WO2008054298A1

WO2008054298A1 - Method of producing a device and a device produced according to said method

Info

Publication number: WO2008054298A1
Application number: PCT/SE2007/000976
Authority: WO
Inventors: Magnus Sendel
Original assignee: Magnus Sendel
Priority date: 2006-11-03
Filing date: 2007-11-01
Publication date: 2008-05-08

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device or unit (A) which includes a first section (1 ) and a second section (2), the first section comprising a chewable section (1 b) made from a soft material, intended for use by the biting function of the opposing rows of a person's teeth (10, 11), the second section (2) comprising a graspable section (2b), designed to be grasped and to retain the device (A), made from a harder material (2a), the first section (1 ) being designed so that, when subjected to a retaining function (3), it can permanently interact with said second section (2). Said first section (1 ) is given an arched shape (1 c), in which the extent of the arch and/or the bend conforms with the arched shape of a person's rows of teeth (10, 11). The first section (1 ) and the second section (2) are permanently joined (3) to each other, to form said unit (A).

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTION: Method of producing a device and a device produced according to said method

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION In general, the present invention primarily relates to a device designed and produced for a chewing movement.

Secondarily, the present invention relates to a device comprising a first section and a second section attached thereto, forming an integrated unit.

In particular, the present invention relates to a method for producing a device such that the first section will be composed of a relatively soft material suitable for chewing, intended for the clenching function of a person's opposed rows of teeth and where the second section will be an easily grasped section intended for grasping and holding the device, and made from a relatively harder material, which can be grasped by a hand belonging to said person.

The first section should be designed so that it can interact with said second section, for a well-developed retaining effect, to form said unit.

The object of the invention is to provide a device where the first section of the unit will be able to work on and process opposed rows of teeth, primarily to make the tooth roots stronger and/or to counteract relaxation of the gingival pockets.

It has additionally been found that by using the device, and given repeated use, badly oriented teeth will also be subjected to mechanical forces which occur during repeated chewing sequences, whereby these forces will act in directions such that the distribution of forces will be able to align these teeth with other teeth in one or both rows of teeth. The latter effect will primarily be prominent for children and young people with adult teeth.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Methods, devices and designs related to said technical area and with functions and characteristics which comply with the stated requirements are known from a number of previous designs.

The use of various devices and units for keeping teeth free from bacteria and bacterial attack are known from background art.

Devices with appropriate characteristics include toothbrushes, toothpastes, toothpicks and/or dental floss.

It is also known that all food which requires much chewing (exemplified by raw vegetables, coarse bread) gives the rows of teeth and the bite useful exercise, and promotes the excretion of saliva, which has a function of flushing the teeth and reducing the deleterious effects of the bacteria. In addition, it has been found that the associated forces which occur between opposed rows of teeth will contribute to strengthening the attachment of teeth and tooth roots, and also create movement in and a mechanical action on the gingival pockets.

When the present invention is considered, it should be mentioned that the use of tooth braces is known, in order to straighten one or several teeth, both as a general adjust- ment to a row of teeth and also to improve the bite pattern between the rows of teeth in the upper and lower jaws.

It can be mentioned that background art includes various chewing and dummy devices or units for children and babies.

Such devices or units have been generally designed as comprising a first section and a second section, the first section primarily being suitable for chewing comprises a soft material suitable for the opposed, biting gums or rows of teeth of the child, and the second section preferably comprises a harder material, intended for grasping the device, suitable for holding by said child, the first section also being designed to provide a retaining effect in interaction with said second section.

In this embodiment, the first soft section has generally been designed as a ring (a toroid) to form a round, curved bite area of finite dimensions, in order to obtain a local surface area on the first section to act vertically on the gum or palate, and/or on a tooth or teeth, in order to counteract tooth-related and/or gum- or palate-related irritation, whose causes include incipient tooth exposure.

The present invention intends to offer a device and a unit which is intended to simulate tooth and/or jaw movements in a very natural manner, which can be expected to correspond to the tooth and/or jaw movements associated with food which is difficult to chew, and is thus primarily intended for children and young people, but also for adults.

It is also previously known that there are various methods for producing devices and units, by the use of sets of moulding tools, or other methods, in order to produce individual plastic components from various plastic materials with different properties, and to cause these to be fixed to each other by means of heat treatment or other processes.

