Patent Grant
7151623
This application is the U.S. national phase of international application PCT/EP02/01951, filed in English on 25 Feb. 2002, which designated the U.S. PCT/EP02/01951 claims priority to DE Application No. 101 28 902.2 filed 15 Jun. 2001. The entire contents of these applications are incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to a holographic data storage medium which, for example, can be used for storing pictorial data such as photographs, logos, text and so on but also for the storage of other data.
Contained in a hologram, distributed over the area of the hologram, is optical phase information about an object, from which, when irradiated with light, and in particular coherent light from a laser, an image of the object can be reconstructed. Holograms are used in many and various ways in technology, for example in the form of largely forgery-proof identifiers. Identifiers of this type will be found, for example, on credit cards or check cards; as what are known as white light holograms, even when illuminated with natural light, they show a three-dimensional image of the object depicted. Photographically produced holograms are widespread, as are embossed holograms, in which a relief structure is embossed into the surface of a material, at which the light used to reproduce the object is scattered in accordance with the phase information stored in the hologram, so that the reconstructed image of the object is produced by interference effects.
WO 00/17864 describes a data storage medium with an optical information carrier, which contains a polymer film set up as a storage layer. The polymer film consists, for example, of biaxially oriented polypropylene. In the data storage medium previously disclosed, the polymer film is wound spirally in a plurality of layers onto a core, there being an adhesive layer in each case between adjacent layers. Information can be written into the data storage medium by the polymer film being heated locally with the aid of a write beam from a data drive, as a result of which the refractive index of the polymer film and the reflective capacity at the interface of the polymer film are changed locally. This effect can be amplified by an absorber dye which is added to the adhesive layers, which at least partly absorbs the write beam and discharges the heat produced in the process locally to the polymer film. With the aid of a read beam in the data drive, the changes in the polymer film can be registered, since the read beam is locally reflected more or less intensely at the interface of the polymer film, depending on the information written in. By focusing the write beam or read beam, information can be written specifically into a preselected position on the information carrier or read out from it.
It is an object of the invention to provide a holographic data storage medium which is inexpensive, has wide areas of application and is largely insensitive to external influences.
The holographic data storage medium according to the invention has a polymer film which is set up as a storage layer and which can be changed locally by heating. This polymer film is set up as a top layer of the data storage medium. Arranged underneath the polymer film is an absorber layer, which has an absorber dye which is set up to at least partly absorb a write beam serving to put information in and to discharge the heat produced in the process at least partly locally to the polymer film. The polymer film set up as a storage layer is preferably arranged in one layer in the data storage medium (preferably in a substantially flat arrangement), that is to say, for example, not wound up in a plurality of layers in spiral form.
Since the polymer film is set up as a top layer of the data storage medium, it can serve as the exposed outer side of the data storage medium and protects the generally relatively sensitive absorber layer located underneath. Furthermore, the changes in the polymer film which are effected by heating and using which holographic information is stored are primarily localized in the vicinity of the absorber layer, as explained in more detail further below. Therefore, this region of the polymer film provided with the stored information is likewise located in a protected zone. Undesired influences on the exposed outer side, such as scratches, therefore generally do not have any further effect and, above all, do not lead to a loss of data or to faults when putting information into the data storage medium.
The holographic data storage medium according to the invention is simply constructed, since an additional protective device can generally be dispensed with, and can therefore be produced inexpensively.
An adhesive layer is preferably arranged underneath the absorber layer, and makes it possible to stick the holographic data storage medium onto an object. If the adhesive layer is located immediately underneath the absorber layer, it simultaneously protects the absorber layer and the adjacent region of the polymer film with stored holographic information. The adhesive layer can, for example, contain an adhesive compound comprising an aqueous acrylate emulsion or can consist of functionalized poly(meth)acrylate. Other materials can also be used for the adhesive layer. One preferred thickness of the adhesive layer is about 20 μm, but other thicknesses are also possible.
