cc manager as described with reference to figs.6 through 9. [0228] at 1610, the ue may receive an indication of a starting cc for the multiple repetitions of the transport block. the operations of 1610 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 1610 may be performed by an indication receiver as described with reference to figs.6 through 9. [0229] at 1615, the ue may receive a downlink control message from the base station, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, where a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs. the operations of 1615 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 1615 may be performed by a downlink control receiver as described with reference to figs.6 through 9. [0230] at 1620, the ue may transmit or receiving the first repetition via the first cc and the second repetition via the second cc. the operations of 1620 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 1620 may be performed by a repetition communications component as described with reference to figs.6 through 9. [0231] fig.17 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1700 that supports cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. the operations of method 1700 may be implemented by a ue 115 or its components as described herein. for example, the operations of method 1700 may be performed by a communications manager as described with reference to figs.6 through 9. in some examples, a ue may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the ue to perform the functions described herein. additionally or alternatively, a ue may perform aspects of the functions described herein using special-purpose hardware. [0232] at 1705, the ue may identify a set of ccs supported by the ue for communications with a base station. the operations of 1705 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 1705 may be performed by a cc manager as described with reference to figs.6 through 9. [0233] at 1710, the ue may transmit feedback for a subset of the set of ccs. the operations of 1710 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 1710 may be performed by a feedback transmitter as described with reference to figs.6 through 9. [0234] at 1715, the ue may receive an indication of a starting cc for the multiple repetitions of the transport block based on the feedback, where the subset includes the starting cc. the operations of 1715 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 1715 may be performed by an indication receiver as described with reference to figs.6 through 9. [0235] at 1720, the ue may receive a downlink control message from the base station, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, where a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs. the operations of 1720 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 1720 may be performed by a downlink control receiver as described with reference to figs.6 through 9. [0236] at 1725, the ue may transmit or receiving the first repetition via the first cc and the second repetition via the second cc. the operations of 1725 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 1725 may be performed by a repetition communications component as described with reference to figs.6 through 9. [0237] fig.18 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1800 that supports cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. the operations of method 1800 may be implemented by a base station 105 or its components as described herein. for example, the operations of method 1800 may be performed by a communications manager as described with reference to figs.10 through 13. in some examples, a base station may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the base station to perform the functions described herein. additionally or alternatively, a base station may perform aspects of the functions described herein using special-purpose hardware. [0238] at 1805, the base station may identify a set of ccs supported by a ue for communications with the base station. the operations of 1805 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 1805 may be performed by a cc module as described with reference to figs.10 through 13. [0239] at 1810, the base station may transmit a downlink control message to the ue, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, where a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs. the operations of 1810 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 1810 may be performed by a downlink control transmitter as described with reference to figs.10 through 13. [0240] at 1815, the base station may transmit or receiving the first repetition via the first cc and the second repetition via the second cc. the operations of 1815 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 1815 may be performed by a repetition manager as described with reference to figs.10 through 13. [0241] fig.19 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1900 that supports cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. the operations of method 1900 may be implemented by a base station 105 or its components as described herein. for example, the operations of method 1900 may be performed by a communications manager as described with reference to figs.10 through 13. in some examples, a base station may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the base station to perform the functions described herein. additionally or alternatively, a base station may perform aspects of the functions described herein using special-purpose hardware. [0242] at 1905, the base station may identify a set of ccs supported by a ue for communications with the base station. the operations of 1905 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 1905 may be performed by a cc module as described with reference to figs.10 through 13. [0243] at 1910, the base station may transmit an indication that the multiple repetitions of the transport block are scheduled via the first and second ccs according to one or both of a fdm scheme or a tdm scheme. the operations of 1910 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 1910 may be performed by an indication transmitter as described with reference to figs.10 through 13. [0244] at 1915, the base station may transmit a downlink control message to the ue, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, where a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs. the operations of 1915 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 1915 may be performed by a downlink control transmitter as described with reference to figs.10 through 13. [0245] at 1920, the base station may transmit or receiving the first repetition via the first cc and the second repetition via the second cc. the operations of 1920 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 1920 may be performed by a repetition manager as described with reference to figs.10 through 13. [0246] fig.20 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 2000 that supports cross carrier shared channel repetition in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. the operations of method 2000 may be implemented by a base station 105 or its components as described herein. for example, the operations of method 2000 may be performed by a communications manager as described with reference to figs.10 through 13. in some examples, a base station may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the base station to perform the functions described herein. additionally or alternatively, a base station may perform aspects of the functions described herein using special-purpose hardware. [0247] at 2005, the base station may identify a set of ccs supported by a ue for communications with the base station. the operations of 2005 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 2005 may be performed by a cc module as described with reference to figs.10 through 13. [0248] at 2010, the base station may transmit an indication of a subset of the set of ccs available for the multiple repetitions of the transport block, the subset including at least the first cc and the second cc, where the indication is transmitted via rrc signaling, a mac- ce, or dci. the operations of 2010 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 2010 may be performed by an indication transmitter as described with reference to figs.10 through 13. [0249] at 2015, the base station may transmit a downlink control message to the ue, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, where a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first cc of the set of ccs and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second cc of the set of ccs. the operations of 2015 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 2015 may be performed by a downlink control transmitter as described with reference to figs.10 through 13. [0250] at 2020, the base station may transmit or receiving the first repetition via the first cc and the second repetition via the second cc. the operations of 2020 may be performed according to the methods described herein. in some examples, aspects of the operations of 2020 may be performed by a repetition manager as described with reference to figs.10 through 13. [0251] it should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible implementations, and that the operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible. further, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined. [0252] the following provides an overview of aspects of the present disclosure: [0253] aspect 1: a method for wireless communications at a ue, comprising: identifying a set of component carriers supported by the ue for communications with a base station; receiving a downlink control message from the base station, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, wherein a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first component carrier of the set of component carriers and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second component carrier of the set of component carriers; and transmitting or receiving the first repetition via the first component carrier and the second repetition via the second component carrier. [0254] aspect 2: the method of aspect 1, further comprising: receiving an indication that the multiple repetitions of the transport block are scheduled via the first and second component carriers according to one or both of a frequency division multiplexing (fdm) scheme or a time division multiplexing (tdm) scheme. [0255] aspect 3: the method of aspect 2, wherein the indication is received via rrc signaling, a medium access control (mac) control element (mac-ce), or dci. [0256] aspect 4: the method of any of aspects 1 through 3, further comprising: receiving an indication of a subset of the set of component carriers available for the multiple repetitions of the transport block, the subset comprising at least the first component carrier and the second component carrier, wherein the indication is received via rrc signaling, a medium access control (mac) control element (mac-ce), or dci. [0257] aspect 5: the method of aspect 4, wherein the indication comprises a set of carrier indices that corresponds to the subset of the set of component carriers. [0258] aspect 6: the method of any of aspects 1 through 5, further comprising: receiving an indication of at least one component carrier of the set of component carriers to be dropped for the multiple repetitions of the transport block. [0259] aspect 7: the method of any of aspects 1 through 6, further comprising: receiving an indication of a starting component carrier for the multiple repetitions of the transport block. [0260] aspect 8: the method of any of aspects 1 through 7, further comprising: transmitting feedback for a subset of the set of component carriers; and receiving an indication of a starting component carrier for the multiple repetitions of the transport block based at least in part on the feedback, wherein the subset comprises the starting component carrier and the feedback indicates ack/negative ack (nack) feedback or a signal to interference plus noise ratio (sinr) for each component carrier of the subset. [0261] aspect 9: the method of any of aspects 1 through 8, further comprising: receiving, via rrc signaling, a reference subcarrier spacing configuration for each of a subset of the set of component carriers; and determining a number of symbols between the downlink control message and transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first component carrier based at least in part on the reference subcarrier spacing configuration. [0262] aspect 10: the method of aspect 9, wherein the number of symbols is based at least in part on a minimum or a maximum slot format indicator of the subset, an indication within the downlink control message, a subcarrier spacing of the first component carrier, or a subcarrier spacing associated with the downlink control message. [0263] aspect 11: the method of any of aspects 1 through 10, further comprising: determining a first number of symbols between the downlink control message and transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first component carrier based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing of the first component carrier; and determining a second of symbols between the downlink control message and transmission or reception of the second repetition via the second component carrier based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing of the second component carrier. [0264] aspect 12: the method of any of aspects 1 through 11, further comprising: receiving, via rrc signaling, a reference subcarrier spacing configuration for each of a subset of the set of component carriers; and determining a slot for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first component carrier based at least in part on the reference subcarrier spacing configuration. [0265] aspect 13: the method of any of aspects 1 through 12, further comprising: determining a first slot for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first component carrier based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing of the first component carrier; and determining a second slot for transmission or reception of the second repetition via the second component carrier based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing of the second component carrier. [0266] aspect 14: the method of any of aspects 1 through 13, further comprising: receiving, via rrc signaling, a reference subcarrier spacing configuration for each of a subset of the set of component carriers; and determining a starting symbol and length in time for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first component carrier based at least in part on the reference subcarrier spacing configuration, wherein the starting symbol and length in time is the same for the first component carrier and the second component carrier. [0267] aspect 15: the method of any of aspects 1 through 14, further comprising: determining a number of symbols for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first component carrier, wherein the number of symbols is the same for the first component carrier and the second component carrier. [0268] aspect 16: the method of any of aspects 1 through 15, further comprising: determining a transport block size for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first component carrier based at least in part on a nominal length in time and a nominal set of resource elements indicated by the downlink control message, wherein the transport block size is the same for the first component carrier and the second component carrier. [0269] aspect 17: the method of any of aspects 1 through 16, further comprising: determining a transport block size for transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first component carrier based at least in part on a nominal set of resource elements for the first component carrier and the second component carrier. [0270] aspect 18: a method for wireless communications at a base station, comprising: identifying a set of component carriers supported by a ue for communications with the base station; transmitting a downlink control message to the ue, the downlink control message scheduling multiple repetitions of a transport block for the ue, wherein a first repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a first component carrier of the set of component carriers and a second repetition of the multiple repetitions is scheduled on a second component carrier of the set of component carriers; and transmitting or receiving the first repetition via the first component carrier and the second repetition via the second component carrier. [0271] aspect 19: the method of aspect 18, further comprising: transmitting an indication that the multiple repetitions of the transport block are scheduled via the first and second component carriers according to one or both of a frequency division multiplexing (fdm) scheme or a time division multiplexing (tdm) scheme. [0272] aspect 20: the method of aspect 19, wherein the indication is transmitted via rrc signaling, a medium access control (mac) control element (mac-ce), or dci. [0273] aspect 21: the method of any of aspects 18 through 20, further comprising: transmitting an indication of a subset of the set of component carriers available for the multiple repetitions of the transport block, the subset comprising at least the first component carrier and the second component carrier, wherein the indication is transmitted via rrc signaling, a medium access control (mac) control element (mac-ce), or dci. [0274] aspect 22: the method of aspect 21, wherein the indication comprises a set of carrier indices that corresponds to the subset of the set of component carriers. [0275] aspect 23: the method of any of aspects 18 through 22, further comprising: transmitting an indication of at least one component carrier of the set of component carriers to be dropped for the multiple repetitions of the transport block. [0276] aspect 24: the method of any of aspects 18 through 23, further comprising: transmitting an indication of a starting component carrier for the multiple repetitions of the transport block. [0277] aspect 25: the method of any of aspects 18 through 24, further comprising: receiving, from the ue, feedback for a subset of the set of component carriers; and transmitting an indication of a starting component carrier for the multiple repetitions of the transport block based at least in part on the feedback, wherein the subset comprises the starting component carrier and the feedback indicates ack/negative ack (nack) feedback or a signal to interference plus noise ratio (sinr) for each component carrier of the subset. [0278] aspect 26: the method of any of aspects 18 through 25, further comprising: transmitting, via rrc signaling, a reference subcarrier spacing configuration for each of a subset of the set of component carriers; scheduling transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first component carrier based at least in part on the reference subcarrier spacing configuration; and scheduling transmission or reception of the second repetition via the second component carrier based at least in part on the reference subcarrier spacing configuration. [0279] aspect 27: the method of any of aspects 18 through 26, further comprising: scheduling transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first component carrier based at least in part on a first subcarrier spacing configuration associated with the first component carrier; and scheduling transmission or reception of the second repetition via the second component carrier based at least in part on a second subcarrier spacing configuration associated with the second component carrier. [0280] aspect 28: the method of any of aspects 18 through 27, further comprising: scheduling transmission or reception of the first repetition via the first component carrier based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing configuration associated with the downlink control message. [0281] aspect 29: an apparatus for wireless communications at a ue, comprising a processor; memory coupled with the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform a method of any of aspects 1 through 17. [0282] aspect 30: an apparatus for wireless communications at a ue, comprising at least one means for performing a method of any of aspects 1 through 17. [0283] aspect 31: a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications at a ue, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform a method of any of aspects 1 through 17. [0284] aspect 32: an apparatus for wireless communications at a base station, comprising a processor; memory coupled with the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform a method of any of aspects 18 through 28. [0285] aspect 33: an apparatus for wireless communications at a base station, comprising at least one means for performing a method of any of aspects 18 through 28. [0286] aspect 34: a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications at a base station, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform a method of any of aspects 18 through 28 [0287] although aspects of an lte, lte-a, lte-a pro, or nr system may be described for purposes of example, and lte, lte-a, lte-a pro, or nr terminology may be used in much of the description, the techniques described herein are applicable beyond lte, lte-a, lte-a pro, or nr networks. for example, the described techniques may be applicable to various other wireless communications systems such as ultra mobile broadband (umb), institute of electrical and electronics engineers (ieee) 802.11 (wi-fi), ieee 802.16 (wimax), ieee 802.20, flash-ofdm, as well as other systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein. [0288] information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. for example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof. [0289] the various illustrative blocks and components described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with a general-purpose processor, a dsp, an asic, a cpu, an fpga or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. a general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. a processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a dsp and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a dsp core, or any other such configuration). [0290] the functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. if implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. other examples and implementations are within the scope of the disclosure and appended claims. for example, due to the nature of software, functions described herein may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or combinations of any of these. features implementing functions may also be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations. [0291] computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. a non-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special purpose computer. by way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media may include ram, rom, electrically erasable programmable rom (eeprom), flash memory, compact disk (cd) rom or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that may be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. for example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (dsl), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, dsl, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of computer-readable medium. disk and disc, as used herein, include cd, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (dvd), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media. [0292] as used herein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of” or “one or more of”) indicates an inclusive list such that, for example, a list of at least one of a, b, or c means a or b or c or ab or ac or bc or abc (i.e., a and b and c). also, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. for example, an example step that is described as “based on condition a” may be based on both a condition a and a condition b without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. in other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall be construed in the same manner as the phrase “based at least in part on.” [0293] in the appended figures, similar components or features may have the same reference label. further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. if just the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label, or other subsequent reference label. [0294] the description set forth herein, in connection with the appended drawings, describes example configurations and does not represent all the examples that may be implemented or that are within the scope of the claims. the term “example” used herein means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration,” and not “preferred” or “advantageous over other examples.” the detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the described techniques. these techniques, however, may be practiced without these specific details. in some instances, known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples. [0295] the description herein is provided to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make or use the disclosure. various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
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194-762-787-810-943
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US
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[
"US"
] |
B29C37/00,B29C45/04,B29C45/27,B29C45/28,B29C45/40,B29D35/00
| 1982-09-22T00:00:00 |
1982
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[
"B29"
] |
machine and method for producing footwear
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a molding machine for producing footwear soles includes a frame carrying a pair of extruders for thermoplastic material at one end; a pair of bottom molds mounted on hot runner systems on the other end of the frame; a pair of vertically movable top molds mounted above and cooperating with the bottom molds to define mold cavities for receiving the thermoplastic material from the hot runner systems; a swing out system for swinging each top mold from a horizontal molding position to an unloading position; gripper jaws for gripping the soles and removing them from the top molds; and swing arm assemblies carrying the gripper jaws for carrying the soles away from the molds to conveyor or packaging locations.