The following patent publications belong to the prior art, as regards the technical field and the intended application:

German patent publication DE-C-821 256, wherein a device and a unit are described, which can be regarded as being related to the basic conditions of this invention.

This known prior art technology relates to the formation of a first, soft section and a second, harder section, where the first section is to be regarded as being adapted for chewing and the second section is to be regarded as being adapted for grasping.

These two sections are also permanently fixed to each other. In particular, said patent publication stipulates that the one, chewable section (2) should consist of a semi-circular section and that a graspable section (3) should be fixed to the first section (2).

Said chewable section (2) should consist of a number of layers of rubber or rubbery structures or of other elastic material.

The reference numeral (1 ) refers to a 7 mm thick elastic section, whose external surfaces are provided with well formed, and spaciously separated warts (2).

The materials in the elastic layers should be hygienic and wear-resistant and can in addition be soaked in a good-tasting material and in addition, the material should be springy.

The patent publication W0-A1 -93/20900 shows and describes a section adapted for chewing, i.e. a chewable section (1 ) with a shape that is essentially a half-toroid shape, and where a section adapted for grasping, i.e. a graspable section (4, 6, 8) forms a right angle to a plane adjacent to said toroid shape.

The Chinese patent application 88207339.7 shows and describes a closed ring (1 ), e.g. circular, provided on its upper and lower sides with a pattern (ridges), the elastic ring being joined to a graspable handle (2).

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION TECHNICAL PROBLEM

If attention is paid to the circumstances that the technical considerations a person skilled in the relevant technical field has to make, in order to be able to present a solution to one or more technical problems raised, initially there is to be a necessary insight in the measures and/or the sequence of measures that should be taken as well as a necessary choice of the means that is or are required, the subsequent technical problems should, in view of this, be relevant in creating and forming the present subject of invention. When considering the prior art described above, it should therefore be regarded as being a technical problem to realise the importance of and the advantages associated with and/or the technical measures and considerations which will be required for producing a device for a chewing movement, where said device comprises a first section suitable for chewing, made from a first material intended and adapted for the biting function of a person's opposed rows of teeth, and a second section in the form of a second material which is formed, designed and adapted as a graspable section, so it can be grasped by a hand belonging to said person, for grasping and holding the device, the first chewable section being designed to interact with said second, grasp- able section, to create the conditions for producing the chewable section in a first process stage for producing a device suitable for chewing in a first set of moulding tools, made one unit at a time, and allowing the graspable section to be produced in a second process stage from a different plastic material, in a second set of moulding tools, made one unit at a time, the chewable section thus produced being formed with an edge-oriented gap or groove facing an end portion associated with the graspable section, the thus produced graspable section being designed with a projection associated with said end portion.

It is a technical problem in the method indicated here, to realise the importance of and the advantages associated with and/or the technical measures and considerations which will be required to cause said gap or groove, within said chewable section, to be oriented in a third process stage, in a heated state, a viscous syrupy state, for receiving said projection and to cause said chewable first section to be caused to be fixed to said graspable second section in said third or a fourth process stage, for a sealed and partly fused interaction with said projection on said second graspable section.

It is a technical problem to realise the importance of and the advantages associated with and/or the technical measures and considerations which will be required to provide the first set of moulding tools with one or several moulding surfaces, being un- even and pock-marked, as would be caused by a spark erosion method.

It is a technical problem to realise the importance of and the advantages associated with and/or the technical measures and considerations which will be required to cause the chewable section to reach a high temperature, which allows the section to offer a soft, easily formed structure in the third process stage.

It is a technical problem to realise the importance of and the advantages associated with and/or the technical measures and considerations which will be required to let said temperature be 200⁰C or thereabouts.

It is a technical problem to realise the importance of and the advantages associated with and/or the technical measures and considerations which will be required to let the first material be a TPE plastic material and/or medical rubber, with a hardness of 40° Shore A or thereabouts.

It is a technical problem to realise the importance of and the advantages associated with and/or the technical measures and considerations which will be required to let the second material be a polypropylene plastic material, a PP plastic.