In an advantageous refinement of the invention, a partly transparent reflective layer is arranged between the storage layer and the absorber layer. The reflective layer can have aluminum and preferably has a thickness in the range from 1 nm to 50 nm, other thicknesses also being possible. It is partly transparent, in order that the write beam penetrates as far as the absorber layer when information is being put in. Since the reflective layer is thin, it virtually does not hinder the discharge of heat to the polymer film. The reflective layer makes it easier to read out the stored holographic information in reflection, which represents a beneficial geometry in most applications. This is explained further below using examples. Furthermore, the reflective layer simplifies the operation of setting the focus of the write beam (see below).
It is also possible to arrange a reflective layer underneath the absorber layer. If there is an adhesive layer, this reflective layer is preferably located between the absorber layer and the adhesive layer. A layer structure of this kind permits the absorber layer to be penetrated in transmission when information is being read out of the holographic data storage medium, so that, for example, the contrast of the read-out signal is amplified if the absorption capacity of the absorber dye within the absorber layer varies in accordance with the information put in (amplitude effect; see below).
Suitable materials for the polymer film are, for example, polypropylene, polyvinylchloride, polyester, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate, polymethylpentene (PMP; also poly-2-methylpentene) and polyimide. The polymer film preferably has a thickness such that it is self-supporting and can carry out the protective function explained above. Suitable thicknesses lie in the range between 10 μm and 100 μm, but other thicknesses are likewise possible.
The polymer film can be oriented and is preferably biaxially oriented, for example it being pretensioned in two mutually perpendicular directions within its plane during production. This generally increases the strength of the polymer film. Furthermore, in the case of an oriented polymer film, a high energy density is stored in the film material. As a result of local heating with the deposition of a relatively small amount of energy per unit area, for example with the aid of a write beam from a writing device, which is absorbed in the absorber layer, a relatively intense material change with a change in the local properties of the polymer film can be achieved.
In addition to the absorber dye, the absorber layer preferably has a binder. The absorber dye permits local heating of the polymer film which is sufficient to change the local properties of the polymer film with a relatively low intensity of the write beam. The absorber layer can be thin and, for example, have a thickness in the range from 0.1 μm to 5 μm; other thicknesses are likewise possible. Preferred binders, which serve as a matrix for the molecules of the absorber dye are, for example, optically transparent polymers, for example of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) or, in the case of applications for higher temperatures, of polymethylpentene, polyether ether ketone (PEEK) or polyether imide. The absorption maximum of the absorber dye should coincide with the light wavelength of the write beam used, in order to achieve efficient absorption. For a light wavelength of 532 nm of a write beam produced by a laser, for example dyes from the Sudan red family (diazo dyes) or (for particularly polar plastics) eosin scarlet are suitable. For the usual laser diodes with a light wavelength of 650 to 660 nm or 685 nm, green dyes, for example from the styryl family (which are usual as laser dyes), are better suited.
There are various possible ways to use the local change in the properties of the polymer film, effected by local heating of the latter, for the storage of information.
In one possible way, the refractive index of the polymer film can be changed locally by heating, it being possible for optical phase information to be stored in the polymer film via the local optical path length. In this case, provision is made to transilluminate the polymer film in transmission when reading out information (it being possible for the reflective layer to be helpful, see below). It is therefore possible to store phase information locally in the polymer film, that is to say in a region provided for the storage of a unit of information, by the refractive index in this region being changed by heating (for example with the aid of a write beam from a writing device). The local change in the refractive index effects a change in the optical path length of the radiation used when reading information out of the polymer film (which transilluminates the polymer film in transmission). The optical path length is specifically the product of the geometric path length and the refractive index. Therefore, via a change in the refractive index, the local phase angle of the radiation used when reading out information can be influenced, that is to say the desired holographic information can be stored as phase information. A hologram produced in the polymer film in this way is accordingly a refractive phase hologram.