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1. a method of producing a footwear sole comprising the steps of: (a) forming a mold cavity by moving a top mold assembly downwardly against a bottom mold assembly; (b) injecting plastic material into said mold cavity to form the sole; (c) opening the mold cavity by moving the top mold assembly upwardly away from the bottom mold assembly with the sole attached to said top mold assembly; (d) swinging at least a portion of the top mold assembly downwardly around a horizontal axis to present the sole in a substantially vertical position for removal from the top mold assembly; (e) gripping said sole to remove the sole from the top mold assembly; (f) rotating said sole through approximately 180.degree. around a vertical axis away from said top mold assembly; (g) rotating said sole through approximately 90.degree. around a horizontal axis to a discharge position; and (h) releasing said sole, whereby the sole is discharged for further processing or packaging. 2. a machine for molding footwear soles comprising: (a) frame means for carrying a plastic extruder; (b) bottom mold means mounted on said frame means; (c) movable top mold means mounted on said frame means for cooperating with said bottom mold means to define a mold cavity for receiving plastic from said extruder for forming a footwear sole; (d) means for moving said top mold means between a closed cavity forming position and an open position in which the molded sole is retained by said top mold means; (e) first swing means for swinging said top mold means between the open position and an unloading position; (f) gripper means for gripping and removing a sole from said top mold means; and (g) transfer means carrying said gripper means, said transfer means including (i) arm means carrying said gripper means for moving said gripper means between said unloading position and a sole discharge position; (ii) second swing means for swinging said arm means around a vertical axis for moving the gripper means and a sole away from the top mold means, and (iii) rotary means for rotating said arm means around a horizontal axis for moving the gripper means and sole to the discharge position. 3. a machine according to claim 2, wherein said top mold means includes turret means carrying a plurality of top molds; and yoke means rotatably supporting said turret means for presenting said top molds to said bottom mold means in succession, whereby a plurality of soles can be molded relatively quickly. 4. a machine according to claim 2, including a clamping cylinder for moving top mold means between said closed and open positions; said top mold means including movable platen means connected to said clamping cylinder; a top mold connected to said movable platen for closing on said bottom mold means; swing means for swinging said top mold between a horizontal molding position and a substantially vertical unloading position for facilitating gripping of the sole by said gripper means. 5. a machine according to claim 4, wherein said gripper means includes first casing means; a pair of opposed jaws projecting out of one end of said first casing means for gripping a sole; plunger means in said first casing means for closing said opposed jaws; second casing means slidably supporting said first casing means; and drive means in said second casing means for moving said first casing means in said second casing means, whereby said jaws are moved between a sole engaging extended position and a retracted sole removing position. 6. a machine according to claim 2, including hot runner means attached to said bottom mold means for conveying thermoplastic material from said extruder to said mold cavity; said hot runner means maintaining said thermoplastic material in the fused state until the material enters said mold cavity. 7. a machine according to claim 6, wherein said hot runner means includes a casing for supporting said bottom mold means; a manifold mounted in said casing; a nozzle assembly on said casing for introducing thermoplastic material into said mold cavity; passage means in said manifold for conveying the thermoplastic material from the extruder to said nozzle assembly; and heating means for heating said manifold and said nozzle assembly. 8. a machine according to claim 7, including valve means normally closing said nozzle assembly. 9. a machine according to claim 7, including stop means in said casing for counteracting thermal expansion of said manifold to prevent misalignment of said nozzle assembly with respect to said mold cavities.
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background of the invention 1. field of the invention this invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing footwear soles, and in particular to a method and a machine for molding footwear soles. 2. discussion of the prior art the method and machine of the present invention incorporate several important innovations, and represent developments of the apparatus and method disclosed in canadian pat. no. 900,116, issued to bata shoe company of canada limited on may 16, 1972. when molding soles using the apparatus described in this patent, a large quantity of sprue is produced. the sprues must be removed by grippers and recycled or discarded. moreover, the use of the apparatus is somewhat labor intensive. while the soles produced are wiped from the lower molds, they are not removed from the immediate vicinity of the apparatus, i.e. the finished soles must be carried away manually from the apparatus for further processing. general description of the invention an object of the present invention is to render the molding of footwear soles more automated. accordingly, the present invention relates to a machine for molding footwear soles comprising: (a) frame means for carrying a plastic extruder; (b) bottom mold means mounted on said frame means; (c) movable top mold means mounted on said frame means for cooperating with said bottom mold means to define a mold cavity for receiving plastic from said extruder for forming a footwear sole; (d) means for moving said top mold means between a closed cavity forming position and an open position in which the molded sole is retained by said top mold means; (e) gripper means for removing a sole from said top mold means; and (f) transfer means carrying said gripper means for moving said sole from the vicinity of the top mold for further processing or packaging. the invention also relates to a method of producing a footwear sole comprising the steps of: (a) forming a mold cavity by moving a top mold assembly downwardly against a bottom mold assembly; (b) injecting plastic material into said mold cavity to form the sole; (c) opening the mold cavity by moving the top mold assembly upwardly away from the bottom mold assembly with the sole attached to said top mold assembly; (d) gripping said sole and transferring the sole away from the top mold assembly for further processing or packaging. by using a so-called hot runner device in the machine when molding with a thermoplastic material, the quantity of plastic used in the molding process is reduced, because the sprue normally formed is eliminated. a hot runner device is intended to keep the thermoplastic material in the fused state until the material enters the mold. thus, the sprue normally associated with the molding of a thermoplastic material is eliminated. the usual hot runner systems include heating elements connected to and forming part of the mold. in the machine of the present invention, the hot runner device is not a part of the mold which substantially simplifies the mold structure and reduces mold production costs. brief description of drawings the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and wherein: fig. 1 is a side elevation view of a molding machine in accordance with the present invention showing a mold in the open position; fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine of fig. 1; fig. 3 is a front elevation view of the machine of figs. 1 and 2 with one mold open and one mold closed; fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a hot runner device used in the machine of figs. 1 to 3; fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the device of fig. 4; fig. 6 is a cross section taken generally along line vi--vi of fig. 4; fig. 7 is a plan view of a swivel assembly for the top mold assembly of the apparatus of figs. 1 to 3; fig. 8 is a partly sectioned end view of a post used in the assembly of fig. 7; fig. 9 is a perspective view of a top mold and a latch therefor; fig. 10 is a perspective view of the top mold and a safety lock therefor; fig. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of a gripping device used in the machine of figs. 1 to 3; fig. 12 is a partly sectioned side view of the device of fig. 11; figs. 13 to 15 are schematic plan and front elevation views of the portions of the machine of figs. 1 to 12 in operation; fig. 16 is a schematic front view of an alternate mold structure for use in the machine of figs. 1 to 3; and figs. 17 and 18 are schematic elevation views of the structure of fig. 16. description of preferred embodiments basic machine with reference to figs. 1 to 3, the molding machine of the present invention includes a generally rectangular frame 1 with adjustable feet 2. a carriage 3 carries a pair of extruders 4 at one end of the frame 1. the extruders 4 normally remain in position for injecting thermoplastic material into a pair of molds generally indicated at 5, but can be moved away from the molds for purging or servicing. a thermoplastic material, e.g. polyvinyl chloride or thermoplastic rubber is fed into the extruders 4 through hoppers 6. each of the molds 5 (fig. 3) includes a movable top mold assembly 7 and a fixed bottom mold assembly 8. the bottom mold assembly 8 is mounted on a table or platen 9. the top mold assembly 7 is moved vertically between a closed position (right mold--fig. 3) and an open position (left mold--fig. 3) by a large cylinder 10, the piston rod 11 of which is connected to the top mold assembly 7. the top mold assembly 7 is guided by a rod 12 extending upwardly through a fixed top platen 13, which is supported by posts 14. soles 16 molded in the molds 5 are removed from the molds by automatic transfer devices generally indicated at 17 which include gripping devices 18, and swing arm assemblies 19 for transferring the soles 16 to conveyors 20. the soles 16 can also be transferred directly to containers (not shown) for packaging. the conveyors 20 are mounted on stands 21 parallel to the longitudinal axis of the frame 1 for conveying the soles 16 away from the machine for further processing or packaging. the operation of the machine, including the extruders 4 is controlled simply using a console 22 mounted on the outer end of a boom 23 at the mold end of the machine. the boom 23 is rotatably mounted on the frame 1 by means of a post 24 in a bracket 25. panels 26 and doors 27 (figs. 1 and 2) are provided on the mold end of the machine for protecting the operator of the machine, of course, the doors 27 permit access to the molds for servicing, etc. hot runner system referring now to figs. 4, 5 and 6, as mentioned hereinbefore, each bottom mold assembly 8 is fixedly mounted on the machine platen 9. such bottom mold assembly 8 includes a bottom mold 30, which defines a mold cavity 31 with a top mold 32 for receiving a thermoplastic sole-forming material from a nozzle 33 of the extruder 4. the bottom mold 30 is mounted on a cooling plate 35 provided with a passage 36 for circulating coolant which ensures that the sole 16 hardens quickly for removal from the mold. the bottom mold assembly 8 is mounted on a hot runner system generally indicated at 37, which keeps the plastic liquid until it enters the mold cavity 31. the hot runner system includes a casing defined by a top wall 38, an end wall 39, side walls 40 (fig. 6), and partitions 42. the casing must be sufficiently strong to support the mold 5 under high molding pressures, and sufficiently open to prevent heat transfer. a cover plate 43 (fig. 4) at one end of the casing permits access to the remainder of the hot runner system. plastic from the extruder 4 is fed into the mold cavity 31 through a heated manifold defined by a block 44 and tubular nozzle assemblies 45. the block 44 is generally v-shaped (fig. 6) with u-shaped channels in the top and bottom surfaces thereof for receiving tubular heating elements 46. ends 47 of each heating element 46 are threaded for connecting the elements to electrical leads (not shown). thermocouples 48 are mounted in the top of the block 44 for controlling the temperature. the thermocouples 48 are mounted at the ends and vertex of a v-shaped channel 49 in the block 44. heating coils 51 are provided around the nozzle assemblies 45 for ensuring that thermoplastic material therein remainds liquid until entering the mold cavity 31. it is important to keep the nozzle assemblies 45 aligned with the injection ports 52 in the bottom mold 30. accordingly, longitudinal and transverse stops 53 and 54, respectively (fig. 6) are provided for retaining the block 44 and consequently the nozzle assemblies 45 in proper alignment. the longitudinal or front stop 53 is merely a post for engaging front end 55 of the block 44. the transverse stops 54 include hooks 56 for engaging vertical projections 57 on the front end 55 of the block 44 to prevent transverse spreading of the arms of the block. the stops 53 and 54 are on the longitudinal and transverse centre lines of the nozzle assemblies 45, preventing any movement due to heat expansion of the block 44. contact between the stops 53 and 54, and the block 44 is kept to a minimum to keep heat transfer from the block 44 to the hot runner casing to a minimum. the rear end of the block 44 is retained between top and bottom plates 60 and 61, respectively. the bottom plate 61 is supported on the casing bottom wall by a post 62. sleeves 63 support the front end of the block 44. the sleeves 63 have bevelled bottom ends for further reducing contact with the casing, and consequently heat transfer. the hot runner structure described to this point ensures minimum heat transfer, so that heat is applied only to those elements requiring such heat, and heat transfer to the remainder of the machine is kept to a minimum. plastic enters the rear end of the block 44 via an inlet opening 64, and passes through horizontal passages 65 to vertical passages 66 in the block 44 to the nozzle assemblies 45. each nozzle assembly 45 contains a valve including an elongated rod or valve stem 68 slidably mounted in a bushing 69 in the block 44. the top end of the valve stem 68 is tapered for mating with a correspondingly tapered injection orifice 70. annular sealing grooves 71 are provided in the bottom end of the valve stem 68. the grooves are filled with plastic during injection to seal the stem 68 in the bushing which prevents leakage of molten plastic between the bushing and the valve stem. the valve stem is reciprocated in the passage 66 by tubular rod 72 connected to the bottom end of the valve stem 68 and extending downwardly through holes 73 in the platen 8 to a lever mechanism generally indicated at 75. the lever mechanism 75 includes a pair of levers 76 connected to the rods 72 by pins 77 extending through the bifurcated upper end 78 of the levers 76 and through the bottom ends of the rods 72. the levers 76 are pivotally mounted for rotation around a horizontal axis on the front end 79 of a bracket 80. a pivot pin 82 extends between downwardly extending sides 83 of the bracket 80 for rotatably supporting the levers 76. a pair of cylinders 84 are also mounted on the bracket 80. a clevis 85 on the rear end of each cylinder 84 pivotally connects the cylinder to an arm 86 extending downwardly from the rear end of the bracket 80. a piston rod 87 extends outwardly from the front end of each cylinder 84, and the front end of the rod is pivotally connected to one of the levers 76 by a clevis 