It is a technical problem to realise the importance of and the advantages associated with and/or the technical measures and considerations which will be required to let the groove or gap receive a central projection with side-related, curved grooves, associ- ated with and adapted to the projection on the grasping section.

It is a technical problem to realise the importance of and the advantages associated with and/or the technical measures and considerations which will be required to place a unit comprising a chewable section and a graspable section in a packaging sur- rounding the device, the packaging consisting of two sections, which are organised via a rotatable joint to assume a closed position with the device enclosed inside, and another position which allows the package to be opened for removal of the device.

It is a technical problem to realise the importance of and the advantages associated with and/or the technical measures and considerations which will be required to select the first plastic material and the second plastic material with mutually coordinated properties, whereby the first material, in a hotter state, can be attached to the second plastic material in a cooler state. The characteristics associated with the invention, as regards a device or a unit, said device comprising a first section and a second section, the first section consisting of a first material intended and adapted for the biting function of a person's opposed rows of teeth, and the second section being made from a generally harder material which is formed, designed and adapted to be grasped by said person, the first section being designed to interact with said second section for a retaining effect, allowing by simple means the massage of primarily the permanent teeth and/or rows of teeth, so that by repeated daily treatment during shorter durations or periods of time, say two minutes two times per day, the conditions are created for strengthening the tooth roots and to mechanically massage the gingival pockets (straighten up misaligned teeth) and additionally for generation of suitable, evenly distributed forces on opposed rows of teeth and/or for training and strengthening the jaw muscles, which could contribute to reduced symptoms related to stress-related tinnitus and headaches.

It is a technical problem to realise the importance of and the advantages associated with and/or the technical measures and considerations which will be required to achieve said retaining effect via an integration of materials, coordinating the choice of material for the first section and the choice of material for the second section.

It is a technical problem to realise the importance of and the advantages associated with and/or the technical measures and considerations which will be required to establish a stylised horseshoe-like shape for said first section, the associated legs somewhat diverging.

It is a technical problem to realise the importance of and the advantages associated with and/or the technical measures and considerations which will be required to provide said second section with a horseshoe-shaped inner edge, designed to retain and interact with an outer groove established in the first section, or vice versa.

It is a technical problem to realise the importance of and the advantages associated with and/or the technical measures and considerations which will be required to design said first section with a horseshoe-shaped inner edge, showing diverging legs, with a diverging angle chosen to somewhat exceed the diverging angle for the second section, in order to be able to create a permanent union by means of material-related elasticity.

It is a technical problem to realise the importance of and the advantages associated with and/or the technical measures and considerations which will be required to make the first section thin and flat, and/or essentially flat, essentially having a thickness of between 6 and 10 mm.

It is a technical problem to realise the importance of and the advantages associated with and/or the technical measures and considerations which will be required to provide said first section with a peripheral edge component, which protrudes from the plane.

It is a technical problem to realise the importance of and the advantages associated with and/or the technical measures and considerations which will be required to make the first section from and/or to surround it by a hygienic plastic material protecting the section.

It is a technical problem to realise the importance of and the advantages associated with and/or the technical measures and considerations which will be required to form the first section in and/or to surround it by a hygienic plastic material protecting the at least the first section.

ADVANTAGES The advantages that can be regarded as characteristic of the present invention and the thereby indicated special characteristics are that the invention provides the conditions for a method for creating a device or a unit, whereby the device should comprise a first section and a second section, the first section primarily consisting of a soft material intended and adapted for the biting function of a person's opposed rows of teeth, and a second section being graspable and made from generally harder material which is formed, designed and adapted to be grasped by said person, the first section further being designed so that it can interact with said second section for a retaining effect, it being possible by simple means to arrange mechanical treatment of all or part of the gums and/or row of teeth with suitable forces and suitable force distribution, preferably evenly distributed forces, and in such a chewable direction and repeated, in our case for two minutes two times per day, to create the conditions for strengthening the tooth roots and tooth anchorages, and to mechanically massage the gingival pockets and/or cause a tendency in one or several misaligned teeth to be realigned to a correct position, adapted to the other teeth in the row of teeth, by the application of a concentrated force in an appropriate direction of force to such a purpose.

The invention provides, in particular, a produced, chewable section, shaped with a groove or gap that can be aligned against an end portion of a graspable section, for interaction with a projection in a produced, graspable section, said groove or gap in said chewable section being oriented for reception of said projection, and the first section being attached to the second section, under close interaction therewith.