In another possible way, the surface structure or interface structure of the polymer film can be changed locally by heating, it being possible for holographic information to be stored via the local interface structure of the polymer film. In this case, therefore, the interface structure or topography of the polymer film, in particular at the interface to the absorber layer or to the reflection layer, pointing away from the exposed outer side of the polymer film, can be changed locally, for example by a laser beam serving as a write beam being focused on to the absorber layer or the interface zone of the polymer film, so that the light energy is absorbed there and converted into heat energy. In particular if the laser beam is radiated in briefly (pulsed), the material change in the polymer film leading to the local change in the interface structure is limited to a very small volume, on account of the generally poor thermal conductivity of the polymer (or of a very thin reflective layer). If the holographic information is put into the polymer film point by point, the region associated with a point typically having linear lateral dimensions of the order of magnitude of 0.5 μm to 1 μm, the height profile of the polymer film typically changes by 50 nm to 500 nm, which depends in detail on the properties and operating conditions of the write beam and the properties of the polymer film, of the absorber layer and possibly of the reflective layer. The point grid, that is to say the center spacing between two points (“pits”), typically lies in the range from 1 μm to 2 μm. In general, it is true that shorter light wavelengths of the write beam permit a closer point grid.
Mixed forms are also conceivable, in which the holographic information can be stored both by a local change in the refractive index and by a local change in the interface structure of the polymer film.
The absorber dye can be set up such that its optical properties are changed locally when it absorbs a write beam serving to put information in. In this case, it is particularly advantageous if the absorber dye changes its absorption capacity locally, that is to say by being bleached partly or completely by the write beam. By means of local variation in the absorption capacity in the absorber layer, the effect achieved in the polymer film by the changes can be reinforced, so that the signal obtained when reading out the holographic data storage medium is more intense or more contrasty than if the absorber layer does not participate in the data storage. The weighting of the individual effects (local refractive index of the polymer film, local interface structure of the polymer film, amplitude effect as a result of locally bleached absorber dye) in the read signal may be influenced or set by choosing the layer structure of the holographic data storage medium. Thus, an amplitude effect is relatively high when a locally bleached absorber layer is transilluminated when information is being read out, such as is the case when a reflective layer is arranged underneath the absorber layer.
The information to be stored can be put into the holographic data storage medium by an item of holographic information contained in a hologram of a stored object being calculated as a two-dimensional arrangement and a write beam from a writing device, preferably a laser lithograph, being aimed at the polymer film and/or the absorber layer of the data storage medium and driven in accordance with the two-dimensional arrangement such that the local properties of the polymer film are set in accordance with the holographic information. Since the physical processes during the scattering of light at a stored object are known, a conventional structure for producing a hologram (in which coherent light from a laser, which is scattered by an object (stored object) is brought to interference with a coherent reference beam and the interference pattern produced in the process is recorded as a hologram) can be simulated for example with the aid of a computer program and the interference pattern or the modulation of the local properties of the polymer film can be calculated as a two-dimensional arrangement (two-dimensional array).
As already explained further above, examples of the local properties of the polymer film which are set in accordance with holographic information are the local refractive index and the local interface structure of the polymer film.
The resolution of a suitable laser lithograph is typically about 50 000 dpi (dots per inch). Therefore, the polymer film can be changed locally in regions or pits with a size of about 0.5 μm to 1 μm. The writing speed and other details depend, inter alia, on the parameters of the write laser (laser power, light wavelength) and the pulse duration and on the properties of the polymer film and the absorber layer.
The write beam is preferably aimed at the holographic data storage medium from the side of the top layer. In this case, it is possible, for example, to put information into the data storage medium if the adhesive layer does not have good optical properties or the data storage medium is bonded to a non-transparent substrate.
If the holographic data storage medium has a partly transparent reflective layer, as explained further above, then, in order to focus the write beam, its reflection from the reflective layer can be evaluated. A comparable reflection would also occur in the case of reflection at the interface between two media with different refractive indices if no reflective layer is arranged there but, in the present case, will be reinforced considerably by the reflective layer. The evaluation can be carried out, for example, via the magnitude of the reflection, measured with the aid of a detector, it being possible for the exact focus setting to be determined, for example, with the aid of calibration measurements. If the reflective layer is very thin (about 1 nm to 50 nm, but also more or less), it can be assumed that the focus of the write beam set to the reflective layer virtually coincides with the optimum focus in the absorber layer. Therefore, when information is put in, the absorber layer can be heated virtually in an optimum way.
As mentioned, the holographic information is preferably put in in the form of pits of predefined size. The term “pit” is to be understood here more generally in the sense of a changed region and not restricted to its original meaning (hole or depression). In this case, the holographic information can be stored in a pit in binary encoded form. This means that, in the region of a given pit, the local properties of the polymer film assume only one of two possible basic forms (basic values). These basic forms preferably differ considerably, in order that intermediate forms which occur in practice and which lie close to one or the other basic form can be assigned unambiguously to one or the other basic form, in order to store the information reliably and unambiguously.