88. thus, extension of retraction of the rod 87 causes closing or opening, respectively of the injection orifice 70. upward or closing movement of the valve stems 68 is limited by stop bolts 89 extending through the bottom end of each lever 76. the bolts 89 engage the ends of a horizontal arm 90 of an inverted t-shaped support 91, which extends downwardly from the bracket 80. by adjusting the bolts 89, the degree of opening of the valve stems 68 can be altered to change the mold filling characteristics. top mold assembly referring now to figs. 7 to 10, each top mold assembly 7 includes the top mold 32, which is connected to a cooling plate 95. the top mold 32 and the cooling plate 95 are pivotally mounted on a vertically movable platen 96, which is connected to the bottom end of the piston rod 11 of the cylinder 10. a pivot plate 97 is connected to each side of the front end 98 of the cooling plate 95. a pin 99 extends through the top end of each plate 97 into a block 100 on each side of the top of the platen 96 for pivotally supporting the top mold 32 and the cooling plate 95 for rotation around a horizontal axis defined by the pins 99. thus, the top mold 32 can be rotated from a horizontal position to a substantially vertical position (approximately 15.degree. from the vertical), as described hereinafter in greater detail. as shown in fig. 8, the block 100 is connected to the platen 96 by a pair of bolts 101 and disc springs 102 sandwiched between the head of each bolt 101 and a countersunk recess 103 in the block 100. thus, there is a 0.030" gap between the block 100 and the platen 96 when the top mold 32 is in the closed position against the bottom mold. when the pressure on the top mold 32 is released, i.e. when the top mold 32 is moved away from the bottom mold 39, the springs 102 press the block 100 down, so that the gap is between the platen 96 and the cooling plate 95, (fig. 10) which facilitates rotation of the top mold 32 and cooling plate 95. rotation of the top mold 32 is effected by a swing out cylinder 108 (figs. 7, 9 and 10), the rear end of which is pivotally connected to a post 109 on the rear end of the platen 96. a piston rod 110 extends forwardly from the cylinder 108 and is pivotally connected to an arm 112 extending inwardly from one of plates 97 by a clevis 113. retraction and extension of the piston rod 110 causes opening and closing, respectively of the top mold 32, i.e. swinging movement of the top mold from the horizontal to the vertical position and vise versa. the cooling plate 95 is guided into position against the platen 96 by guide lugs 114 extending downwardly from the platen. during molding, the top mold 32 is locked in the closed (horizontal position) against the platen 96 by a latch generally indicated at 115 (fig. 9) on the rear end of the platen 96. the latch 115 includes a lug 116 extending outwardly from the rear end of the cooling plate 95. the lug 116 is engaged by a hook 117, which is mounted on a shaft 118 extending between a pair of blocks 119 on the rear end of the platen 96. the shaft 118 and the hook 117 are rotated from the latched position to the release position by a cylinder 120 when air is supplied to the cylinder. a spring (not shown) in the cylinder 120 returns the hook 117 to the latch position. the rear end of the cylinder 120 is pivotally mounted on a post 121 on the platen 96. a piston rod 122 extending outwardly from the other end of the cylinder 120 is pivotally connected to the top end of a lever 123 by a clevis 124. the lever 123 is fixedly connected to the shaft 118, so that retraction of the piston rod 122 causes the hook 117 to release the lug 116 and consequently the cooling plate 95 and the top mold 32. a safety lock generally indicated at 125 (fig. 11) for the top mold assembly prevents closing of the top mold if the doors 27 are open. the lock 125 is mounted on the front end of the platen 96 and includes a block 126 in which a pin 127 is slidably mounted. the pin 127 normally abuts one of the plates 97. when the top mold 32 and cooling plate 95 swing out the pin 127 remains retracted in the block 126. the pin 127 is connected to the piston rod 128 of an air cylinder 129 mounted on the block 126 by a plate 130. if one of the doors 27 (fig. 2) is opened, a spring (not shown) in the cylinder 129 pushes the pin 127 behind the plate 97 to hold the top mold 32 and the cooling plate 95 in the swung out position. as soon as the door 27 is closed, air is supplied to the cylinder 129 to retract the pin 127, allowing the top mold 32 to swing in to the closed position. thus, the possibility of injury to the operator is reduced. gripping device after the top mold 32 has been swung out, (fig. 1) each sole 16 is gripped by a gripping device generally indicated at 18 (figs. 1, 11 and 12). a pair of gripping devices is mounted in the rectangular bracket 135 on one end of the arm 19. each gripping device 18 includes a pair of jaws 136 with opposed serrated inner edges 137. the inner ends 138 of the jaws 136 are pivotally mounted on pins 139 in a generally cylindrical casing 140. the outer, gripping ends of the jaws 136 are biased apart by a helical spring 141 extending between opposed recesses 142 in the jaws. the jaws 136 are closed by a frusto-conical plunger 143 on the outer end of a piston rod 144. the plunger 143 slides between and presses against rollers 146 mounted in the inner opposed ends of the jaws 136. the inner end of the piston rod 144 is connected to a piston 147, which is slidably mounted in a chamber 148. the inner end of the chamber 148 is closed by a cover 150, which is attached to one end of another piston rod 151. the piston rod 151 and consequently the entire casing 140 are slidable in a chamber 152 in one end of a larger casing 153. a vent 154 is provided in the chamber 152. the rear end of the piston rod 151 is connected to a double acting piston 155 slidably mounted in a chamber 156 in the casing 153. the casing 140 is provided with an air inlet 157 (fig. 12). the air inlet 157 is also used for venting the chamber 148 to atmosphere. air inlets 158 and 159 are provided for introducing air into and venting the chamber 155 for extending or retracting the piston rod 151. when air is introduced into the chamber 148 via inlet 157, the plunger 143 moves outwardly to close the jaws 136. when air is vented from the chamber 148 through the inlet 157, the spring 141 forces the jaws 136 open and returns the plunger to the retracted position. when air is introduced into the chamber 156 via inlet 158, the piston 155 and consequently the casing 140 move outwardly to extend the jaws 136 for gripping a sole 16. when air is introduced into the inlet 159 and vented through inlet 158, the jaws 136 are retracted with the casing 140, piston rod 151 and piston 155. operation referring now to figs. 13 to 15, the operation of the machine will be described. it will be appreciated that the operation of one half only of the machine is described, the operation of the other half being the same. with the extruder 4 in position and the mold 5 closed, thermoplastic material is injected through the hot runner system 37 into the mold 5 to form a sole 16. each mold 5 contains a pair of mold cavities 31, so that two soles 16 are molded simultaneously in each mold 5. of course, during molding, the top mold 32 and cooling plate 95 are locked in position against the platen 96 and the entire top mold assembly 7 is clamped against the bottom mold assembly 8 by the clamping cylinder 10. during the molding step, the gripping devices 18 are swung into position in front of the mold 5 (fig. 13). for such purpose, the automatic transfer device 17 of the machine includes the swing arm assemblies 19, which are rotatably mounted on rotary actuators 160 for rotation around a vertical axis. each actuator 160 is mounted on a bracket 161 (fig. 1) for vertical sliding movement on the machine frame 1. vertical adjustment is required for different molds, i.e. depending on the mold size, the location of the portion of the sole to be gripped may vary. arm 162 of the swing arm assembly, carrying the bracket 135, is rotatably mounted in a sleeve 163 for rotation around a horizontal axis. such rotation is effected using a rotary actuator 164. upon completion of molding step, the clamping cylinder 10 and the piston rod 11 raise the top mold assembly 7 (fig. 14). the cooling plate 96 and the top mold 32 are swung forwardly (figs. 1 and 14). the casing 140 of each of the gripping devices 18 is already extended and the jaws 136 are closed to grip the soles 16. the soles 16 include a hollow heel with cruciform partitions, which are gripped by the jaws 36. at the same time as gripping, the soles 16 are ejected in the conventional manner using air and ejector pins (not shown). the jaws 136 with the soles 16 are retracted by supplying air to the chamber 156 through inlet 159. the swing arm assembly 19 is swung through approximately 90.degree. to position the soles 16 over the conveyor 20. the arm assembly 19 is rotated 90.degree. so that the grippers 18 point downwardly. the jaws 136 are opened and the soles 16 are dropped onto the conveyor 20. as mentioned previously, the soles 16 can also be dropped into cartons (not shown) or other containers for shipping. the jaws 136 and the casing 140 are then returned to the extended position, the swing arm assembly 19 is rotated to place the gripping devices 18 in the horizontal position, and the swing arm assembly 19 is returned to the sole gripping position (fig. 13). this cycle is repeated indefinitely. turret assembly an alternative to the top mold assembly 7 is shown in figs. 16 to 18 of the drawings where, whenever possible the reference numerals of figs. 1 to 15 are used to identify the same or similar elements. the turret assembly of figs. 16 to 18 includes a yoke 165 carrying a square top mold assembly defined by a square turret 166. the yoke 165 is slidably mounted on the piston rod 11. the turret 166 is mounted on a shaft 167 in the yoke 165 for rotation around a horizontal axis. the turret 166 includes a top mold 168 on each surface thereof. cooling plates (not shown) and air ejectors are built into the turret 166 for ejecting soles from each surface of the turret. following each 90.degree. rotation of the turret 166, the turret is locked in position by a piston rod 169, which extends outwardly from a cylinder 170 on the yoke 165 into an aperture in an arm 171 on the turret 166. in this embodiment of the invention, the gripping device jaws are replace by suction heads 172, because this embodiment of the invention is intended for the production of thin soles without hollow heels. in operation, the turret 166 is moved against the bottom mold assembly 8 to form mold cavities (not shown), soles are molded (fig. 17), and the piston rod 11 and movable top platen 96 are raised. as the top platen 96 rises, it engages the yoke 165, carrying the yoke 165 and the turret 166 upwardly to create a gap between the turret 166 and the bottom mold assembly 8. near the top of the stroke of the piston rod 11, the yoke engages the bottom surface of the top fixed platen 13. the movable platen 96 continues to rise while the turret 166 remains in one position. thus, a gap is created between the top of the turret 166 and the platen 96. with this arrangement, the turret 166 can be rotated in the yoke 165 to present a second top mold 168 to the bottom mold assembly 8. the platen 96, yoke 165 and turret 166 are lowered and a second molding operation is carried out. the cycle is repeated until the fourth molding operation at which time the first soles oppose the suction heads 172. while the fourth molding operation is being effected, the first pair of soles is removed from the turret 166. thereafter, the molding and sole removal operations are continuous.
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194-959-933-980-57X
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US
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[
"US"
] |
B68B1/02
| 1979-12-26T00:00:00 |
1979
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[
"B68"
] |
horse control leader
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a control leader for horses is adapted to mount onto a horse's head either solely or in conjunction with a standard horse halter. the control leader includes a brow member and a crown member which encircle the horse's ears and which are interconnected at a position immediately beneath the horse's ears on opposite sides of the horse's head, and a flexible leader member which is attached to the brow and the crown members beneath the horse's ear, which leader member hangs freely therefrom so as to have a looped portion in freely hanging, spaced-apart relation to the horse's throat. the crown member is substantially rigid in a direction normal to its longitudinal axis so that it has a substantially non-deformable cross-section. this crown member is preferably formed of wire or chain.
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1. a horse control leader for horses adapted for applying uniform pressure to a portion of a horse's head immediately behind its ears, comprising a rigging including a browband having a pair of opposed ends dimensioned to be positioned on the horse with said opposed ends each being immediately beneath the ears of the horse on opposite sides of the horse's head, a crown member having opposite ends respectively connected to said opposed ends of the browband and adapted to extend over the top of the horse's head immediately behind the horse's ears, and an elongated flexible leader having opposite ends connected to said opposed ends of the browband, said leader member sized to form a free-hanging loop having a lower portion in spaced-apart relation to the throat of the horse whereby force applied downwardly on said loop directly causes uniform tension in said crown member to apply said uniform pressure, said crown member having a substantially non-deformable cross-section and flexible along its length. 2. a control leader according to claim 1 wherein said crown member is a solid cylindrical wire flexible in a longitudinal direction. 3. a control leader according to claim 1 wherein said crown member is a chain having its end links connected to the ends both of said browband and said leader member. 4. a control leader according to claim 1 wherein said crown member and said leader member are formed as a continuous closed loop of chain, said browband being a chain having opposite end links connected to the end links of an arced portion of said closed loop, said end links of the arced portion defining said opposite ends of said leader member and said crown member. 5. a control leader according to claim 1 including connecting ring on a lower portion of said free-hanging loop, said ring having a diameter larger than the largest dimension of said leader member's cross-section. 6. a control leader for horses adapted for applying uniform pressure to a portion of a horse's head immediately behind its ears, comprising: an elongated brow member dimensioned to extend across the forehead of a horse at a location forward of the horse's ears and having opposite ends positioned beneath the horse's ears when said control leader is placed on the horse's head; an elongated crown member having a substantially non-deformable cross-section and having ends each secured to a respective one of the ends of said brow member; and an elongated flexible leader member for applying tension on opposite ends of said crown member, said leader member having ends thereof each secured to a respective one of the ends of said brow member and including a lower looped portion freely hanging in spaced relation to the horse's head when said control leader is placed thereon whereby downwardly directed force on said looped portion applies said tension to apply said uniform pressure. 7. a control leader according to claim 6 wherein said crown member is a flexible chain having links of a width less than 1.5 cm.
