United States Patent
`
`[19]
`
`Reilly et al.
`
`[11] Patent Number:
`
`5,740,549
`
`[45] Date of Patent:
`
`Apr. 14, 1998
`
`USOOS740549A
`
`[54]
`
`INFORMATION AND ADVERTISING
`DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM AND METHOD
`
`“Journalist—A New Prodigy Add—On”, Newsbytes News
`Network. Apr. 5, 1994.
`
`[75]
`
`Inventors: James P. Reilly, San Francisco;
`Gregory P. Hassett, Cupertino, both of
`Calif.
`
`[73] Assignee: PointCast, Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif.
`
`[21] Appl. No.: 489,591
`
`[22]
`
`Filed:
`
`Jun. 12, 1995
`
`[51]
`Int. C1.6 ...................................................... G06F 17/60
`
`[52] us. Cl. .............................. 705/14
`[58] Field of Search ............................... 395/214, 200.09,
`395/20011, 200.15, 602, 604; 705/1. 14
`
`[56]
`
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`Primary Examiner—Gail O. Hayes
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`Zafman LLP
`
`[57]
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`In summary, the present invention is an information and
`advertising distribution system. A data server stores and
`updates a database of information items and advertisements.
`The information items and advertisements are each catego—
`rized so that each has an associated information category.
`Workstations remotely located from the data sewer each
`include a display device, a communication interface for
`receiving at least a subset of the information items and
`advertisements in the data server’s database and local
`memory for storing the information items and advertise-
`ments received from the data server. An information admin—
`istrator in each workstation establishes communication with
`the data server from time to time so as to update the
`information items and advertisements stored in local
`
`memory with at least a subset of the information items and
`advertisements stored by the data server. An information
`display controller in each workstation displays on the work-
`station’s display device at least a subset of the information
`items and advertisements stored in local memory when the
`workstation meets predefined idleness criteria. At least a
`subset of the workstations include a profiler for storing
`subscriber profile data. The subscriber profile data repre-
`sents subscriber information viewing preferences, indicating
`information categories for which the subscriber does and
`does not want to View information items. The information _
`display controller includes a filter for excluding from the
`information items displayed on the display device those
`information items inconsistent with the subscriber profile
`data.
`
`20 Claims, 10 Drawing Sheets
`
`102
`x.“
`102
`Clienl
`
`Silent
`
`LAN
`Server
`K 111a
`105
`
`'
`
`Clienl
`
`
`
`
`lnlsmel lnlevconneclxviry l'\11§
`(Switches, etc)
`
`
`
`AP News Feed
`
`DOW News Feed
`Span: Ticker
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`\134
`
`
`
`114
`
`Inlnrmannn Emmr
`
` \130
`
`
`
`lnlmmallnn Dalabase
`'
`Tables [or accessing can
`\135
`News Slaw ncms
`5.132
`Advertisements
`muse
`Images
`\140
`Dlsplay SCI/p15
`L\mz
`Soliwarelnv dawniaadmg m cnems x144
`Clienl Catalog
`x143
`Advertising display slatislics
`\149
`News item display stansncs
`
`\150
`x152
`Application Servers
`\154
`Dala Servers
`
`
`
`Page 1 of 24
`
`LG EXHIBIT 1003
`
`l—.:__._—
`
`\ME Hauler
`
`Page 1 of 24
`
`LG EXHIBIT 1003
`
`

`

`5,740,549
`
`Page 2
`
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`--
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`
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`
`Page 2 of 24
`
`Page 2 of 24
`
`

`

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`22, 1994.
`
`Donald T. Hawldns, “Electronic Advertising on Online
`Information Systems”, Online V. 18, n 2, pp. 26—39, Mar.
`1994.
`
`Page 4 of 24
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`Page 4 of 24
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`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Apr. 14, 1998
`
`Sheet 1 of 10
`
`5,740,549
`
`100
`
`\d
`
`102
`
`102
`
`1 02
`
`106
`
`
`
`
`
`104
`
`1 10
`
`
`AP News Feed
`DOW News Feed
`Sports Ticker
`
`120
`
`Internet Interface
`
`Newswire Interface
`
`1 1
`
`Information Database
`
`130
`
`134
`
`
`
`User Interface
`
`_ 150
`.
`.
`Application Servers
`152
`
`154
`
`FIGURE 1
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`Page 5 of 24
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`