Frequent use of the device according to the present invention also offers training of the jaw muscles resulting in a potential reduction of the symptoms of stress-related tinnitus and headaches.

The characteristics of the invention are specified in the characterising part of the independent patent claim 1.

BRIEFDESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A method according to the invention for production of a device or a unit according to the present invention, and an embodiment of such a device, having the characteristics associated with the invention, will now be described in greater detail for exemplification, with references to the attached drawing, where

Figure 1 schematically illustrates a production of the first section, and a parallel pro- duction of a second section, by the use of two sets of moulding tools, in accordance with the given characteristics of a method for production of a device or a unit suitable for a chewing motion, Figure 2 is a plan view of the first section of the device (on the left) and the second section of the device (on the right), before these two sections are moved into positions for interaction with each other,

Figure 3 is a somewhat enlarged view of the position of interaction, in a third and a fourth process stage,

Figure 4 illustrates a fully assembled device or unit placed in a transparent packaging in the form of a box that can be opened or closed,

Figure 5 shows part of the device or unit in accordance with the invention, placed under an upper row of teeth, Figure 6 shows the device in accordance with the invention, in a perspective view,

Figure 7 shows the device in accordance with the invention, in a plan view, and

Figure 8 is a cross section along the line I - 1 through the first section of the device, according to an alternative embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

It should then by way of introduction be emphasized that in the subsequent description of a presently proposed embodiment, which has the significative features associated with the invention and which is elucidated by figures, shown in the appended drawings, it has been chosen terms, expression and a particular terminology with the intention to thereby primarily allow to make clear the fundamental idea of the invention.

It should, however, in this connection be taken into consideration that expressions chosen here should not be seen as limiting solely to the terms utilized and chosen here, but it should be understood that each term chosen in this manner should be interpreted so that it, in addition, comprises all technical equivalents that operate in the same or substantially the same way, in order to, in this way, enable the achievement of the same or substantially the same intention and/or technical effect.

Thus, with reference to figures 1-8, there is schematically shown the fundamental conditions and requirements for the present invention and with the significative peculiarities or features associated with the invention generally having been made concrete, by a now proposed embodiment. A method associated with the present invention, for production of a device intended for a chewing motion, being a unit with two sections capable of being joined together, a first section and a second section, will now be described in greater detail with reference to figures 1 to 4.

Figure 1 thus shows the production of a first section and a second section, in two separate sets of moulding tools, in a first and a second production stage, respectively, in accordance with the characteristics of a method according to the invention for production of a device or unit which is designed for a chewing movement.

The chewable first section, A1 is made in a first stage from a first plastic material P1 in a first set of moulding tools, V1 , where one or several units are produced.

The graspable second section A2 is made in a second stage from a second plastic material P2 in a second set of moulding tools, V2, where one or several units are produced.

A chewable section A1 thus produced is formed with a gap or groove A1 a which can be aligned towards an end portion A2a of the graspable section A2.

The graspable section A2 thus produced is formed with an end portion which is designated A2b.

Said gap or groove A1a in said chewable section A1 shall be oriented, in a third process stage (Figure 3), for reception of said projection A2b, and said chewable first section A1 and said graspable section A2 shall be attached to each other through close interaction of said projection A2b, in a fourth process stage.

The first set of moulding tools, V1 , can be provided with one or several opposing moulding surfaces which have been made uneven by means of a spark-erosion process, to demonstrate a knobbly surface with very small, closely oriented ridges. The chewable section A1 shall be soft at high temperature, which allows the section, at least when adjacent to said gap or groove A2a to offer a soft and easily deformed structure, for permanent and more fused integration with section A2.

The temperature chosen for the first section A1 can be 200⁰C or thereabouts.

The first plastic material P1 can be TPE plastic and/or medical rubber with a hardness of 40° Shore A or similar.

The second plastic material P2 can be polypropylene plastic, PP.

The gap or groove A1a shall receive a central projection A2b, the groove A1a being provided with thin lateral grooves A1 b and A1c, for interaction with lateral, hooked arms with through-going grooves A2c and A2d, related to the projection A2a on the graspable section, together with four cutouts A2e coordinated within the boundaries of the projection A2b.