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background of the invention in the past, a variety of horse halters have been devised for the purpose of controlling a horse during either equestrian activities such as riding the horse or for purposes of controlling the horse's movement during handling and tethering. while a panoply of such devices have been used, until the present time, none have proved adequate to control a frightened horse during the loading of the horse onto a trailer or at other times when the horse becomes excessively agitated. the particular problem that has confronted those who handle horses is that, when a horse becomes excessively agitated, the horse rears its head and when the horse so acts in this unruly manner, there is danger to the handler. this danger is readily apparent when one considers the relative strength of the horse versus the human handler. as has been noted in the prior art, and is known in the field of horse handling, a horse may be best controlled when its head is prevented from rearing. for example, u.s. pat. no. 3,906,707, issued sept. 23, 1975 to morgan identified the problems associated with a horse's rearing of its head. morgan provides a mechanical tie-down strap of predetermined length connected between the belly strap beneath the horse's flank and the halter. this strap or rope mechanically prevents the horse from rearing or raising its head beyond the positive limit provided by the particular length of the strap. while this device is effective to prevent the horse from raising its head to an undesired degree, it allows completely free, unrestrained upward movement of the head up to the limit and an abrupt, unyielding stop at the limit. consequently, it does not have a calming effect on the horse and, indeed, may have the contrary effect of agitating the horse to a greater degree. the problem of a horse's rearing its head was also recognized in u.s. pat. no. 649,314 issued may 8, 1900 to kelly, and this patent discloses an undercheck device for horses including a yoke positioned on the horse's neck and overcheck rein which extends over the top of the horse's head. this apparatus mechanically restrains the motion of the horse's head so that the horse can neither lower its head unduly or rear its head. however, this device which is designed for use when the horse is ridden, does not prevent the horse from being agitated and is not effective for controlling the horse when it is being lead into a trailer. it has long been recognized that a horse has various pressure points on its head located immediately behind and to the side of its ears. when pressure is applied to these areas of a horse's head, the horse is somewhat discomforted but is not physically harmed. it has also been found by the applicant, that, when the horse is highly agitated as a result of events occurring in its surroundings, such as during loading the horse on a trailer, the application of pressure to these locations on the horse exerts a calming influence on the horse, since it distracts the horse from those events that are making the horse irritated. it should be pointed out that, while existing halters or leaders do have straps that extend around the ear, their conventional wide, flexible structure prevents exertion of sufficient pressure on these sensitive areas to result in this calming influence. summary of invention it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel horse control leader which facilitates manual exertion of a steady controllable pressure behind the ears of a horse sufficient to distract the horse from its surrounding events while not physically damaging the animal. it is another object of the present invention to provide a novel horse control leader that can be used in conjunction with a standard halter or bridle and which, when used, will calm the horse and prevent the horse from rearing its head. a further object of the present invention is to provide a horse control leader which may be used in conjunction with a standard halter and which facilitates the loading of the horse into a horse trailer. a still further object of the present invention is to provide a novel horse control leader which includes a crown member which is flexible along its longitudinal axis to conform to the curvature of a horse's head, but which is non-deformable in cross-section so as to exert substantial pressure to the portion of the horse's head immediately behind and below the horse's ears. the present invention is a novel and improved horse control leader which is formed as a rigging, including a brow strap, a crown strap and an elongated connecting leader, which rigging is adapted to be positioned over a horse's head either alone or in conjunction with a horse halter. the brow member extends across the forehead of the horse and has opposite ends which terminate on the sides of the horse's head immediately below the horse's ear. the crown member is connected at each of its ends to the ends of the brow member so that the combined assembly encircles the horse's ears. the leader member is attached at its opposite ends to the respective common connections between the brow member and the crown member, and the leader member is adapted to hang as a looped portion beneath the horse's neck so that the lower portion is in free-hanging, spaced-apart relation to the throat or undersurface of the horse's head. the significant departure of the present invention from the prior art resides in the construction of the crown piece or member which is formed so as to exert a controlled pressure on the pressure sensitive areas of a horse behind its ears. to accomplish this function, the crown member is preferably formed as either a thick, cylindrical wire or as a chain so that it is flexible along its length or longitudinal axis to conform to the shape of the horse's head while having a substantially non-deformable cross-section. by being so constructed, when a downward force is exerted on the control leader, the crown member presses against the horse's head at a position behind the horse's ears in a line extending from ear to ear, and the downward pressure can be manually controlled to the requisite magnitude and extent to effect the necessary distraction. this construction is particularly adapted and suitable to allow a person to exert enough force in a controlled manner on the pressure areas adjacent the horse's ears so that, when the horse is frightened or agitated, the application of force will distract the horse from its surroundings so as to create a calming influence. in other words, the horse's attention is transferred from its surroundings to the discomfort caused by the control leader so that it ceases to be frightened or agitated since the horse is concentrating more on the discomfort caused by the device. it should be stressed, however, that this device does not cause any physical damage to the horse so that it may be used with a variety of horses, including those bred for show. also, by so constructing a crown piece, the horse will also cease from rearing its head since it will not pull against a sharp pressure applied to the sensitive pressure points around its ears. hence, the user of the apparatus may exert more control over the horse than has heretofore been possible with standard, "soft strap" halters. as noted above, these standard or conventional halters include ropes or straps which extend behind the horse's ears. however, this conventional construction does not apply sufficient pressure to the sensitive areas on the horse's head since the straps exhibit a large degree of give about their cross-section, that is, they are soft and deformable in cross-section and have a large area of surface contact with the crown of the horse. since the key to the present apparatus's operability is the control of the horse through distracting its concentration and through its discomfort, persons using existing prior art halters generally are incapable of providing a sufficient directed force about the sensitive area behind the ears. in the preferred embodiment of this invention, the crown member may be made of a wire or chain, since both of these constructions allow a sufficiently sharp directed force or pressure concentrated on the sensitive areas while the brow and leader straps may be formed in any convenient manner, such as, with rope, leather strapping, or chain. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown positioned on a horse; fig. 2 is a view in perspective of the preferred embodiment of the present invention; fig. 3 is an enlarged view in perspective of three attached ends of the various members forming the rigging of the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and fig. 4 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention. detailed description of the preferred embodiment the preferred embodiment of the novel horse control leader according to the present invention is shown positioned on a horse in fig. 1 and illustrated in greater detail in figs. 2 and 3. specifically, as shown in fig. 2, control leader 10 comprises a rigging adapted to be positioned over the head of the horse. control leader 10 has a brow member 12, a crown member 14, and a leader member 16 each having ends attached to an end of the other rigging members by means of a pair of metal rings 18. in the preferred embodiment, brow member 12 is formed as a band or strand of rope having its opposite ends securely knotted to rings 18, as is more clearly shown in fig. 3. the construction of crown member 14 is important, as will be more fully discussed below, but in the preferred embodiment, crown member 14 is formed as a flexible wire having opposite ends secured to rings 18 by inserting each end through a respective ring 18, doubling the ends of the wire back on itself and twisting the free end around the main body of the wire. the wire forming crown member 14 is flexible along its length but substantially rigid about its cross-section. leader member 16 is preferably formed as a pair of leather straps 20 and 22 with each of the straps being secured to a respective metal ring 18. leather strap 20 is somewhat longer than strap 22 and has a looped end 24 attached to one ring 18 and is formed by inserting a free end through a ring 18 and then looping the free end back along the main body of strap 20 where it is sewn or attached in any other convenient manner, as shown in fig. 3. similarly, leather strap 22 has a loop end 26 secured to the other of rings 18 with this loop end being formed as an end portion of strap 22 which is inserted through a ring 18, looped back along the main body of strap 22 and secured to itself by means of stitching or other convenient forms of attachment. end 28 of strap 20 opposite end 24 is attached in any convenient manner to a standard metal buckle 32, and buckle 32 is adapted to receive a free end 30 of strap 22 opposite end 26. strap 20 extends through a large metal ring 34 and, when attached to strap 22 this rigging defines an elongated flexible loop which is adapted to hang beneath the horse's throat or neck is spaced relation thereto as shown in fig. 1. as noted, control leader 10 is adapted to be positioned upon the head of the horse h, as shown in fig. 1. it should be appreciated that control leader 10 can be mounted on a horse independently of a halter, but it can also be positioned on the head of a horse in conjunction with a halter m, as is the case shown in fig. 1. brow member 12 and crown member 14 are dimensioned so that they are adapted to be positioned with brow member 12 extending across the horse's forehead immediately forward of the horse's ears with crown member 14 extending across the back of the horse's head immediately behind the horse's ears so that rings 18 lie on opposite sides of the horse's head immediately beneath the horse's ears. straps 20 and 22 are of sufficient length so that, when brow member 12 and crown member 14 are so positioned as shown in fig. 1, straps 20 and 22 form a free hanging loop 36 having a lower portion that is in spaced apart relation to the throat of the horse with metal ring 34 located at the lower extremity of loop 36. a rope 38 having a standard releasable fastener 39 may then be attached to ring 34 as shown in fig. 1. when used in conjunction with a halter m, as shown in fig. 1, it is essential that crown member 14 lie between the crown strap s of halter m and the horse's ears, with crown member 14 contacting the horse's head along the length of crown member 14. while it should be noted that the brow member 12 and the leader formed by straps 20 and 22 may be constructed of any suitable materials, such as, leather straps, ropes, chain, and the like, the construction of the crown member is important for the control leader 10 to be suitably operated to exert a controlling influence over a horse. specifically, it is important that crown member 14 be formed of a material that is flexible along its length yet substantially rigid or non-deformable about its cross-section. in other words, crown should be rigid in directions normal to its surface. to this end, it has been found acceptable to use a single strand of metal wire, a multistrand metallic cable, or a chain having metal or plastic links. in addition, it is contemplated that other suitable materials known in the art would be acceptable in constructing crown member 14 provided that such material has a substantially non-deformable cross-section. horse handlers have long recognized that a horse possesses certain sensitive areas on the crown of its head immediately behind its ears which, when stimulated by pressure, cause the horse some discomfort while not physically damaging the animal. when the animal becomes excessively agitated and exhibits violent motions of its head, applicant has found that the application of a downwardly directed force to loop 36 causes crown member 14 to apply significant pressure to these sensitive areas behind the horse's ears. the ensuing discomfort has a two-fold effect which calms the animal. first, the horse seeks to avoid the pressure thereby chooses to refrain from excessively rearing its head, and second, the horse, because of its discomfort, is distracted from the external stimuli which has so far caused it to become agitated. to this end, it is essential that crown member 14 exert significant pressure along a line extending across the crown of the horse behind the horse's ears. whereas existing horse halters have had crown straps that are positioned somewhat behind the horse's ears, these straps have not been designed to exert such pressure and, indeed, have been constructed of very pliant and soft materials designed specifically not to cause the horse discomfort. this fact should be appreciated when it is realized that conventional horse halters are often designed to be used while riding the horse while the present invention is specifically adapted to be used only in controlling the horse such as, during the loading of the horse onto a trailer, and is not designed to be used when the horse is ridden in an ordinary manner. further, it has been found that conventional halters are completely ineffective in attempting to control a horse in the manner contemplated by use of the present invention. an alternate embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig. 4, and this construction has the advantage of ease and economy in manufacture while functioning in an equivalent manner with that shown as the preferred embodiment shown in figs. 1-3. as is shown in fig. 4, horse control leader 40 is formed by two chains, 42 and 44. chain 42 is substantially longer in dimension than chain 44 and has its end links 43 connected to a metal ring 46 thereby forming a closed loop. chain 44 has its end links 45 attached to connecting links 47 of chain 42 so that chain 42 is divided into a crown portion 48 and a leader portion 50 with chain 44 forming a brow chain. when positioned on a horse, crown portion 48 of chain 42 extends behind the horse's ears and brow chain 44 extends across the horse's forehead immediately forward of the horse's ears. in this manner, connecting links 47 lie beneath the horse's ears on opposite sides of its head. leader portion 50 then hangs in a free loop beneath the horse's neck so that ring 46 is positioned for convenient attachment of a rope 38 as described with respect to the preferred embodiment. it is often desirable, in constructing leader portion 50 that ring 46 be freely movable along leader portion 50 between links 47. to accomplish this, links 43 are interconnected with leader portion 50 extending through ring 46 in a manner similar to strap 20 and ring 34 in fig. 2. with this construction, it should be appreciated that control leader 40 may be easily slipped over the horse's head and positioned with brow chain 44 and crown portion 48 on the forward and rearward of the horse's ears, respectively, in a manner similar to that described with respect to fig. 1. chain 42 should be constructed of links having a largest cross-sectional dimension less than 1.5 cm. it has been found that, by keeping the largest cross-sectional dimension of the crown member 14 or crown portion 48 less than 1.5 cm, a sufficient pressure is placed around the sensitive area around the horse's ears such that the horse may be conveniently controlled. although the present invention has been described with particularity relative to the foregoing detailed description of the preferred embodiment, various modifications, changes, additions and applications other than those specifically mentioned herein will be readily apparent to those having normal skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.
|
195-101-874-158-058
|
FR
|
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C07C231/02,C07C233/18,A61K31/165,A61P15/18,A61P25/06,A61P25/16,A61P25/28,A61P37/02,C07C233/25,C07C253/30,C07C255/37,C07C255/40,C07C231/06,A61K31/04,A61P1/00,A61P9/00,A61P25/00,C07C217/60,B01J25/02,B01J31/02,C07B61/00,C07C213/02,C07C217/58,C07C329/16,C07C255/33,C07C231/00,C07C233/00,C07C253/00,C07C255/00,C07C233/17,C07C233/24,C07C/
| 2011-01-05T00:00:00 |
2011
|
[
"C07",
"A61",
"B01"
] |
new process for the synthesis of agomelatine
|
process for the industrial synthesis of the compound of formula (i)
|
process for the industrial synthesis of the compound of formula (i): characterised in that allyl cyanide of formula (ii): is reacted, in the presence of a free radical initiator, with a compound of formula (iii): wherein xa represents a group -s-c(s)-or in which r represents a linear or branched (c 1 -c 6 )alkyl group, to yield the compound of formula (iv): wherein xa is as defined hereinbefore, it being possible for this latter compound optionally to be isolated, before being subjected to a cyclisation reaction in the presence of a free radical initiator in order to form the compound of formula (v): which compound of formula (v) also optionally may be isolated, which is subjected to a reduction-dehydration reaction to yield the compound of formula (vi): which is then subjected to an aromatisation reaction to yield the compound of formula (vii): which is subjected to reduction using hydrogen in the presence of raney nickel in a polar protic medium and to a reaction with acetic anhydride to yield the compound of formula (i), which is isolated in the form of a solid. process for the synthesis of the compound of formula (i) according to claim 1, characterised in that the compound of formula (vii) is then subjected to reduction using hydrogen in the presence of raney nickel in an ammoniacal ethanol medium and then converted into a salt using hydrochloric acid to yield the compound of formula (viii): which is successively subjected to the action of sodium acetate and then acetic anhydride to yield the compound of formula (i), which is isolated in the form of a solid. process for the synthesis of the compound of formula (i) according to claim 1, characterised in that the compound of formula (vii) is subjected to reduction using hydrogen in the presence of raney nickel in a medium comprising acetic anydride in a polar protic medium to yield the compound of formula (i), which is isolated in the form of a solid. process for the synthesis of the compound of formula (i) according to claim 1, characterised in that the group xa = -s-c(s)-oc 2 h 5 . process for the synthesis of the compound of formula (i) according to claim 1, characterised in that the free radical reactions are initiated by thermal means at a temperature of from 50 to 140°c. process for the synthesis of the compound of formula (i) according to claim 1, characterised in that cyclisation of the compound of formula (iv) is carried out at a temperature of from 130 to 135°c. process for the synthesis of the compound of formula (i) according to claim 1, characterised in that the step of addition of the compound of formula (ii) to the compound of formula (iii) and that of cyclisation of the compound of formula (iv) are initiated in the presence of dilauroyl peroxide. process for the synthesis of the compound of formula (i) according to claim 1, characterised in that the step of addition of the compound of formula (ii) to the compound of formula (iii) is carried out in chlorobenzene. process for the synthesis of the compound of formula (i) according to claim 1, characterised in that the step of cyclisation of the adduct of formula (iv) to form the compound of formula (v) is carried out in ethyl acetate. synthesis process according to claim 1, characterised in that conversion of the compound of formula (v) into the compound of formula (vi) is carried out in the presence of aluminium isopropoxide. synthesis process according to claim 1, characterised in that conversion of the compound of formula (v) into the compound of formula (vi) is carried out in isopropanol. synthesis process according to claim 1, characterised in that a catalytic amount of p -toluenesulphonic acid is added to the mixture at the end of conversion of the compound of formula (v) into the compound of formula (vi). synthesis process according to claim 1, characterised in that aromatisation of the compound of formula (vi) is carried out in the presence of a quinone. synthesis process according to claim 1, characterised in that aromatisation of the compound of formula (vi) is carried out in the presence of tetrachlorobenzoquinone tcq at the reflux of toluene. compound of formula (v) according to claim 1 for use as an intermediate in the synthesis of agomelatine of formula (i) according to claim 1. use of the compound of formula (v) according to claim 15 in the synthesis of agomelatine of formula (i) according to claim 1. compound of formula (vi) according to claim 1 for use as an intermediate in the synthesis of agomelatine of formula (i) according to claim 1. use of the compound of formula (vi) according to claim 17 in the synthesis of agomelatine of formula (i) according to claim 1.