Alternatively, the holographic information can be stored in a pit in continuously encoded form, the local properties of the polymer film in the pit being set in accordance with a value from a predefined value range. If, for example, the local interface structure of the polymer film is to be set, the local maximum height change in the interface structure in the pit is therefore selected from a predefined value range. This means that, in a given pit, the interface structure of the polymer film can assume intermediate forms between two basic forms, so that the maximum height change of the intermediate form which is present assumes a value from a predefined value range whose limits are given by the maximum height changes of the two basic forms. In this case, the information can therefore be stored “in gray steps”, so that each pit is assigned the information content of more than one bit. This is correspondingly true of the setting of the local refractive index of the polymer film.
In order to read information out from the holographic data storage medium according to the invention, light, preferably coherent light (for example from a laser) can be aimed at a large area of the storage layer of the data storage medium. In this case, the light is modulated by the locally varying properties of the polymer film (for example the refractive index or the interface structure). As a reconstruction of the information contained in the irradiated region, a holographic image is registered at a distance from the data storage medium, for example by a CCD sensor which is connected to a data processing device.
In principle, the reading operation can be carried out with transmission of the holographic data storage medium, that is to say the data storage medium is transilluminated completely and the holographic image is registered behind the data storage medium. However, for this purpose all the layers of the data storage medium must have a good optical quality, that is to say not just the polymer film but also the absorber layer and an optional adhesive layer. It is therefore more advantageous to read out the information in reflection, the light used for reading being reflected after passing through the polymer film. In this case, the holographic image is produced by light which has passed twice through the polymer film and, in the process, has been modulated, for example by local variations in the refractive index and/or the interface structure of the polymer film. In principle, reading can even be carried out in reflection if there is no separate reflective layer present; the only precondition is the presence of an interface between two media with different refractive indices. However, the reflective layer mentioned between the polymer film and the absorber layer improves the reproduction of the holographic image considerably.
The term “large area” is to be understood to mean an area which is considerably larger than the area of a pit. In this sense, for example an area of 1 mm2 is large. For the scheme in accordance with which information is stored and read out, there are many different possibilities. It is conceivable to read a hologram out of the polymer film in one operation by the entire area of the region of the holographic data storage medium set up as a hologram being irradiated in one operation. In particular in the case of relatively large areas, however, it is advantageous to divide up the information to be stored in to a number or large number of individual regions (for example with a respective area of 1 mm2) and to read out the information in one operation only from a predefined individual region.
During the reading of information, as a result of the locally varying properties of the polymer film, propagation time differences of the light waves originating from various points occur, that is to say substantially periodic phase modulation (which applies in particular in the case of local setting of the refractive index or the interface structure of the polymer film). The region of the polymer film covered by the light acts in the same way as a diffraction grating, which deflects incident light in a defined manner. The deflected light forms an image of the stored object, which constitutes the reconstruction of stored holographic information.
In principle, holographic information from different types of stored objects can be used with the holographic data storage medium. For example, the information contained in images, such as photographs, logos, texts and so on, can be stored and read out. However, the storage of machine-readable data is particularly advantageous. This is carried out, for example, in the form of what are known as data pages, the holographic information contained in a hologram of a graphic bit pattern (which represents the data information) being put as explained into the polymer film serving as a storage layer. During reading, a holographic image of this graphic pattern is produced. The information contained therein can be registered, for example with the aid of a precisely adjusted CCD sensor, and can be processed by associated evaluation software. For the reproduction of images in which high accuracy is not important, a simple matt disk or, for example; a camera with and LCD screen is already in principle sufficient. During the holographic storage of machine-readable data, it is advantageous that the information does not have to be read out sequentially but that an entire data set can be registered in one operation, as explained. If, in spite of the protection by the exposed outer side of the polymer film of the regions of the data storage medium serving to store information, damage nevertheless occurs then, as opposed to a conventional data storage medium, this generally does not lead to a loss of data but merely to impairment of the resolution of the reconstructed holographic image when reading out the information. This is generally not a problem.