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`US. Patent
`
`Apr. 14, 1998
`
`Sheet 2 of 10
`
`5,740,549
`
`119 User Interface
`
`176
`
`
`
`.°."=:=Z-Z=:=:=:-:"'
`
`102
`W lnternetlnterconnectivity
`(Switches. etc)
`
`170
`
`178
`
`172
`m
`
`Administration Manager
`
`Information Database
`
`174
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`180
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`181
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`182
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`184
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`186
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`183
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`
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`194
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`200
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`201
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`202
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`204
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`206
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`210
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`188
`m 190
`192
`
`
`
`
`-
`
`Screen SaverNiewer Procedures
`
`FIGURE 2
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`Page 6 of 24
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`Page 6 of 24
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`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Apr. 14, 1998
`
`Sheet 3 of 10
`
`5,740,549
`
`202-1
`
`
`
`Category Profile Data Structure
`
`202A
`
`2028
`
`2020
`
`202+:
`
`
`
`202_2
`
`202-3
`
`Category Profiler
`
`202-4
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`FIGURE3
`
`User Profile
`
`194
`
`Subscriber Identifier
`
`Connection Password
`
`Subscriber Hardware & Software Configuration
`
`Connection Schedule
`
`Category and Subcategory Preferences
`
`Timestamp1 Last News Update
`
`TImestamp2 - Last Ad Update
`
`Timestamps - Last Administrative Update
`
`
` Display Statistics
`
`Last Displayed Category, Ad News Items etc
`
`Screen Saver Exit Mode
`
`item Storage Limits
`
`FIGURE 4
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`Page 7 of 24
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`
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`212
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`213
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`214
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`215
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`216
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`217a
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`217b
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`217c
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`218
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`219
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`220
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`221
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`Page 7 of 24
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`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Apr. 14,1998
`
`Sheet 4 of 10
`
`5,740,549
`
`Category Profiler Dialog Box
`222
`
`
`Sports News Profile
`
`
`Check box for each topic that interests you:
`
`223
`11dotbalUtewe;1;1;~111;11;1’1
`E Sports Images
`
`
`E] Sports Scoboard
`Include only stories
`
`
`mentioning:
`E] Baseball news
`
`
`gramme
`
`
`El Basketball news
`
`
`E Hockey news
`Exclude stories
`mentioning:
`B Soccer news
`
`
`D Tennis/Golfnews
`. :3
`I: College news
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Select All
`
`Deselect All
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`News Category Profile Data Structure
`2028
`
`
`
`
`
`Subcategory selections
`
`Include filters
`
`Exclude filters
`
`
`
`
`
`FIGURE 5
`
`Page 8 of 24
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`Page 8 of 24
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`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Apr. 14, 1998
`
`Sheet 5 of 10
`
`5,740,549
`
`230a
`
`Headline 1
`
`Headline 2
`(Short Article)
`
`230C
`
`.
`Headline 3
`
`Image
`
`Advertisement
`
`FIGURE 6
`
`Page 9 of 24
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`Page 9 of 24
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`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Apr. 14,1998
`
`Sheet 6 of 10
`
`5,740,549
`
`Display Script Definition
`Dialog Box
`234
`
`
`
`
`Define New Actor
`
`Edit Actor
`
`Delete Actor
`
`Smooth Path
`
`Wallpaper
`
`Actor2
`
`NxtN
`ArialFont
`
`Actors
`N
`NxtN
`
`Actor4
`N
`NxtAd
`
`Actor5 Wallpaper: NYNY1
`SS
`SS3
`
`236
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`1 2
`
`—__—_
`s_--_—
`4——-_—
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`30 x, y, size x, y, size x, y, size x, y, size x, y, size
`
`ACt0r1: N-> NextHL, W=300, H=150
`
`235
`
`Display Script Data Structure
`237
`
`
`
`
`Header: Script Name, No. of Actors, Wallpaper,
`Static Image List
`
`Actor definition arrays
`
`FIGURE 7A
`
`
`
`Open
`Save
`
`
`
`Save As
`Simulate
`
`FIGURE 7B
`
`Page 10 of 24
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`Page 10 of 24
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`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Apr. 14, 1998
`
`Sheet 7 of 10
`
`5,740,549
`
`In.
`
`'
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`File Name Category Link
`‘ist
`tst
`1st_ _-—
`
`Categorv Ad Story -_-m
`Elli
`—_ _-III
`—muII
`-E:§= --III
`—==“‘““"""= ‘==Ill=
`-“|‘“l“‘ —mIIIII
`
`
`\\‘ --IIIII
`
`
`
`I.
`-mIIIII
`
`
`\--lflll
`
`
`
`Finance
`
`Weather
`
`
`
`
`
`186
`
`Page 11 of 24
`
`
`
`
`
`--lllll
`
`Advertisement Queues
`
`File Name Category Link
`-_l-
`—mu-
`
`N004
`
`News
`
`Weather
`
`Weather
`
`Spons
`
`Spons
`
`Sports
`
`News
`
`Finance
`
`N007
`
`N008
`
`N010
`
`N011
`
`N012
`
`
`
`
`
`FIGURE 8
`
`News Story Queues
`
`Page 11 of 24
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`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Apr. 14,1998
`
`Sheet 8 of 10
`
`5,740,549
`
`File Name Category Link
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Category 2:: $22,, ‘33,: --l-
`
`WI-fi‘nfl-
`_I-= m—II-
`---n --Il-
`-I-liL Emu-
`---r.= sons -Il-
`—I--u -_Ill-
`__IIIII
`nlIu
`
`Category Queue —-IIIII
`_—IIIII
`
`-_IIII
`--lllll
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Headers
`
`
`
`
`FIGURE 9
`
`Script Queues
`
`Page 12 of 24
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`Page 12 of 24
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`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Apr. 14, 1993
`
`Sheet 9 of 10
`
`5,740,549
`
`Photo or Image
`Associated with
`
`Article
`
`@@ Anicxemoffll
`
`Advertisement
`Image
`
`‘—
`
`— ‘
`
`FIGURE 10
`
`252
`
`258
`
`Page 13 of 24
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`Page 13 of 24
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`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Apr. 14, 1998
`
`Sheet 10 of 10
`
`5,740,549
`
`104
`
`INFORMATION SERVER
`
`Client
`Computer
`
`
`
`
`
`/
`A.
`
`W
`
`
`-——————-————---n————
`
`FIGURE 11
`
`INFORMATION SERVER
`
`II I
`
`: :
`
`CLIENT COMPUTER
`
`Connection Scheduler
`
`'W
`
`—I
`
`I
`
`Initiate Connection
`
`Assi n A l‘cation Server
`Send User Profile and 4———"""I""'
`9
`pp '
`Advertisin Dis la
`'
`Statistics 9
`p y N Application Server
`
`I l l I
`
`Select and Send news items,
`I
`4——--'-r""' Ads, etc. needed to update
`local database.
`
`Load received data into
`local database. Delete
`specified items in local
`information database.
`Update data access
`tables.
`
`Page 14 of 24
`
`FIGURE 12
`
`Page 14 of 24
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`