|
the present invention relates to a new process for the industrial synthesis of agomelatine, or n-[2-(7-methoxy-1-naphthyl)ethyl]acetamide, of formula (i): agomelatine, or n-[2-(7-methoxy-1-naphthyl)ethyl]acetamide, has valuable pharmacological properties. it has, in fact, the double characteristic of being, on the one hand, an agonist of receptors of the melatoninergic system and, on the other hand, an antagonist of the 5-ht 2c receptor. these properties provide it with activity in the central nervous system and, more especially, in the treatment of major depression, seasonal affective disorder, sleep disorders, cardiovascular pathologies, pathologies of the digestive system, insomnia and fatigue due to jet-lag, appetite disorders and obesity. agomelatine, its preparation and its use in therapeutics have been described in european patent specifications ep 0 447 285 and ep 1 564 202. in view of the pharmaceutical value of this compound, it has been important to be able to produce it using an effective industrial synthesis process which is readily transferable to the industrial scale and which provides agomelatine in a good yield and with excellent purity. patent specification ep 0 447 285 describes production of agomelatine in eight steps starting from 7-methoxy-1-tetralone. in patent specification ep 1 564 202, the applicant developed a new, much more effective and industrialisable synthesis route in only four steps starting from 7-methoxy-1-tetralone that makes it possible to obtain agomelatine in highly reproducible manner in a well-defined crystalline form. however, the search for new synthesis routes, especially starting from starting materials that are less costly than 7-methoxy-1-tetralone, is currently still relevant. the applicant has continued his investigations and has developed a new process for the synthesis of agomelatine starting from allyl cyanide and a xanthate compound: these new starting materials have the advantage of being simple and readily obtainable in large quantities at less cost. this synthesis route is based on carrying out free radical reactions that are not very commonly used but are nevertheless very effective. converting these reactions to the industrial scale using continuous-flow reactors is promising as it becomes simpler to control propagation of the chain reaction. this new process moreover makes it possible to obtain agomelatine in reproducible manner and without requiring laborious purification, with a purity that is compatible with its use as a pharmaceutical active ingredient. indeed, agomelatine can accordingly be synthesised in 6 steps in the course of which only two of the intermediates are isolated. more specifically, the present invention relates to a process for the industrial synthesis of the compound of formula (i): which process is characterised in that allyl cyanide of formula (ii): is reacted, in the presence of a free radical initiator, with a compound of formula (iii): wherein xa represents a group —s—c(s)—or in which r represents a linear or branched (c 1 -c 6 )alkyl group, to yield the compound of formula (iv): wherein xa is as defined hereinbefore, it being possible for this latter compound optionally to be isolated, before being subjected to a cyclisation reaction in the presence of a free radical initiator in order to form the compound of formula (v): which compound of formula (v) also optionally may be isolated, which is subjected to a reduction-dehydration reaction to yield the compound of formula (vi): which is then subjected to an aromatisation reaction to yield the compound of formula (vii): which is subjected to reduction using hydrogen in the presence of raney nickel in a polar protic medium and to reaction with acetic anhydride to yield the compound of formula (i), which is isolated in the form of a solid. in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the compound of formula (vii) is then subjected to reduction using hydrogen in the presence of raney nickel in an ammoniacal ethanol medium and then converted into a salt using hydrochloric acid to yield the compound of formula (viii): which is successively subjected to the action of sodium acetate and then acetic anhydride to yield the compound of formula (i), which is isolated in the form of a solid. alternatively, the compound of formula (vii) can be subjected to reduction by hydrogen in the presence of raney nickel in a medium comprising acetic anhydride in a polar protic medium to yield the compound of formula (i), which is isolated in the form of a solid. in a preferred compound of formula (iii), xa represents a group —s—c(s)—oc 2 h 5 . in the processes according to the invention, initiation of the free radical reactions is carried out by thermal means. preferably, the reaction mixture is heated to a temperature of from 50° c. to 140° c. even more preferably, cyclisation is carried out at a temperature of from 130 to 135° c. peroxides are free radical initiators that are especially suitable for carrying out the step of addition of the compound of formula (ii) to the compound of formula (iii), or for performing cyclisation of the compound of formula (iv) to form the compound of formula (v). by way of example, there may be mentioned, especially, diisobutyryl peroxide, cumyl peroxyneodecanoate, tert-amyl peroxyneodecanoate, di(2-ethylhexyl)peroxydicarbonate, tert-butyl peroxyneodecanoate, dibutyl peroxydicarbonate, dicetyl peroxydicarbonate, dimyristyl peroxydicarbonate, tert-butyl peroxyneoheptanoate, tert-amyl peroxypivalate, didecanoyl peroxide, tert-amyl peroxy-2-ethylhexanoate, tert-butyl peroxyisobutyrate, 1,4-di(tert-butylperoxycarbo)cyclohexane, tert-butyl peroxyacetate, tert-butyl peroxybenzoate, di-tert-amyl peroxide, tert-butyl cumyl peroxide, bis(tert-butyl)peroxide, dicumyl peroxide, dilauroyl peroxide (dlp) or di(4-tert-butylcyclohexyl)peroxydicarbonate. preferably, the reaction is initiated in the presence of dilauroyl peroxide. the amount of dilauroyl peroxide used in the cyclisation is preferably from 1 to 2.5 equivalents. in a preferred embodiment of the invention, dilauroyl peroxide is added to the medium in stages. the addition and/or cyclisation reactions are carried out in a solvent customarily used in free radical chemistry such as 1,2-dichloroethane, dichloromethane, benzene, toluene, trifluoromethylbenzene, chlorobenzene, hexane, cyclohexane, heptane, octane, ethyl acetate, tert-butyl alcohol, and mixtures thereof. preference is given to using ethyl acetate in the step of addition of the compound of formula (ii) to the compound of formula (iii), whilst cyclisation of the compound of formula (iv) to form the compound of formula (v) is advantageously carried out in chlorobenzene, ethyl acetate or ethyl butyrate. in this latter reaction, chlorobenzene is more especially preferred. conversion of the compound of formula (v) into the compound of formula (vi) is advantageously carried out in the presence of a lewis acid such as aluminium isopropoxide or samarium isopropoxide. this conversion is moreover preferably carried out in an alcohol (primary or secondary), and even more preferably in isopropanol. preferably, a catalytic amount of p-toluenesulphonic acid is added to the mixture once all the tetralone (v) has been consumed at the end of conversion of the compound of formula (v) into the compound of formula (vi). aromatisation of compound (vi) is carried out in the presence of a quinone, preferably in the presence of 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (ddq) or tetrachlorobenzo-quinone (tcq). even more preferably, aromatisation is carried out in the presence of tcq at the reflux of toluene. the compound of formula (ii) is accessible to the person skilled in the art by means of conventional chemical reactions and/or chemical reactions described in the literature. this process is especially valuable for the following reasons: it makes it possible to obtain the compound of formula (i) on an industrial scale in good yields, starting from a simple, low-cost starting material;only the intermediates of formulae (vi) and (vii) require a purification and isolation step. the compounds of formulae (v) and (vi) obtained according to the process of the invention are new and useful as intermediates in the synthesis of agomelatine. the examples hereinbelow illustrate the invention without limiting it in any way. for the purpose of validating the reaction route, the synthesis intermediates were systematically isolated and characterised. however, it is possible to considerably optimise the procedures by limiting the number of intermediates isolated. accordingly, example 2 given hereinbelow corresponds to the same reaction route as that used in example 1 but with the difference that only (7-methoxy-1,2-dihydro-1-naphthyl)acetonitrile and (7-methoxy-1-naphthyl)acetonitrile were isolated. example 1 n-[2-(7-methoxy-1-naphthyl)ethyl]acetamide step a: s-[1-(cyanomethyl)-4-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4-oxobutyl]-o-ethyl dithiocarbonate a solution of allyl cyanide (4.8 ml, 60.0 mmol) and s-[2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2-oxoethyl]-o-ethyl dithiocarbonate 1 (8.1 g, 30.0 mmol) in ethyl acetate (30 ml) is heated at reflux for 15 minutes under a nitrogen atmosphere. there is added, firstly, an amount of dilauroyl peroxide (10 mol %) to the solution under reflux. after 1 hour 30 minutes, another amount of dilauroyl peroxide (5 mol %) is also introduced. when the reagents have been completely consumed, the mixture is cooled to ambient temperature and concentrated under reduced pressure. the crude mixture is then purified by flash column chromatography (petroleum ether-ethyl acetate: 95-5 to 80-20) to yield the title compound in the form of an oil in a yield of 98%. 1 s-[2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2-oxoethyl]-o-ethyl dithiocarbonate is obtained according to the protocol described in batanero, b. et al., j. org. chem. 2001, 66, 320. 1 h nmr (δ, ppm) 7.93 (m, 2h, ch-4), 6.93 (m, 2h, ch-3), 4.67-4.57 (m, 2h, ch 2 -13), (cdcl 3 , 400 mhz) 3.99 (m, 1h, ch-9), 3.87 (s, 3h, ch 3 -1), 3.15 (t, 2h, j=7.3 hz, ch 2 -7), 2.95 (dd, 2h, j=17.0, 6.0 hz, ch 2 -10), 2.41-2.31 (m, 1h, ch 2 -8), 2.19-2.08 (m, 1h, ch 2 -8), 1.41 (t, 3h, j=7.1 hz, ch 3 -14). step b: (7-methoxy-4-oxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-naphthyl)acetonitrile the compound of step a, used directly without having been purified, is redissolved in chlorobenzene (900 ml) and the solution is refluxed for 15 minutes under a nitrogen atmosphere. dilauroyl peroxide is then gradually added to the solution under reflux (10 mol % every 10 minutes). when the reaction is complete, the mixture is cooled to ambient temperature and concentrated under reduced pressure. acetonitrile is then introduced in order to cause a large part of the dilauroyl peroxide compounds to precipitate out. the mixture is then filtered, concentrated under reduced pressure and purified by flash column chromatography (petroleum ether-ethyl acetate: 60-40) to yield the title compound in solid form in a yield of 40%. hrms (ei, m/z) calc. for c 13 h 13 no 2 : 215.0946; found: 215.0946. step c: (7-methoxy-1,2-dihydro-1-naphthyl)acetonitrile aluminium isopropoxide (2.05 g, 10.0 mmol) is added to a solution of the compound obtained in step b (680 mg, 3.15 mmol) in isopropanol (15 ml) at ambient temperature. the reaction mixture is refluxed. when the reagents have been completely consumed, a few crystals of p-toluenesulphonic acid monohydrate are added and a dean-stark apparatus is mounted on top of the flask. the mixture is again refluxed for 1 hour, during which the isopropanol is gradually replaced with toluene by means of the dean-stark apparatus. a 1n hcl solution is then added and the resulting phases are separated. the aqueous phase is extracted with ethyl acetate, the organic phases being washed with saturated nahco 3 solution and with saturated nacl solution, then dried over mgso 4 , filtered and concentrated under reduced pressure. the residue is purified by column chromatography (petroleum ether-ethyl acetate: 80-20) to yield the title product in the form of an oil in a yield of 85%. hrms (ei, m/z) calc. for c 13 h 13 no: 199.0997; found: 199.1001. step d: (7-methoxy-1-naphthyl)acetonitrile method a: to a solution of the compound obtained in step c (1.0 g, 5.0 mmol) in dichloromethane (50 ml) at ambient temperature there is added ddq (1.4 g, 6.0 mmol). the reaction mixture is stirred for 2 days and is then washed with saturated nahco 3 solution. the aqueous phase is extracted with ethyl acetate, the organic phase being washed with saturated nacl solution, dried over mgso 4 , filtered and concentrated under reduced pressure. the residue is purified by column chromatography (petroleum ether-ethyl acetate: 80-20) to yield the title product in solid form in a yield of 55%. method b: to a solution of tcq (615 mg, 2.5 mmol) in toluene (1.5 ml) heated to 80° c. there is added the compound obtained in step c (462 mg, 2.3 mmol) dissolved in toluene (3.5 ml). the mixture is then refluxed for 2.5 hours and is then diluted with water and extracted with petroleum ether. the organic phase is washed with naoh solution (30% by weight) and with water and is then dried over mgso 4 , filtered and concentrated under reduced pressure. the residue is purified by column chromatography (petroleum ether-ethyl acetate: 80-20) to yield the title product in solid form in a yield of 61%. hrms (ei, m/z) calc. for c 13 h 11 no: 197.0841; found: 197.0838. step e: n-[2-(7-methoxy-1-naphthyl)ethyl]acetamide the reaction was carried out on a larger batch in order to optimise the yield obtained: 136 g of raney nickel, 2.06 l of ethanol and 0.23 l of water are introduced into an 8 l reactor. whilst stirring at 70° c. and under 30 bars of hydrogen, the compound obtained in step d (0.8 kg) dissolved in acetic anhydride (2.4 l) is slowly added. at the end of the addition, the reaction mixture is stirred for 1 hour under hydrogen at 30 bar, the reactor is then decompressed and the liquors are filtered. after concentration of the mixture, the residue is crystallised from a mixture of ethanol/water 35/65 to yield the title product in a yield of 89% and with a chemical purity greater than 99%. melting point: 108° c. example 2 n-[2-(7-ethoxy-1-naphthyl)ethyl]acetamide step a: (7-methoxy-1,2-dihydro-1-naphthyl)acetonitrile a solution of allyl cyanide (6.75 ml, 84.0 mmol) and s-[2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2-oxoethyl]-o-ethyl dithiocarbonate 1 (11.3 g, 42.0 mmol) in ethyl acetate (45 ml) is heated at reflux for 15 minutes under a nitrogen atmosphere. there is added, firstly, an amount of dilauroyl peroxide (10 mol %) to the solution under reflux. after 1 hour 30 minutes, another amount of dilauroyl peroxide (5 mol %) is also introduced. when the reagents have been completely consumed, the mixture is cooled to ambient temperature and concentrated under reduced pressure. the crude mixture is redissolved in chlorobenzene (640 ml) and the solution is refluxed for 15 minutes under a nitrogen atmosphere. dilauroyl peroxide is then gradually added to the solution under reflux (10 mol % every 10 minutes). when the reaction is complete, the mixture is cooled to ambient temperature and concentrated under reduced pressure. acetonitrile is then introduced in order to cause a large part of the dilauroyl peroxide compounds to precipitate out. the mixture is then filtered and concentrated under reduced pressure. half the crude oil thereby obtained is redissolved in isopropanol (100 ml) at ambient temperature in the presence of aluminium isopropoxide (13.6 g, 66.6 mmol). the reaction mixture is refluxed. when the reagents have been completely consumed, a few crystals of p-toluenesulphonic acid monohydrate are added and a dean-stark apparatus is mounted on top of the flask. the mixture is again refluxed for 2 hours, during which the isopropanol is gradually replaced with toluene by means of the dean-stark apparatus. a 1n hcl solution is then added and the resulting phases are separated. the aqueous phase is extracted with ethyl acetate, the organic phases being washed with saturated nahco 3 solution and with saturated nacl solution, then dried over mgso 4 , filtered and concentrated under reduced pressure. the residue is purified by column chromatography (petroleum ether-ethyl acetate: 80-20) to yield the title product in the form of an oil in a yield of 24%. hrms (ei, m/z) calc. for c 13 h 13 no: 199.0997; found: 199.1001. step b: (7-methoxy-1-naphthyl)acetonitrile the procedure is analogous to step d of example 1. step c: n-[2-(7-methoxy-1-naphthyl)ethyl]acetamide the procedure is analogous to step e of example 1.
|
195-416-180-287-88X
|
TW
|
[
"US",
"TW"
] |
A45C13/30,A45C13/00,A45C13/10
| 2008-07-16T00:00:00 |
2008
|
[
"A45"
] |
handbag structure
|
the present invention relates to a handbag structure comprising a body, a first flap and at least one strap, wherein the body has a space to contain proposed articles inside it, and the space has an opening going through to the outside on one side; on the external walls of the body, there is at least one connecting strap that coils to form a reeving groove, and the body has a plurality of through holes on both side edges of it and is covered by the first flap on one side; at least one connecting groove is established for the connecting strap of the body to go through on the upper side of the first flap; a plurality of fixing straps is available and fastened to the body along the edges of the first flap; the strap includes an encircling part at both ends, and the encircling part contains a movable buckle that can be flexibly fastened into the reeving groove formed by the connecting strap of the body, allowing the first flap to be mounted or removed conveniently and quickly. besides, the body can be equipped with the first flap in different pattern or style, thus providing the advantage of changing appearance and reducing costs.