A fixed and chewable section A1 with a graspable section A2 shall be placed in an encompassing packaging or box 40, surrounding the device or unit A, the box con- sisting of two components 41 and 42, which are capable, via a rotating component 43, of assuming a closed position enclosing the device (shown in figure 4), and an open position from which the unit A can be removed.

The first plastic material P1 and the second plastic material P2 shall be chosen to have mutually coordinated or mutually fusible properties, the first material P1 when in a hot and soft state being able to bond with the second plastic material being in a cooler state.

Thus figure 5 serves to illustrate that a part of the device or unit according to the in- vention can be compressed by means of a chewing function between said upper row of teeth 10 and the not shown lower row of teeth 11 , figure 5 further illustrating that all teeth in the upper row of teeth 10 will be subjected to one and the same, or essentially the same force F1 , whilst an indicated tooth 23 is subjected to a higher force, designated F2. The higher pressure F2 on tooth 23 is due to the fact that this tooth is assumed to extend further past a depicted plane P of the other teeth. The total force F1 is thus distributed less to the other teeth than if tooth 23 had also been aligned with plane P.

In the corresponding manner, the total force F1 will be distributed to a greater extent to teeth aligned with said plane P in the case that one or several teeth do not extend down as far as plane P.

This pressure distribution between different teeth can also be achieved by allocating different surface parts of the first section 1 (A1) with different hardness or softness.

By this means, it is illustrated that during a chewing function, the teeth will be subject to different forces due their deviation from a plane P allocated to the row of teeth.

For this reason, figures 6, 7 and others serve to show a device A comprising a first section 1 (A1 ) and a second section 2 (A2), the first section 1 comprising a chewable section 1 b, formed from a soft material 1a and adapted to the biting of opposed rows of teeth 10, 11 of a person, and the second section 2 comprising a graspable section 2b which is made from a harder material 2b and designed to be grasped by said person, for holding device A, and where the first section 1 is designed for interaction with said second section 2, for a retaining effect.

The chewable section 1 b forming part of said first section 1 is given an arched shape 1c, an arched extension or bend 1d being designed so as to roughly correspond to the arched shape of the opposed rows 10, 11 of a person's teeth.

Said retaining effect 3 can be achieved via a coordination of the materials, between portion 1e of the first section 1 and portion 2e of the second section 2, along the areas designated 4a, 4b.

Said first section 1 can be given a stylised horseshoe-like shape, with associated legs 1f and 1g, somewhat diverging and also fully open outwards. In particular, the invention can also provide the second section 2 with a horseshoe-like inner edge (6), this edge (6) being designed to be able to interact permanently with the external groove (7) in the first section 1.

The horseshoe-like shape of the first section 1 shows diverging short legs 1f and 1g, with a diverging angle exceeding the diverging angle chosen for the short legs 2c and 2d of the second section 2, thus establishing a bending, material-straining, fixing force.

The invention particularly provides the first section 1 with two flat, parallel surfaces or two surfaces converging inwards in the mouth, one being designated 1h and/or being essentially flat, with an irregular surface consisting of small, closely-spaced knobs.

The first section 1 can have a thickness suitable for the person's mouth, with a thinner first section 1 for children and a thicker first section 1 for adults, the thickness d being between 3 and 15 mm; preferably between 6 and 10 mm.

Said section 1 could also be allocated an external, peripheral edge portion 8, serving as a reinforcement and projecting somewhat from the plane.

Said first section 1 can also consist of, and/or the section can be surrounded by a thin, hygienic plastic material 1 i.

Preferably, the material of the first section 1 should be medical rubber, with hardness of between 35 and 55° Shore A, or thereabouts, preferably about 40°, whereas the second section 2 can be made of a plastic material such as ABS or polypropylene.

Section 2 has been shown in the form of a shaft, but nothing prevents it from being smaller in relation to the first section, with another design more suitable for use by children.

The shaft 2 is made from a specially developed, unbreakable plastic material, which can be bent to the preferred angle. The plastic material in the shaft can memorise the personal angle. The chewable section 1 is made from medical rubber with a spark-eroded surface, which efficiently cleans the chewing surfaces while one chews, and gives perfect chewing resistance.