`

`5,740,549
`
`2
`
`1
`INFORMATION AND ADVERTISING
`DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM AND METHOD
`
`invention relates generally to computer
`The present
`based information distribution systems, and particularly to a
`system for distributing to a set of subscribers’ computers
`information matching each subscriber’s interests as well as .
`advertising, and for distributing the information and adver—
`tising to each subscriber’s computer during time periods in
`which the subscriber’s computer is otherwise inactive.
`
`5
`
`10
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`inventors, the advertisements are either permanently embed-
`ded in the computer programs or reside permanently with
`computer programs such that they cannot be easily updated.
`The present invention addresses a problem prevalent in
`electronic information distribution systems. In particular,
`“on line” newspapers and magazines are notoriously difficult
`and tedious to read. Graphics and animation and full motion
`video, all
`techniques widely used in television news
`programs, require substantial data transmission bandwidth.
`Such data transmission is expensive both in terms of com-
`munications bandwidth (capacity) and time.
`In non—
`computer publishing such as printed magazines and
`newspapers, graphics are often used to make reading less
`dilficult and tedious. In television the majority of infonna—
`tion is delivered with movement (animation), although
`graphics are also often used.
`The use of large bandwidth data transmissions is not
`economically practical in the context of data dissemination
`via the Internet and other computer networks, although the
`cost of such data transmissions will undoubtedly continue to
`decrease. As a result, graphics and animation have typically
`received relatively little use in computer network based
`information dissemination systems.
`The present invention mixes advertising and information
`content dissemination in a manner unlike the examples
`mentioned above.
`
`is a goal of the present invention to disseminate
`It
`information and advertisements to subscribers’ computers in
`a system where the information and advertisements are
`automatically displayed when the subscriber’s computer is
`on but meets predefined idleness criteria. For example, the
`predefined idleness criteria could be the failure to receive
`any input for a period of at least five minutes.
`Another goal of the present invention is to automatically
`update each subscriber’s local database of news stories at
`least once per day, and preferably multiple times per day so
`as to present subscribers with timely information.
`Another goal of the present invention is present. news
`stories and advertisements in a dynamic and easy to read
`manner.
`
`Another goal of the present invention is to categorize
`news stories and advertisements, and to display advertise-
`ments associated with each category at the same time that
`new stories associated with same category are displayed,
`thereby providing a “targeted” audience for advertisers.
`Another goal of the present invention is provide each
`subscriber with the ability to set up and change a user profile
`indicating categories and subcategories bf topics which are
`of interest and not of interest to the subscriber. and to select
`the news stories displayed on the subscriber’s computer
`accordingly.
`Yet another goal of the present invention is to divide news
`stories into at least two portions, a preliminary portion and
`a secondary portion, where the preliminary portions of news
`stories are automatically displayed during idle periods, and
`the secondary portions are displayed only upon subscriber
`request.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`65
`
`In summary. the present invention is an information and
`advertising distribution system A information server stores
`and updates a database of information items and advertise-
`ments. The information items and advertisements are each
`categorized so that each has an associated information
`category. Workstations remotely located from the informa-
`
`The use of advertising revenues to pay for information
`dissemination is well established in domains such as tele-
`vision and radio in which end users are tuned to a continuous
`signal over a lengthy period of time. In such systems, due to
`' the continuous nature of the signal being monitored by the
`end users, the end users are sufliciently similar to a “captive
`audience” that many or most end users remain tuned to the
`same signal even when the main program to which they are
`listening or viewing is interrupted by advertisements.
`Another example of advertising mixed with information
`dissemination is the use of scrolled text at the bottom of a
`television of computer screen. where the main program
`occupies most of the end user’s visual field and a smaller
`portion is occupied by advertisements and the like on a