|
1 . a handbag structure comprising a body, a first flap and at least one strap, wherein: the body has a space to contain proposed articles inside it, and the space has an opening going through to the outside on one side; at least one connecting strap is made available on the external walls of the body and both sides of the opening respectively, and the connecting strap is encircled to form a reeving groove; and a plurality of through holes is established on both side edges of the body to go through the space in opposite directions; the first flap covers one side of the body, and there is at least one connecting groove for the connecting strap of the body to go through from the inside on the upper side of the first flap; a plurality of fixing straps is available and directly fastened to the body along the edges of the first flap; the strap includes an encircling part at both ends, and the encircling part contains a movable buckle that can be flexibly fastened into the reeving groove formed by the connecting strap of the body. 2 . the handbag structure according to claim 1 , wherein the body contains a plurality of fixing components on its internal walls on both sides of the opening, and a fixing strap is installed at both ends of the upper side of the first flap; the fixing strap includes a fixing part fastened onto the first flap at one end, and includes a fastening component that can be fastened with the fixing component of the body for fixing purpose at the other end. 3 . the handbag structure according to claim 1 , wherein the body contains the plurality of fixing components on both sides of the other side walls of the body beyond the first flap, and on both sides of the first flap, there is the fixing strap penetrating through the through holes of the body to the other side of it; the fixing strap contains the fixing part fastened onto the first flap at one end, and contains the fastening component that can be fastened with the fixing components of the body for fixing purpose at the other end. 4 . the handbag structure according to claim 1 , wherein the body includes the plurality of fixing components at the bottom of the other side walls of the body beyond the first flap, and at the bottom, the first flap has the fixing strap extending round the body to the other side of the body; the fixing strap contains the fixing part fastened onto the first flap at one end, and contains the fastening component fastened with the fixing components of the body for fixing purpose at the other end. 5 . a handbag structure comprising a body, a first flap, at least one strap and a second flap, wherein: the body has a space to contain proposed articles inside it, and the space has an opening going through to the outside on one side; the body has at least one connecting strap on its external side walls and both sides of the opening respectively, and the connecting strap is encircled to form a reeving groove; and a plurality of through holes is established on both side edges of the body to go through the space in the opposite directions; the first flap covers one side of the body, and there is at least one connecting groove for the connecting strap of the body to go through from the inside on the upper side of the first flap; a plurality of fixing straps is available and fastened respectively to the body and the second flap along the edges of the first flap; the strap includes an encircling part at both ends, and the encircling part contains a movable buckle that can be flexibly fastened into the reeving groove formed by the connecting strap of the body; the second flap covers the other side of the body; on the upper side of the second flap, at least one connecting groove is established to enable the connecting strap to go through and fasten with the removable buckle of the strap, and a plurality of fastening components fastened onto the body is set at the top of the second flap. 6 . the handbag structure according to claim 5 , wherein the body contains a plurality of fastening components on the inner walls of both sides of the opening, and the first flap and the second flap have a fastening strap on both sides of the top; the fastening strap includes a fixing part that is fastened onto the first flap at one end, and includes a fixing component that can be fastened to the fastening components of the body for fixing purpose at the other end. 7 . the handbag structure according to claim 5 , wherein the first flap is equipped with the fastening strap on both sides to penetrate the through hole on the side edges of the body; the fastening strap contains the fixing part at one end and the fixing component at the other end respectively, both of which are fastened onto the first flap, and the second flap includes a fastening component buckled up by the fixing component of the fastening strap for fixing purpose at both ends. 8 . the handbag structure according to claim 5 , wherein the first flap is equipped with the fastening strap on both sides, and the fastening strap can go beyond the bottom of the body to the other side of it; the fastening strap has the fixing part fastened onto the first flap at one end and the fixing component at the other end; and the second flap contains the fixing component at the bottom to fasten with the fixing component of the fastening strap for fixing purpose.
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this application claims the priority benefit of taiwan patent application number 097212696 filed on jul. 16, 2008. background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention provides a handbag structure, more particularly, the structure in which a first flap is on one side of a body of the handbag and can be fastened onto the body by using a plurality of fastening straps along the edges of the flap; at least one connecting strap of the body is utilized to penetrate through the first flap and fasten with a movable buckle at both ends of a strap, thus enabling the handbag to have the advantage of convenient and quick mounting or removal. 2. description of the prior art with developments and progress in science and technology, more and more scientific and technological products are available to people in their life-for example, electronic devices that brings more convenience to life (mobile phone, pda, digital camera, digital music player, portable hard drive, etc.), articles that can add beauty to females, including cosmetics, cream, mirrors and combs, and keys, money, toilet paper and other products which are necessities of life. due to continuous efforts in research and development by firms and incessant launch of products of various kinds, as a result, people need to carry many articles with them when they go out. however, usually the clothes worn by the people do not have enough pockets to contain these articles, so the people mostly select a handbag to put these personal articles or articles which they need to carry with them. nowadays when they go out, people often take advantage of their personal articles (e.g. handbags, shoulder bags, glasses and watches, etc) to go with the clothes they dress, so different handbags are necessary to match different clothes. however, as the shape and appearance of conventional handbags cannot be changed, many people purchase multiple handbags. this will not only lead to more consumption cost, but also generate the problem of wasting resources. moreover, more handbags will occupy more home space when stored. thus, how to overcome the problems and disadvantages of a handbag in conventional use is just what the firms involved in this industry need urgently to research and improve. summary of the invention in view of the aforesaid problems and disadvantages, the inventor has collected related information, conducted assessments and taken considerations in many aspects, and based on his own experience of many years in this industry, has finally invented this handbag structure that is characterized by convenient and quick replacement and mounting or dismounting following continuous trials and corrections. the primary object of the present invention is to unite a fixing part and fixing component of a plurality of fastening straps with a fastening component of a body or a fastening component of a second flap for fixing purpose when the first and second flaps are mounted onto the body, thus allowing users to remove the first and second flaps from the body only by applying force to the fixing part and fixing component of the fastening straps and making them separate from the fastening components, and further promoting convenience and speed in mounting or dismounting the first and second flaps. the secondary object of the present invention is to install the first and second flaps onto the body or remove the first and second flaps from the body for replacement. since the first and second flaps are small in size and cheap in price, users can choose to buy the first and second flaps of different shapes, patterns and colors, thus allowing them to achieve the purpose of changing appearance of their handbags by replacing the first or second flaps, or using the first flap only. this will not only reduce their costs in handbags, but also contribute to reduction of storage space for handbags. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 shows the three-dimensional appearance of the handbag structure according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. fig. 2 is a three-dimensional exploded view drawing of the handbag structure according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. fig. 3 shows the three-dimensional appearance of the handbag structure in assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. fig. 4 shows three-dimensional appearance of the handbag structure following assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. fig. 5 is a three-dimensional exploded view drawing of the handbag structure according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention. fig. 6 is a three-dimensional appearance drawing of the handbag structure according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention. detail description of the invention to achieve the aforesaid objects and functions as well as the techniques applied in the present invention and its fabrication, an example of preferred embodiments of the present invention is given to describe the features and functions of the present invention in detail by referring to the accompanying drawings. refer to figs. 1˜2 , which show the three-dimensional appearance and exploded views of a handbag according to one example of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. as shown clearly in these figures, the handbag structure consists of a body 1 , a first flap 2 , at least one strap 3 and a second flap 4 , wherein: there is a space 10 to contain proposed articles inside the body 1 , and an opening 11 that goes through to the outside is established on one side of the space 10 . at least a connecting strap 12 is set on the external walls of the body 1 and both sides of the opening 10 respectively, and the connecting strap 12 is encircled to form a reeving groove 121 . a plurality of through holes 13 is established oppositely on both side edges of the body 1 to go through the space 10 , and there is a plurality of fixing components 14 on the inner walls of both sides of the opening 11 in the body 1 . on the upper side of the first flap 2 , one or more connecting groove(s) 21 is established for the connecting strap 12 of the body 1 to penetrate from the inside to the outside, and a plurality of fixing straps 22 is located near the upper and lower edges, and on the both side edges, of the first flap 2 respectively. a fixing part 221 is located at one end of each fixing strap 22 and fixed on the first flap 2 , while a fastening component 222 is established at the other end of each fixing strap 22 . the strap 3 includes an encircling part 31 at both ends, and the encircling part 31 contains a movable buckle 32 that can be flexibly buckled up with the reeving groove 121 formed by the connecting strap 12 of the body 1 . the second flap 4 covers the other side of the body 1 , and includes at least one reeving trough 41 that can be penetrated by the connecting strap 12 and fastened with the movable buckle 32 of the strap 3 on it. a plurality of fastening straps 42 is fixed on both sides of the second flap 4 at the top. each fastening strap 42 includes a fastening part 421 which is fixed on the first flap 2 at one end, and includes a fastening component 422 that is buckled up with the fixing component 14 of the body 1 at the other end. on both sides and lower side of the second flap 4 , there is a fastening component 43 that can be bucked up by the fastening component 222 of the fixing strap 22 for fixing purpose. the aforesaid fixing component 14 of the body 1 , the fixing part 221 and fastening component 222 of the fixing strap 22 on the first flap 2 and the fastening component 43 of the second flap 4 may be a spring button, nailcatcher, button, buckle, velcro or other component that can mount or dismount with hand force, as long as they can provide the function of fastening the first flap 2 and second flap 4 to the body 1 , and shall not be construed as limiting the appended claims of the present invention. it is hereby declared that other modifications and equivalent structural changes made without departing from the spirit of the art and scope disclosed in the present invention shall be included in the patent claims of the present invention. turn to figs. 2˜4 , which show a three-dimensional exploded view of the handbag structure, the three-dimensional appearance of the handbag structure in assembly and the three-dimensional appearance of the handbag structure following assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention respectively. as shown clearly in these figures, for fabrication of the aforesaid components, the first flap 2 and second flap 4 shall be placed on each side of the body 1 , and the connecting strap 12 on both sides of the body 1 shall penetrate from the inside through the connecting groove 21 of the first flap 1 and the reeving trough 41 of the second flap 4 . the plurality of fixing and fastening straps 22 and 42 on both sides of the first and second flaps 2 and 4 at the top bend reversely, so that the fastening components 222 and 422 on the fixing and fastening straps 22 and 42 are fastened to the fixing components 14 on both sides of the opening 11 of the body 1 . and then make the fixing straps 22 on both side edges of the first flap 2 penetrate through the through hole 13 of the body 1 to the other side, and make the fastening components 222 of the fixing straps 22 be fastened with the fastening component 43 on both sides of the second flap 4 for fixing purpose. the fixing straps 22 at the bottom of the first flap 2 extend beyond the bottom of the body 1 to the other side, and the fastening components 222 at the other end of the fixing straps 22 are locked up by the fastening components 43 at the bottom of the second flap 4 for fixing purpose. afterwards, make the movable buckle 32 at both ends of the strap 3 penetrate through the connecting strap 12 of the body 1 and protrude through the reeving groove 121 on the outward side of the first and second flaps 2 and 4 , till it is fastened to the reeving groove 121 , and the fabrication will be completed for the present invention. the aforesaid body 1 may resemble a circle, ellipse, rectangle, polygon, horn or any other geometrical or irregular figure in shape. however, the shape of the body 1 is not described in more detail here, since it is a prior art, and its detailed fabrication does not constitute the focus of the present invention. if users want to remove the first and second flaps 2 and 4 , they can open the movable buckle 32 at both ends of the strap 3 to loosen the connecting strap 12 of the body 1 , and separate the fastening component 222 of the fixing straps 22 on the external edges of the first flap 2 from the fastening components 43 of the second flap 4 . in this way, the first and second flaps 2 and 4 will be removed from the body 1 . refer to figs. 5˜6 , which show the three-dimensional exploded view and three-dimensional appearance of the handbag structure according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention. as shown clearly in these two figures, the handbag can only consist of the first flap 2 of the body 1 and one or more strap(s) 3 structurally, in which the body 1 contains the fixing components 14 on both sides of the other side walls beyond the first flap 2 and at the bottom, so that the fixing straps 22 on both side edges of the first flap 2 can penetrate the through hole 13 of the body 1 to the other side of the body 1 and be fastened with the fixing component 14 on both sides of the other side walls of the body 1 for fixing purpose by using the fastening component 222 of the fixing straps 22 . and the fixing straps 22 at the bottom of the first flap 2 go round the bottom of the body 1 to the other side of the body 1 , and are fastened to the fixing component 14 at the bottom of the other side wall of the body 1 by using the fastening component 222 of the fixing straps 22 . the first flap 2 and the second flap 4 can be removed or replaced. as most of the people buy at least one handbag, and select handbags of different colors, figures or styles to go with their dresses or mode, as a result, they will spend a large amount of money in buying handbags. since the first flap 2 and the second flap 4 are small in size and cheap in price, users can buy a plurality of the first flap 2 and the second flap 4 to achieve the objective of changing the appearance of handbags by replacing the first flap 2 and the second flap 4 . this will not only reduce the costs in handbags, but also contribute to diversification of handbag appearances and reduction of storage space. furthermore, as the fixing part 221 and fastening component 222 of the fixing straps 22 are used to fasten the fixing component 14 of the body 1 or the fastening component 43 of the second flap 4 for fixing purpose in the process of mounting the first flap 2 and second flap 4 , the first flap 2 and the second flap 4 can be dismounted only by applying force to the fixing part 221 and fastening component 222 of the fixing strap 22 to separate them from the fixing component 14 and the fastening component 43 . thus, it will allow the first flap 2 and second flap 4 to be characterized by easy and quick mounting and dismounting. refer to figs. 1˜2 , which show the three-dimensional appearance and three-dimensional exploded view of the present invention in a preferred embodiment. as these figures show clearly, the first flap 2 and second flap 4 can be made of one or more kinds of materials (e.g. leather, artificial leather, fabric, paper, plastics, metal or other materials), and can be covered with different patterns, colors, textures, figures or characters. besides, one or more external pockets, pendants or ornaments can be added on both sides of the first flap 2 and second flap 4 , as long as these articles can enable more changes in the appearance of the body 1 or provide more space to contain articles and shall not be construed as limiting the appended claims of the present invention. it is hereby declared that other modifications and equivalent structural changes made without departing from the spirit of the art and scope disclosed in the present invention shall be included in the patent claims of the present invention when applied practically, the handbag structure disclosed in the present invention has the advantages as follows: (1) to mount the first flap 2 and the second flap 4 , the fixing part 221 and fastening component 222 of the fixing straps 22 is fastened with the fixing component 14 of the body 1 or the fastening component 43 of the second flap 4 for fixing purpose. for removal of the first flap 2 and second flap 4 , only apply force to the fixing part 221 and fastening component 222 of the fixing straps 22 to separate them from the fixing and fastening components 14 and 43 , and the first flap 2 and second flap 4 will be removed from the body 1 . that is to say, the first flap 2 and second flap 4 have the advantage of being mounted or removed conveniently and quickly.(2) the first flap 2 and second flap 4 can be installed on the body 1 , and can be removed from the body 1 and replaced. since the first flap 2 and second flap 4 is small in size and cheap in price, users can choose to buy the first flap 2 and second flap 4 in large number, which are different in material, style, texture or color. they can achieve the purpose of changing the appearance of handbags by replacing the first flap 2 and second flap 4 , and this can not only lower the costs in handbags, but also contribute to diversification of handbag appearance and reduction of storage space. therefore, in the present invention that mainly involves the handbag structure, the body 1 can be equipped with the first flap 2 on both sides, and one or more connecting strap(s) 12 of the body 1 can be utilized to penetrate through the connecting groove 21 of the first flap 2 and fasten with the movable buckle 32 at both ends of the strap 3 . the first flap 2 is fastened to the body 1 by using the fixing straps 22 along the edges of the body 1 , so as to ensure that the first flap 2 can be mounted or removed conveniently and quickly. this will enable the body 1 to be covered by the first flap 2 in different pattern or style, and further result in the advantage of changing handbag appearances and reducing costs. however, the above descriptions are given to illustrate one example of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the appended claims of the present invention. it is hereby declared that all modifications and equivalent structural changes made without departing from the spirit of the art and scope disclosed in the present invention shall be included in the patent claims of the present invention. in summary, when applied, the handbag structure of the present invention as described above can really achieve its functions and objectives. therefore, the present invention is actually an excellent one with practical applicability, and satisfies the conditions for patentability of a utility model. while the application of patent is filed pursuant to applicable laws, your early approval of the present invention will be highly appreciated so as to guarantee benefits and rights of the inventor who has worked hard at this invention. for any question, please do not hesitate to inform the inventor by mail, and the inventor will try his best to cooperate with you.