In the following text, the invention will be explained further using exemplary embodiments. In the drawings:
In the exemplary embodiment, the polymer film 2 is a biaxially oriented film of polypropylene (BOPP) with a thickness of 35 μm. Thinner or thicker films are likewise conceivable. Films of other materials are also suitable, as explained further above.
The absorber layer 4 in the exemplary embodiment contains polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) as binder, to which the absorber dye Sudan red 7B is added. In the exemplary embodiment, the absorber layer is produced from a solution of 10.5% by mass of polymethyl methacrylate and 1.2% by mass of Sudan red 7B in toluene, which is applied to the underside of the polymer film 2 using a linearly engraved roll. The thickness of the absorber layer is about 0.5 μm and preferably lies in the range from 0.3 μm to 1.0 μm. However, other layer thicknesses are likewise conceivable. In order that the absorber layer 4 adheres better, before the application of the absorber layer 4 the underside of the polymer film 2 can be pre-treated in accordance with a process which is basically known.
The adhesive layer 6 in the exemplary embodiment is produced from an aqueous acrylate dispersion and has a layer thickness of 23±4 μm. Other layer thicknesses are likewise possible, and other adhesive compounds can also be used. The underside of the absorber layer 4 can be pre-treated before the application of the adhesive layer 6, in order to ensure better adhesion of the adhesive layer 6.
The absorber layer 4 and the zones of the polymer film 2 which are changed when information is put in (see below) lie in the internal region of the data storage medium 1 and are protected by the upper region of the polymer film 2 having the outer side 3 and the adhesive layer 6.
In the exemplary embodiment, the reflective layer 8 consists of aluminum vapor-deposited on the underside of the polymer film 2 with a thickness such that the result is a transmission of 50%. Preferred layer thicknesses lie in the range from 1 nm to 50 nm, but smaller or larger values are also possible. Given such a low thickness, the reflective layer 8 is partly transparent, so that a write beam aimed at the outer side 3 of the polymer film 2 (for example from a laser lithograph, see below) can pass through the reflective layer 8 in order to reach the absorber layer 4.
As already mentioned, a series of materials are possible for the individual layers of the holographic data storage medium, and the layer thicknesses can also assume a large number of values. Furthermore, additional layers are conceivable. While the polymer film 2 is self-supporting in the case of the data storage media 1 and 1′, an additional rigid carrier layer can be provided in another embodiment, for example between the absorber layer and the adhesive layer.
In the exemplary embodiment explained by using
The absorber layer 4 has a preferred optical density in the range from 0.2 to 1.0; however, other values are likewise conceivable. The optical density is a measure of the absorption, here based on the light wavelength of a write beam. The optical density is defined as the negative decimal logarithm of the transmission through the absorber layer, which coincides with the product of the extinction coefficient at the wavelength of the write beam used, the concentration of absorber dye in the absorber layer 4 and the thickness of the absorber layer 4.
In the following text, using
Within the polymer film 12, information is stored in the form of pits 20. In the region of a pit 20, the polymer film 12 has a refractive index which is different from that in the zones between the pits 20. The term “pit” is to be understood here in the sense of a changed region, that is to say more generally than in its original meaning (“hole”). In this case, the information can be stored in a pit in binary encoded form, by the refractive index assuming only two different values (it being possible for one of the two values also to coincide with the refractive index of the polymer film 12 in the zones between the pits 20). It is also possible to store information in a pit 20 in continuously encoded form, it being possible for the refractive index within the pit 20 to assume any desired selected value from a predefined value range. In clear terms, in the case of storage in binary encoded form, a pit is “black” or “white” while, in the case of storage in continuously encoded form, it can also assume all the gray values lying in between.
The representation of the write beam 22 and its focus 23 in
The distance between the upper region of a pit 20 and the outer side 13 of the polymer film 12 is relatively large, so that the pits 20 produced by the write beam 22 lie in a region of the polymer film 11 which is relatively safe against external influences.