`“scroll bar” or similar visual device along the periphery of
`the screen. In some contexts, such as cable television
`channels that display a “stock ticker tape,” this relationship
`is reversed: the information portion of the screen occupies a
`small part of the screen, such as horizontally scrolling image
`region at the top or bottom of the display and the remainder
`of the screen is occupied by advertisements, “infomercials”
`and the like.
`
`Yet another example of mixing advertisements with infor-
`mation dissemination are newspapers and magazines.
`Most, and perhaps all such examples of mixing adver-
`tisements with information content are based on systems in
`which the end user has actively elected to View or listen to
`a program or to otherwise receive information. Furthermore,
`in virtually all such systems or media. the juxtaposition or
`placement of advertisements and information content is
`explicitly programmed or determined by human beings
`working as “editors” or in a similar content and/or presen-
`tation editing capacity.
`Up until the present, distributing information via the
`Internet or other publicly accessible computer communica-
`tion networks has been largely unsupported by advertising
`revenues due to the lack of good mechanisms for mixing
`advertising and information content in such a way as to be
`acceptable to both end users and advertisers. There are. of
`course, some exceptions where advertising/content mixtures
`from other contexts, such as newspapers and television. have
`been simply replicated on the Internet. For instance, some
`newspapers have been “published” at least in part on the
`Internet, and include advertisements along with information
`content. In fact. some newspapers sell advertising space on
`an associated World Wide Web (WWW) site. which often
`includes extensive listings of certain types of advertisements
`such as real estate advertisements, personal advertisements.
`and so on. Similarly. the scroll bar type advertisement at the
`bottom of a computer screen is based on similar advertising
`techniques used in cable television and other television
`contexts.
`
`There are also examples of computer programs which
`contain advertisements. In all such examples known to the
`
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`5 ,740,549
`
`3
`tion server each include a display device, a communication
`interface for receiving at least a subset of the information
`items and advertisements in the information server’s data-
`base and local memory for storing the information items and
`advertisements received from the information server. An
`information administrator in each workstation establishes
`communication with the information server from time to
`time so as to update the information items and advertise-
`ments stored in local memory with at least a subset of the
`information items and advertisements stored by the infor—
`mation server. An information display controller in each
`workstation displays on the workstation’s display device at
`least a subset of the information items and advertisements
`stored in local memory when the workstation meets pre-
`defined idleness criteria.
`At least a some of the workstations include a profiler for
`storing subscriber profile data. The subscriber profile data
`represents subscriber information viewing preferences, indi-
`cating information categories for which a subscriber asso-
`ciated with the workstation does and does not want to View
`information items. The information display controller
`includes a filter for excluding from the information items
`displayed on the display device those information items
`inconsistent with the subscriber profile data.
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`Additional objects and features of the invention will be
`more readily apparent from the following detailed descrip-
`tion and appended claims when taken in conjunction with
`the drawings, in which:
`FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an information and adver-
`tising distribution system in accordance with the present
`invention.
`
`10
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a subscriber’s computer in
`the information and advertising distribution system of FIG.
`1.
`
`35
`
`FIG. 3 schematically depicts the procedures and data
`structures in a set of category managers.
`FIG. 4 schematically depicts a user profile data structure
`stored in a subscriber’s computer to store status and con—
`figuration information for a particular subscriber and work-
`station.
`
`FIG. 5 schematically depicts the dialog box used to define
`the user profile for one information category.
`FIG. 6 schematically depicts display generated on a
`subscriber’s display device using the screen saver procedure
`in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
`FIGS. 7A and 7B schematically depicts the dialog box
`used to define a display script and the resulting data struc-
`ture.
`
`FIG. 8 and 9 schematically depict