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196-692-888-622-556
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US
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[
"US"
] |
G06F3/048
| 2010-12-09T00:00:00 |
2010
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[
"G06"
] |
rendering an optimized metrics topology on a monitoring tool
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various embodiments of systems and methods for rendering an optimized metrics topology on a monitoring tool are described herein. a monitoring tool, installed on a computer, displays a list of monitorable systems and a plurality of components of a system selected from the list. each component is analyzed under a selected category. each component includes a set of metrics associated with the selected category. each metric from the set of metrics for a component is ranked. a rank for each metric is determined based upon at least a navigation behavior of a user of the monitoring tool and a metric characteristic. based upon their ranks, the metrics are arranged in an optimized metrics topology. higher ranked metrics are arranged in relatively higher topology level thereby delivering critical or key metrics, up front, in which the user is interested in.
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1 . an article of manufacture including a computer readable storage medium to tangibly store instructions, which when executed by a computer, cause the computer to: receive a user selection of a system from a list of monitorable systems; based upon the selection, retrieve a plurality of components of the system; receive a user selection of a category from a plurality of categories; retrieve a set of metrics for a component under the selected category; determine a rank for each metric from the set of metrics based upon at least a navigation behavior of the user and a metric characteristic; arrange the set of metrics in an optimized metrics topology based upon their respective rank, wherein higher ranked metrics are arranged in relatively higher topology level; and render the optimized metrics topology on a user interface. 2 . the article of manufacture of claim 1 , wherein the category comprises performance, availability, exception, and configuration of the system. 3 . the article of manufacture of claim 1 , wherein the navigation behavior of the user includes at least one of: a metric hit count, wherein the metric hit count is a number of times the metric is clicked on for reaching another metric; and a metric target hit count, wherein the metric target hit count is a number of times the metric is clicked on for receiving the metric specific information. 4 . the article of manufacture of claim 1 , wherein the metric characteristic comprises one or more alerts triggered for the metric and numerical values of the metric recorded over a specified period of time. 5 . the article of manufacture of claim 1 , wherein the navigation behavior of the user and the metric characteristic have respective predefined weightage that are considered in determining the rank. 6 . the article of manufacture of claim 5 , wherein each of the predefined weightage is modifiable by the user. 7 . the article of manufacture of claim 1 , wherein the rank is determined further based upon at least one of the following parameters: a business role of the user; a technical feature of the system; a work profile of the system; usage of a landscape in which the system is installed; and a navigation behavior of other users of the landscape. 8 . the article of manufacture of claim 7 , wherein each parameter has a respective predefined weightage that is considered in determining the rank and wherein the predefined weightage is modifiable by the user. 9 . the article of manufacture of claim 1 , wherein the metrics having equal rank are arranged alphabetically in the optimized metrics topology. 10 . the article of manufacture of claim 1 , wherein the optimized metrics topology includes the metrics having the rank above a predefined threshold. 11 . the article of manufacture of claim 10 , wherein the predefined threshold is modifiable by the user. 12 . the article of manufacture of claim 1 , wherein the list of monitorable systems includes names, number of alerts, and status related to at least one of availability, performance, exception, and configuration for each of the monitorable system and wherein the list of monitorable systems is auto updated after a specified period of time. 13 . the article of manufacture of claim 1 , wherein the category includes a subcategory and wherein the set of metrics is retrieved for the component under the subcategory selected by the user. 14 . a computerized method for rendering optimized metrics topology, the method comprising: receiving a user selection of a system from a list of monitorable systems; retrieving a plurality of components of the system selected by the user; receiving a user selection of a category from a plurality of categories; retrieving a set of metrics for a component under the selected category; determining a rank for each of the metric of the set of metrics based upon at least a navigation behavior of a user and a metric characteristic; arranging the set of metrics in the optimized metrics topology based upon their respective rank, wherein a higher ranked metrics are arranged in relatively higher topology level; and rendering the optimized metrics topology on a user interface. 15 . the method of claim 14 further comprising determining the navigation behavior of the user by performing at least one of the following: capturing a number of times the metric is clicked on for reaching another metric; and capturing a number of times the metric is clicked on for receiving the metric specific information. 16 . the method of claim 14 , wherein rendering the optimized metrics topology to the user further comprising rendering the metrics having rank greater than a predefined threshold. 17 . the method of claim 14 further comprising rendering the metrics having equal rank alphabetically in the optimized metrics topology. 18 . a computer system for rendering an optimized metrics topology, comprising: a memory to store a program code; a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, the processor configured to execute the program code to: receive a user selection of a system from a list of monitorable systems; based upon the selection, retrieve a plurality of components of the system; receive a user selection of a category from a plurality of categories; retrieve a set of metrics for a component under the selected category; determine a rank for each of the plurality of metrics based upon at least a navigation behavior of a user and a metric characteristic; and arrange the metrics in the optimized metric topology based upon their respective rank, wherein a higher ranked metrics are arranged in relatively higher topology level; and a user interface device for rendering the optimized metrics topology. 19 . the computer system of claim 18 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine at least one of the followings: a metric hit count, wherein the metric hit count is a number of times the metric is clicked on for reaching another metric; a metric target hit count, wherein the metric target hit count is a number of times the metric is clicked on for performing the metric specific task or for receiving the metric specific information; number of alerts triggered for the metric; and numerical values of the metric recorded over a specified period of time. 20 . the computer system of claim 18 further comprising a database configured to store information related to technical feature of monitorable systems, wherein the technical feature includes operating system information and programming language information.
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field the technical field relates generally to a computer system monitoring tool, and more particularly to presentation of computer system related metrics on the monitoring tool. background system landscape of various organizations includes multiple computer system components that are monitored and maintained by a system administrator. the system administrator employs a monitoring tool (e.g., sap® solution manager) to analyze the multiple systems from a single system or dashboard. the monitoring tool allows the system administrator to analyze a system and its various components. each component of the system may be analyzable under various categories, e.g., performance, exceptions, availability, and configuration, etc. usually, a component is analyzed under a category by analyzing a set of metrics related to the category. the metrics are preconfigured (grouped) under each category. for example, a dialog response time metric (i.e., amount of time taken to render user interface) and a user load metric (number of users logged in the system at a given time) are typically grouped under performance category. the metrics are grouped prior to shipping the monitoring tool. once the monitoring tool is shipped and installed, the system administrator can analyze the metrics grouped under each category. if any fault is indicated relating to any of the metrics, the system administrator takes necessary step(s) to resolve the indicated fault. the role (work profile) of the system administrator is very dynamic and each system administrator may have their specific work profile. depending upon the work profile, the system administrator may be interested in analyzing a set of particular metrics related to the category. sometimes, the system administrator may be only interested in the metrics that are critical or having a problem and require attention. for example, if the performance of a system ‘x’ is deteriorating then the system administrator may be interested in analyzing the critical metrics (metrics having a problem) under the performance category of various components of the system ‘x’. now, if 100 numbers of metrics are grouped (preconfigured) under the performance category then all of the 100 metrics are rendered on the monitoring tool. the metrics may be rendered randomly or alphabetically. the system administrator scrolls through the metrics to select the critical ones, i.e., the metrics that have problem and require attention. however, it may be inconvenient for the system administrator to scroll through a large number of preconfigured metrics to select the metrics of their interest (relevant metrics). further, it would be ineffectual to consider the metrics that are unnecessarily rendered. additionally, it may be difficult to scroll through the large number of metrics, to select the relevant metrics, each time the system administrator logs-in to the monitoring tool. also, it would also be impractical to completely remove the metrics that seems non-relevant, as the relevancy of metrics is dynamic and keeps changing with varied usage behavior and system characteristics. it would be desirable, therefore, to provide a system and method for rendering metrics that obviates the above mentioned problems. summary of the invention various embodiments of systems and methods for rendering an optimized metrics topology on a monitoring tool are described herein. a monitoring tool is installed on a computer system to receive a user selection of a system from the list of monitorable systems. based upon the selection, a plurality of components of the system is retrieved. each component is analyzable under a plurality of categories. a user selection of a component and a category is received. the component includes a set of metrics associated with the selected category. the set of metrics for the component under the selected category is retrieved. each metric from the set of metrics is ranked. a rank for each metric is determined based upon at least a navigation behavior of the user and a metric characteristic. based upon their ranks, the metrics are arranged in an optimized metrics topology such that a higher ranked metrics are arranged in relatively higher topology level. the optimized metrics topology is rendered on the monitoring tool. the optimized metrics topology displays the high ranked metrics or critical metrics, up front, in which the user is interested in. these and other benefits and features of embodiments of the invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof, presented in connection with the following drawings. brief description of the drawings the claims set forth the embodiments of the invention with particularity. the invention is illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements. the embodiments of the invention, together with its advantages, may be best understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. fig. 1 is a block diagram of a system landscape including a monitoring tool for analyzing one or more monitorable system, according to an embodiment of the invention. fig. 2a is an exemplary screen display of various components of a monitorable system analyzable under various categories, according to an embodiment of the invention. fig. 2b illustrates an exemplary optimized metrics topology displayed on the monitoring tool for a set of metrics of a component under a selected category, according to an embodiment of the invention. fig. 3 illustrates an exemplary list of monitorable systems rendered on the monitoring tool, according to an embodiment of the invention. fig. 4 is an exemplary screen display of various components of a system and a set of metrics included under a component and a category selected by a user. fig. 5 illustrates an exemplary optimized metrics topology displayed on the monitoring tool for the set of metrics illustrated in fig. 4 , according to an embodiment of the invention. fig. 6 illustrates another exemplary optimized metrics topology displayed on the monitoring tool for the set of metrics illustrated in fig. 4 , according to another embodiment of the invention. fig. 7 is a flow chart illustrating the steps performed to render an optimized metrics topology on a monitoring tool, according to various embodiments of the invention. fig. 8 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system, according to an embodiment of the invention. detailed description embodiments of techniques for rendering an optimized metrics topology on a monitoring tool are described herein. in the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. one skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. in other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention. reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment”, “this embodiment” and similar phrases, means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. thus, the appearances of these phrases in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. figs. 1 and 2 a- 2 c illustrate one embodiment of the invention for analyzing a plurality of monitorable systems 110 ( 1 - n ) on a monitoring tool 130 installed on a computer 120 . the monitoring tool 130 displays the plurality of monitorable systems 110 ( 1 - n ) on a list 140 . a user selects a system 110 ( 1 ) from the list 140 . various components 210 (a-f) (refer fig. 2a ) of the selected system 110 ( 1 ) are displayed on the monitoring tool 130 . each component is analyzable under a plurality of categories 220 (a-d). the user selects a component 210 a and a category 220 d under which the component 210 a has to be analyzed. the component 210 a includes a set of metrics 230 ( 1 - n ) associated with the category 220 d. each metric from the set of metrics 230 ( 1 - n ) is ranked. in one embodiment, a rank for each metric is determined based upon at least a navigation behavior of the user and a metric characteristic. based upon their ranks, the metrics 230 ( 1 - n ) are arranged in an optimized metrics topology 250 (refer to fig. 2b ). a higher ranked metrics are arranged in relatively higher topology level. the optimized metrics topology 250 is rendered on the monitoring tool 130 . the monitoring tool 130 provides the details of the plurality of monitorable systems 110 ( 1 - n ) on the list (list of monitorable systems) 140 . the user (e.g., a system administrator) analyzes the list 140 to select the system to be monitored. the list 140 may include various fields for analysis. fig. 3 illustrates the fields of the list 140 that can be analyzed, e.g., a name of monitorable system (i.e., system name 310 a), a type of monitorable system (i.e., system type 310 b), a product version of the monitorable system (i.e., product version 310 c), total number of alerts triggered for the monitorable system (i.e., alerts 310 d), and status related to the plurality of categories, e.g., availability 220 a, configuration 220 b, exception 220 c, and performance 220 d. essentially, the user analyses the alert 310 d and the status related to the plurality of categories 220 (a-d) to select the system to be monitored. in one embodiment, each category may be represented by a symbol. the status of the categories 220 (a-d) may be displayed by highlighting their respective symbols with a suitable color. for example, if the performance of the system 110 ( 1 ) has deteriorated then the symbol indicating performance of the system 110 ( 1 ) may be highlighted in ‘red’ color. the symbols may be highlighted in ‘green’ color to represent proper/satisfactory status. the list 140 (including the status of the categories 220 (a-d) and the alerts 310 d) is auto updated after a specified period of time 320 . the period of time may be specified by the user. the list 140 may also be updated when the user refreshes a screen of the monitoring tool 130 . the fields related to the status of the categories 220 (a-d) and the alerts 310 d of the list 140 may be analyzed by the user to select the system to be monitored. for example, if the total number of alerts triggered for monitorable system (i.e., alerts 310 d) is the highest for a system 110 ( 2 ) then the user may select the system 110 ( 2 ) for monitoring. while if the user is interested in monitoring the systems based on the performance 220 d then the user may select the system 110 ( 1 ) as the status of the performance 220 d for the system 110 ( 1 ) is critical or deteriorated (performance 220 d symbol) for the system 110 ( 1 ) is highlighted in ‘red’ color) once the system 110 ( 1 ) is selected, various components 210 (a-f) of the system 110 ( 1 ) are displayed on the monitoring tool 130 (refer to fig. 2a ). the component may be either a software module 210 (a-d) (e.g., an application instance, a database instance, etc) or a hardware module 210 (e-f) (e.g., a host on which the software module(s) runs). the components 210 (a-f) may be displayed in a hierarchical form 240 on a left hand section of the monitoring tool 130 , as illustrated in fig. 2a . each component is analyzable under the plurality of the categories 220 (a-d). the category may be selected by the user. each category may comprise one or more subcategories. for example, the category 220 d may includes a subcategory 220 d′. the user selects the component and the category/subcategory under which the component has to be analyzed. for example, the user may select the component 210 d and the subcategory 220 d′ under which the component 210 d has to be analyzed. the component 210 d includes the set of metrics 230 ( 1 - n ) under the selected subcategory 220 d′. each metric of the set of metrics 230 ( 1 - n ) is ranked based upon at least any one of a plurality of parameters namely the navigation behavior of the user, the metric characteristic, a technical feature of the system 110 ( 1 ), an usage of a landscape in which the system 110 ( 1 ) is installed, a work profile of the system 110 ( 1 ), and a navigation behavior of other users of the landscape. in one embodiment, the metric is ranked based upon the navigation behavior of the user and the metric characteristic. in another embodiment, the metric is ranked based upon the navigation behavior of the user, the metric characteristic, and at least any one of the technical feature of the system 110 ( 1 ), the work profile of the system 110 ( 1 ), the usage of the landscape in which the system 110 ( 1 ) is installed, and the navigation behavior of other users of the landscape. according to one embodiment, each of the above mentioned parameters, used in determining the rank, have their respective predefined weightage. the predefined weightage of each parameter is considered in determining the rank of the metric. the predefined weightage may be expressed in terms of percentage (%). the predefined weightage of each parameter is modifiable by the user. the user may increase/decrease the percentage of the predefined weightage of any parameter. for example, if the user is not interested in considering the navigation behavior of the other users for determining the rank, the user may reset the weightage for the navigation behavior of other users as 0%. in one embodiment, the navigation behavior of the user and the metric characteristics are considered in determining the rank and on the scale of 100%, the navigation behavior of the user and the metric characteristic is given the predefined weightage of 50% each. in another embodiment, all the above mentioned parameters are considered in determining the rank and on scale of 100% the weightage for each parameter is distributed as: navigation behavior of the user: 30%;navigation behavior of other users: 20%;metric characteristic: 30%;technical feature of the system: 10%; andusage of the landscape: 10%. according to one embodiment, the navigation behavior of the user is a pattern of viewing the metrics by the user. the navigation behavior of the user may be captured by counting the number of clicks/hits performed on the metric. for instance, two types of hits (clicks) may be performed on the metric: (i) metric target hit: when the user clicks/hits the metric for performing a task related to the metric or for receiving an information related to the metric the click/hit is called metric target hit. the value of the metric target hit is captured and stored.