In order to put information into the polymer film 11, first of all phase information contained in a hologram of a stored object is calculated as a two-dimensional arrangement. This can be carried out as a simulation of a classical structure for producing a photographically recorded hologram, in which coherent line from a laser, after scattering at the stored object, is brought into interference with a coherent reference beam, and the interference pattern produced in the process is recorded as a hologram. The two-dimensional arrangement (two-dimensional array) then contains the information which is necessary to drive the write beam of a laser lithograph. In the exemplary embodiment, the laser lithograph has a resolution of about 50 000 dpi (i.e. about 0.5 μm). The write beam from the laser lithograph is guided over the outer side 13 of the polymer film 12 in pulsed operation (typical pulse duration of about 10 ns to 10 μs with a beam power of about 1 mW to 20 mW in order to put in a pit 20), in order to put the desired information sequentially into the polymer film 12 (or a preselected region of the polymer film 12). In the process, the write beam 22 heats the absorber layer 14 in accordance with the two-dimensional array and in this way produces the pits 20, as explained above.
Part of the incident read beam 24, which, for practical reasons, strikes the outer side 13 of the polymer film 12 at an angle, is reflected at the reflective layer 18 on the underside of the polymer film 12, so that a reflected read beam 26 originates from the reflective layer 18 and, in the process, passes through the pits 20. (The proportion of the incident read beam 24 let through by the reflective layer 18 is not shown in
The expenditure required for the detector and further processing of the registered holographic image depend on the type of stored object, as already explained further above. For the reproduction of machine-readable data (data pages), a CCD sensor connected to a data processing device is particularly suitable while, for pure image reproduction, a simpler detector is also expedient, in particular if the image data is not to be processed further.
Using
In order to produce a pit for storing information, a pulsed write beam from a writing device (preferably a laser lithograph, as explained using
The information can be stored in a pit 40 in binary encoded form, by H assuming only two different values (one of the two values preferably being 0). It is also possible to store information in a pit 40 in continuously encoded form, it being possible for H for a given pit 40 to assume any desired selected value from a predefined value range.
Otherwise, the information can be put into the data storage medium 31 in a manner similar to the data storage medium 11, that is to say preferably with the write beam from a laser lithograph which is guided over the polymer film 32 in pulsed operation and in the process produces the pits 40 in a previously calculated way. In plan view, the polymer film 32 with the pits 40 then appears similar to the illustration in
The light waves 42 and 43 have a fixed phase Φ in relation to one another. For practical reasons, they fall on the outer side 33 of the polymer film 32 at an angle, pass through the polymer film 32 and are partly reflected at the reflective layer 38, so that reflected light waves 48 and 49 originate from the reflective layer 38 and in turn pass through the polymer film 32. For clarity, the proportion of the incident light waves 46 and 47 which passes through the partly transparent reflective layer 38 is not illustrated in
By using
In principle, the methods explained for putting information in and reading information out can be used even when there is no reflective layer 18 or 38. For example, a write beam can also be focused without the aid of a reflective layer. When information is read out in reflection, a difference in the refractive index between two layers can be used. Furthermore, embodiments of the holographic data storage medium are conceivable in which the data storage medium is transilluminated in transmission when information is read out.
A third exemplary embodiment of a layer structure of the holographic data storage medium is illustrated in schematic longitudinal section in
In the case of this layer structure, the reflective layer 8′ again makes it easier to focus the write beam onto the absorber layer 4′. Furthermore, when the information put in is read out, the absorber layer 4′ is transilluminated.
If the absorber dye contained in the absorber layer 4′ can be bleached locally when information is put in (for example with the aid of a laser lithograph), a change used for storing information can be achieved not only by the local heating of the absorber dye and the local change in the polymer film 2 effected by this (as explained above), but additionally also by a local change in the optical properties of the absorber dye, namely the absorption capacity. When information is read out from the data storage medium 1″, both effects are used in the layer structure according to
The following Table 1 lists dyes which are in principle suitable as an absorber dye for the absorber layer of the holographic data storage medium. In the first column, the wavelength (in nm) of the absorption maximum is specified; Table 1 is arranged by increasing wavelengths, if wavelengths are present. If available, the color index (CI) and a synonymous designation are also listed.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 101 28 902 | Jun 2001 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP02/01951 | 2/25/2002 | WO | 00 | 12/15/2003 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO02/103689 | 12/27/2002 | WO | A |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| 20040145788 A1 | Jul 2004 | US |