The chewable section is designed to suit most people and is available in two variants: soft and hard.

As an untrained person, it is a good idea to start off by using the soft variant.

The invention is of course not restricted to the above described and illustrated exemplifying embodiment thereof and that modifications can be made within the scope of the inventive concept illustrated in the accompanying claims.

Especially it is to be noted that here described means may be combined with one or more additional means, described or not described, to achieve the desired technical function.

Claims

1. Method for the production of a device or unit adapted for a chewing movement, said device comprising a first section, in the form of a chewable section adapted to the biting function of a person's opposed rows of teeth, and made from a first material, and a second graspable section, made from a second material, intended and designed to be graspable by the person's hand, the first chewable section being designed for permanent interaction with said second section, the graspable section, characterised in that a. the chewable section is made in a first process stage from a first plastic material in a first set of moulding tools, where one or several units are made, b. the graspable section is made in a second process stage from a second plastic material in a second set of moulding tools, where one or several units are made, c. the chewable section made in said step "a" is provided with a peripheral gap or groove, which can be aligned towards a first end portion of said graspable section, d. the graspable section made in step "b" is provided with a projection in a first end portion, e. said gap or groove in said chewable section is oriented in a third process stage for reception of said projection, and that f. said chewable section by close interaction with said projection of said graspable section according to step "e" is attached to said graspable section in a fourth process stage.

2. Method according to claim 1 , characterised in that the first set of moulding tools is provided with one or several opposed moulding surfaces which have been made uneven by means of a spark erosion process.

3. Method according to claim 1 , characterised in that the chewable section in said step e has a temperature such that the section, at least in the proximity of said gap or groove, offers a soft and easily deformable structure.

4. Method according to claim 3, characterised in that said temperature is 200⁰C or thereabouts.

5. Method according to claim 1 , characterised in that the first plastic material is a TPE plastic and/or medical rubber, with a hardness of 40° Shore A or thereabouts.

6. Method according to claim 1 or 5, characterised in that the second plastic material is polypropylene, PP plastic.

7. Method according to claim 1 , characterised in that said gap or groove of said chewable section in said step e receives a central projection with lateral, curved grooves passing through the material, related to said first end portion of said graspable section.

8. Method according to claim 1 , characterised in that the chewable section, after being attached to the graspable section in said step f, is placed in a packaging or box enclosing the device, the box consisting of two sections which by a rotatable joint is capable of assuming a closed position, enclosing the device, or an open position, allowing the device to be removed.

9. Method according to claim 1 , characterised in that the first plastic material and the second plastic material are chosen with mutually compatible properties such that the first material, in a heated state, shall adhere to the second plastic material, in a cooler state.

10. Device, comprising a first section and a second section, the first section including a chewable section shaped and intended for the biting function of a person's opposing rows of teeth, and made from a first material, the second section including a section designed to be grasped by one hand belonging to said person, and made from a second material, said first section being designed for permanent interaction with said second section for a retaining effect, characterised in that that said second section has a horseshoe-like, permanent shape with short and somewhat diverging legs, for permanent interaction with grooves in said first section.

11. Device according to claim 10, characterised in that said first section is provided with a peripheral groove and has a horseshoe-like shape, with the legs somewhat diverging.

5 12. Device according to claim 10 or 11 , characterised in that said second section has a horseshoe-like inner shape, whose edge is designed for permanent interaction with a permanent outer groove in the first section, or vice versa.

13. Device according to claim 10, 11 or 12, characterised in that said first section

10 has a horseshoe-like shape with diverging legs, the angle of divergence exceeding the angle of divergence of said second section.

14. Device according to claim 10, characterised in that the first section is flat and/or essentially flat and has a thickness of between 6 and 10 mm.

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15. Device according to claim 10 or 14, characterised in that said first section has a peripheral portion which projects from the plane.

16. Device according to claim 10, characterised in that said first section is made 20 from, or surrounded by, a protecting, hygienic plastic material.

17. Device according to claim 1 , characterised in that the hardness of the first section is between 30-50° Shore A, preferably approximately 40° Shore A.

25 18. Device according to claim 10 or 14, characterised in that said flat surface or flat outward faces have been given a flat, knobbly surface by a spark-eroded moulding die surface.

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