(ii) metric hit: when the user clicks the metric for reading or retrieving another metric, underneath it, the click is called metric hit. for example, if a metric “b” is grouped under a metric “a” (“b” is positioned underneath “a”) then the metric “a” may be hit to reach the metric “b” or to read the metric “b.” such number of clicks/hits performed on the metric “a” to read another metric, underneath it, is termed as metric hit. the value of metric hit is captured and stored. in one embodiment, at least one of the metric target hit count and the metric hit count is considered in determining the rank of the metric. essentially, the metric not visited by the user (i.e., having the metric target hit count and the metric hit count=null) is allotted a low rank. the rank of the metric is directly proportional to the metric target hit count and/or the metric hit count. further, the navigation behaviors of not just the current user but all the other users of the landscape may also be captured and stored for determining the rank of the metric. according to one embodiment, the metric characteristic is a quantifiable parameter related to the characteristic of the metric. examples of some parameters may be a trend value of the metric and the total number of alerts triggered for the metric. (i) trend value of the metric: is captured by analyzing the values of the metric over a specified period of time. in one embodiment, the specified period of time may be last 24 hours. if the values of the metric follows a trend of continuously increasing or continuously decreasing or if there are many fluctuations in the values, over the specified period of time, then the metric is worthy of attention and a high rank would be allotted to the metric. essentially, a graph is generated by placing time interval on the ‘x’ axis and the value of the metric on the ‘y’ axis. if the graph is continuously increasing or continuously decreasing or if there are many fluctuations in the graph then the metric is allotted a high rank compared to the metric whose graph is constant.(ii) total number of alerts (one or more alerts) triggered for the metric: the alert is triggered for the metric if the value of the metric crosses a threshold value. the rank of the metric is directly proportional to the total number of alerts triggered for the metric. in one embodiment, the time for which the alert is unresolved is also considered for determining the rank of the metric. if the weightage of metric characteristic is 30% then the distribution of weightage for the total number of alerts and the trend value of the metric under the metric characteristic may be 20% and 10%, respectively. according to one embodiment, the technical feature of the system may be captured by storing some information related to technical components of the system, e.g., the information related to a programming language and an operating system. for example, the systems 110 ( 1 - 3 ) employing an abap component of sap®, a dialog response time, update response time, and enqueue utilization, etc., are important metrics that would be given a high rank. alternatively, for the systems 110 ( 4 - 6 ) employing a java component of sap® the important metrics are a garbage collection time, http (hypertext transfer protocol) session availability, application threads, system threads that would be given high rank. according to one embodiment, the work profile of the system is the nature of work for which the system is installed. for example, for a payroll running system background processes related metrics are important (high ranked) whereas, for a crm (customer relationship management) system (having multiple users login at the same time) a dialog instance metrics and session related metrics are important (high ranked) metrics. the work profile of the system is captured during installation of the monitoring tool 130 . according to one embodiment, the usage of the landscape is a general work profile of the landscape for which the monitorable systems 110 ( 1 - n ) are installed. the information on the usage of the landscape may be retrieved/captured from a landscape directory stored in the computer 120 on which the monitoring tool 130 is installed. for example, a sap® netweaver system running hr application of erp (enterprise resource planning) have different set of important metrics as compared to sap® netweaver system running crm (customer relationship management) and srm. once each metric is ranked, the set of metric 230 ( 1 - n ) is arranged in the optimized metrics topology 250 . in the optimized metrics topology 250 a higher ranked metric is placed higher in topology level as compared to the lower ranked metrics. for example, the metric 230 ( 2 ) is the highest ranked metric and is, therefore, placed at the top, the metric 230 ( n ) has rank lower than the metric 230 ( 2 ) and is, therefore, placed below the metric 230 ( 2 ), and the metric 230 ( 1 ) has the lowest rank and is placed at the bottom of the optimized metrics topology 250 . therefore, the metrics 230 ( 1 ), 230 ( 2 ), and 230 ( n ) are displayed in the optimized metrics topology 250 in decreasing order of their rank, as illustrated in fig. 2b . essentially, the higher ranked metrics are displayed up front compared to the lower ranked metrics. if the metrics have equal rank the topology level is determined based upon the names of the metrics, i.e., alphabetically. for example, if a metric ‘abc’ and a metric ‘xyz’ both have rank 5 then the metric ‘abc’ is placed on a higher topology level compared to the metric ‘xyz’. in one embodiment, the optimized metrics topology 250 is a list wherein the metrics are arranged in the decreasing order of their rank. if two or more metrics have same rank then they are placed alphabetically in the list. the optimized metrics topology 250 is rendered on the monitoring tool 130 . the optimized metrics topology 250 may be rendered in the same login session or in a subsequent login session. in one embodiment, the optimized metrics topology 250 may be rendered in the same login session automatically or when the user refreshes the screen of the monitoring tool 130 . the user may configure the monitoring tool 130 to render only the metrics that have rank above a predefined threshold. the predefined threshold is modifiable by the user. for example, if the user is interested in analyzing only the metrics that have rank above 6 then the user may configure the monitoring tool 130 to render only the metrics having rank above 6. fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment showing various components 400 (a-f) of the system 110 ( 3 ) [system name: b4y; system type: abap] selected by the user for analysis. essentially, the user analyzes the list 140 for the status of availability 220 a. the status of availability 220 a for the system 110 ( 3 ) is critical or poor (availability symbol highlighted in ‘red’). the user then selects the system 110 ( 3 ) for analysis and the components 400 (a-f) of the system 110 ( 3 ) is displayed on the monitoring tool 130 . the user may analyze each component under the category availability 220 a or one or more subcategories under the category availability 220 a. for example, the user may select a component 400 a [b4x˜abap] to be analyzed under the subcategory (abap system availability) 220 a′ of the category 220 a (availability). the component 400 a includes the set of metrics 410 (a-c) under the selected subcategory 220 a′ (abap system availability). the abap system availability 160 a′ indicates the availability of the abap systems in the system landscape. for example, 160 a′ may indicates the erp system availability. the metric 410 a (abap message server status) shows the availability of the abap message server. the message server is a component within the system that transfers request between application servers. if the abap message server status is ‘up’ it indicates that the abap message server is available, whereas if the abap message server status is ‘down’ it indicates that the abap message server is not available, at the moment. the metric 410 b (abap message server http available) indicates if the http port of the abap message server is available or not. if the http port is available, the message server provides the list of instances which are available through the http response. the metric 410 c (abap system remote rfc (remote function calls) available) shows the availability of the abap system remote rfc. the rfc protocol enables two abap systems to communicate. each metric of the set of metrics 410 (a-c) is ranked based upon the navigation behavior of the user and the metric characteristic. once each metric is ranked, the set of metric 410 (a-c) is arranged in the optimized metrics topology 510 (refer to fig. 5 ). in the optimized metrics topology 510 a higher ranked metric is placed in a higher topology level as compared to the lower ranked metrics. for example, the metric 410 b (abap message server http available) is the highest ranked metric and is, therefore, placed at the top, the metric 410 c (abap system remote rfc available) has rank lower than the metric 410 b and is, therefore, placed below the metric 410 b, and the metric 410 a (abap message server status) has the lowest rank and is placed at the bottom of the optimized metrics topology 510 . therefore, the metrics 410 a, 410 b, and 410 c are displayed in the optimized metrics topology 510 in decreasing order of their rank, as illustrated in fig. 4 . essentially, the higher ranked metrics are displayed up front compared to the lower ranked metrics. the optimized metrics topology 510 is rendered on the monitoring tool 130 . in one embodiment, the optimized metrics topology includes only the metrics having rank above the predefined threshold. for example, if the rank of the metrics 410 a, 410 b, and 410 c are 5, 7, and 6, respectively, and the predefined threshold is 6 then only the metric 410 b, having rank above the predefined threshold (i.e., rank=7), is displayed in the optimized metrics topology 610 , as illustrated in fig. 6 . fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for rendering the optimized metrics topology 250 on the monitoring tool 130 . the monitoring tool 130 displays the list of monitorable systems 140 for the user's selection. the list 140 includes status related to various categories, e.g., availability 220 a, configuration 220 b, exception 220 c, and performance 220 d. the user may make selection of the system 110 ( 1 ) based upon the status of the category of the user's interest. the monitoring tool 130 receives the user selection of the system 110 ( 1 ) at step 701 . based upon the selection, the plurality of the components 210 (a-f) of the system 110 ( 1 ) is retrieved at step 702 . various categories 220 (a-d) and/or subcategories are displayed on the monitoring tool 130 . the user can make selection for the category 220 d. the monitoring tool 130 receives the user selection of the component 210 (a) and the category 220 d at step 703 . the monitoring tool 130 retrieves the set of metrics 230 ( 1 - n ) for the component 210 (a), under the selected category 220 d at step 704 . the rank for each metric from the set of metrics 230 ( 1 - n ) is determined based upon at least the navigation behavior of the user and the metric characteristic at step 705 . the set of metrics 230 ( 1 - n ) are arranged in the optimized metrics topology 250 with the high ranked metrics in relatively higher topology level and equal ranked metrics are arranged alphabetically at step 706 . the monitoring tool 130 checks if the predefined threshold is specified at step 707 . if the predefined threshold is not specified (step 707 : no), the optimized metrics topology 250 is rendered on the user interface at step 708 . if the predefined threshold is specified (step 707 : yes), the optimized metrics topology 250 with metrics having rank greater than the predefined threshold is rendered on the user interface at step 709 . some embodiments of the invention may include the above-described methods being written as one or more software components. these components, and the functionality associated with each, may be used by client, server, distributed, or peer computer systems. these components may be written in a computer language corresponding to one or more programming languages such as, functional, declarative, procedural, object-oriented, lower level languages and the like. they may be linked to other components via various application programming interfaces and then compiled into one complete application for a server or a client. alternatively, the components maybe implemented in server and client applications. further, these components may be linked together via various distributed programming protocols. some example embodiments of the invention may include remote procedure calls being used to implement one or more of these components across a distributed programming environment. for example, a logic level may reside on a first computer system that is remotely located from a second computer system containing an interface level (e.g., a graphical user interface). these first and second computer systems can be configured in a server-client, peer-to-peer, or some other configuration. the clients can vary in complexity from mobile and handheld devices, to thin clients and on to thick clients or even other servers. the above-illustrated software components are tangibly stored on a computer readable storage medium as instructions. the term “computer readable storage medium” should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media that stores one or more sets of instructions. the term “computer readable storage medium” should be taken to include any physical article that is capable of undergoing a set of physical changes to physically store, encode, or otherwise carry a set of instructions for execution by a computer system which causes the computer system to perform any of the methods or process steps described, represented, or illustrated herein. examples of computer readable storage media include, but are not limited to: magnetic media, such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape; optical media such as cd-roms, dvds and holographic devices; magneto-optical media; and hardware devices that are specially configured to store and execute, such as application-specific integrated circuits (“asics”), programmable logic devices (“plds”) and rom and ram devices. examples of computer readable instructions include machine code, such as produced by a compiler, and files containing higher-level code that are executed by a computer using an interpreter. for example, an embodiment of the invention may be implemented using java, c++, or other object-oriented programming language and development tools. another embodiment of the invention may be implemented in hard-wired circuitry in place of, or in combination with machine readable software instructions. fig. 8 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system 800 . the computer system 800 includes a processor 805 that executes software instructions or code stored on a computer readable storage medium 855 to perform the above-illustrated methods of the invention. the computer system 800 includes a media reader 840 to read the instructions from the computer readable storage medium 855 and store the instructions in storage 810 or in random access memory (ram) 815 . the storage 810 provides a large space for keeping static data where at least some instructions could be stored for later execution. the stored instructions may be further compiled to generate other representations of the instructions and dynamically stored in the ram 815 . the processor 805 reads instructions from the ram 815 and performs actions as instructed. according to one embodiment of the invention, the computer system 800 further includes an output device 825 (e.g., a display) to provide at least some of the results of the execution as output including, but not limited to, visual information to users and an input device 830 to provide a user or another device with means for entering data and/or otherwise interact with the computer system 800 . each of these output devices 825 and input devices 830 could be joined by one or more additional peripherals to further expand the capabilities of the computer system 800 . a network communicator 835 may be provided to connect the computer system 800 to a network 850 and in turn to other devices connected to the network 850 including other clients, servers, data stores, and interfaces, for instance. the modules of the computer system 800 are interconnected via a bus 845 . computer system 800 includes a data source interface 820 to access data source 860 . the data source 860 can be accessed via one or more abstraction layers implemented in hardware or software. for example, the data source 860 may be accessed by network 850 . in some embodiments the data source 860 may be accessed via an abstraction layer, such as, a semantic layer. a data source is an information resource. data sources include sources of data that enable data storage and retrieval. data sources may include databases, such as, relational, transactional, hierarchical, multi-dimensional (e.g., olap), object oriented databases, and the like. further data sources include tabular data (e.g., spreadsheets, delimited text files), data tagged with a markup language (e.g., xml data), transactional data, unstructured data (e.g., text files, screen scrapings), hierarchical data (e.g., data in a file system, xml data), files, a plurality of reports, and any other data source accessible through an established protocol, such as, open database connectivity (odbc), produced by an underlying software system, e.g., an erp system, and the like. data sources may also include a data source where the data is not tangibly stored or otherwise ephemeral such as data streams, broadcast data, and the like. these data sources can include associated data foundations, semantic layers, management systems, security systems and so on. a data source is an information resource. data sources include sources of data that enable data storage and retrieval. data sources may include databases, such as, relational, transactional, hierarchical, multi-dimensional (e.g., olap), object oriented databases, and the like. further data sources include tabular data (e.g., spreadsheets, delimited text files), data tagged with a markup language (e.g., xml data), transactional data, unstructured data (e.g., text files, screen scrapings), hierarchical data (e.g., data in a file system, xml data), files, a plurality of reports, and any other data source accessible through an established protocol, such as, open database connectivity (odbc), produced by an underlying software system (e.g., erp system), and the like. data sources may also include a data source where the data is not tangibly stored or otherwise ephemeral such as data streams, broadcast data, and the like. these data sources can include associated data foundations, semantic layers, management systems, security systems and so on. in the above description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. one skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details or with other methods, components, techniques, etc. in other instances, well-known operations or structures are not shown or described in details to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention. although the processes illustrated and described herein include series of steps, it will be appreciated that the different embodiments of the present invention are not limited by the illustrated ordering of steps, as some steps may occur in different orders, some concurrently with other steps apart from that shown and described herein. in addition, not all illustrated steps may be required to implement a methodology in accordance with the present invention. moreover, it will be appreciated that the processes may be implemented in association with the apparatus and systems illustrated and described herein as well as in association with other systems not illustrated. the above descriptions and illustrations of embodiments of the invention, including what is described in the abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. while specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described herein for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. these modifications can be made to the invention in light of the above detailed description. rather, the scope of the invention is to be determined by the following claims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with established doctrines of claim construction.
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