All The Claims

1-18. (canceled)
19. An apparatus for processing fur, including mandrels and at least one motor-driven scraping roller, where the fur is disposed on the mandrels with a flesh side facing outwards, comprising:
a motor system with fixing means for holding a lower end part of the mandrels which are disposed at an upright angle relative to the fixing means, wherein the motor system moves the mandrels past processing positions.
20. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the motor system includes a rotatable, ring-shaped surface, on which a number of the fixing means are provided.
21. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the motor system includes a conveyor chain on which a number of the fixing means are provided.
22. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the mandrels are fastened rotatably to the fixing means.
23. An apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the mandrels are fastened rotatably to the fixing means.
24. An apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the mandrels are fastened rotatably to the fixing means.
25. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the processing positions include at least one scraping unit with scraping rollers.
26. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the processing positions include at least one cleaning unit that includes a cleaning chamber with brushes, a supply of sawdust and a suction opening for removal of sawdust containing residual fat.
27. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the processing positions include at least one combined removing and turning unit that includes a holding means for a pointed end of the fur and a suction chamber for simultaneous turning of the fur.
28. An apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the holding means is connected with the mandrel with a spring.
29. An apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the processing position includes a pelting board unit for mounting the fur on a pelting board.
30. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the mandrels include a double-convex, lentiform cross-section decreasing upwardly along the mandrel.
31. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the scraping rollers include a concave scraping side which is shaped complementary to the cross-section of the mandrel.
32. An apparatus according to claim 30, wherein the scraping rollers include a concave scraping side which is shaped complementary to the cross-section of the mandrel.
33. An apparatus according to claim 19 including two scraping rollers, with concave scraping sides which envelope the mandrel, and the scraping rollers are mutually displaced along the mandrel.
34. An apparatus according to claim 31 including two scraping rollers, with concave scraping sides which envelope the mandrel, and the scraping rollers are mutually displaced along the mandrel.
35. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the processing positions include at least one cleaning unit for supplementary cleaning of the mandrels.
36. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the scraping rollers include recessed grooves for accommodating exchangeable scraping lamellae.
37. An apparatus according to claim 19, including an insertion opening with longitudinal side edges for the recessed grooves with different rounding radii.
38. An apparatus according to claim 36, including an insertion opening with longitudinal side edges for the recessed grooves with different rounding radii.
39. A method for processing fur, including mandrels and processing positions, wherein a fur is placed on a mandrel with a flesh side facing outwards in a first processing position; a motor system moves the mandrel to a second procession position; the scraping unit is lowered down over the mandrel and is moved downwards along outer side thereof, whereby remains of fat and flesh are scraped off from the flesh side of the fur; the motor system moves the mandrel further to a third processing position where the cleaning unit is lowered down over the mandrel and is moved downwards along outer side thereof, whereby the fur is cleaned and sawdust with residual fat is sucked away; the motor system moves the mandrel further to a fourth processing position where a combined removing and turning unit holds a pointed end of the fur while a suction chamber simultaneously provides for turning the fur; and that the motor system moves the mandrel on to a next processing position.
40. A method in accordance with claim 39 wherein the next processing position is the first processing position.
41. A method according to claim 39, wherein the processing position with the combined removing and turning unit furthermore includes a pelting board unit where fur is mounted directly on a pelting board.
42. A method according to claim 39, wherein the motor system moves the mandrel on from the processing position with the combined removing and turning unit to the next processing position where the cleaning unit performs a supplementing cleaning of the mandrel.
43. A method according to claim 40, wherein the motor system moves the mandrel on from the processing position with the combined removing and turning unit to the next processing position where the cleaning unit performs a supplementing cleaning of the mandrel.
44. A method according to claim 41, wherein the motor system moves the mandrel on from the processing position with the combined removing and turning unit to the next processing position where the cleaning unit performs a supplementing cleaning of the mandrel.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A swing mechanism of a construction machine, comprising:
an inner ring on the side of a vehicular base carrier relatively rotatably coupled with an outer ring on a swing frame on the side of an upper swing structure of the construction machine, a ring gear provided on the inner periphery of said inner ring and meshed with a swinging pinion on the side of said upper swing structure, a center joint located within an opening provided in said swing frame at a rotational center thereof, and a grease bath located beneath said swing frame and around said center joint and defining an annular grease bath portion around a top plateau wall connected to said center joint, thereby to lubricate meshed portions of said ring gear and said swing pinion, wherein said grease bath seal comprises:
an annular seal member having a height larger than a width of a spacing between said swing frame of said upper swing structure and said top plateau wall of said grease bath in a free state and interposed in a compressed state between said top plateau wall and said swing frame at a position radially outward of said center joint; and
said seal member being detachably fixed either on the side of said swing frame or on the side of said top plateau wall of said grease bath, and having an annular sliding portion extended out in a radially inward direction from the other side for pressed sliding contact with said top plateau wall or said swing frame.
2. A swing mechanism of a construction machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said seal member is located at a position in the proximity of said center joint.
3. A swing mechanism of a construction machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said seal member is formed by an annular main block having an anchoring end portion of a length on the outer peripheral side and a lipped end portion on the inner peripheral side thereof, said lipped end portion having an annular lip portion erected at and along inner periphery thereof, and said grease bath seal further comprises a seal holder in the form of a ring of a staggered shape in section having a raised seal holder portion at a height from upper surface of said top plateau wall of said grease bath, and a base portion formed around outer periphery of said seal holder portion and fixed on said top plateau wall at a position in the proximity of said center joint.
4. A swing mechanism of a construction machine as defined in claim 3, wherein said lip portion is projected upward from said lipped end portion of said main block and adapted to be bent downward through upon abutment against lower side of said swing frame through elastic deformation for sliding contact with the latter over a width in radial direction.
5. A swing mechanism of a construction machine as defined in claim 3, wherein said seal member is provided with a lubricant reservoir on said main block radially on the outer side of said lip portion to store the same lubricant as the one in said grease bath.
6. A swing mechanism of a construction machine as defined in claim 5, wherein said lubricant reservoir is in the form of an annular groove formed on the top side of said lipped end portion radially on the outer side of said lip portion to store the same lubricant oil as the one in said grease bath.
7. A swing mechanism of a construction machine as defined in claim 5, wherein said lubricant reservoir is formed by an annular projection provided at and along outer periphery of said lipped end portion of said seal member.
8. A swing mechanism of a construction machine as defined in claim 7, wherein said annular projection is arranged to have a sufficient projection length for sliding contact with lower side of said swing frame.
9. A swing mechanism of a construction machine as defined in claim 8, wherein said annular projection is adapted to bent upon abutment against lower side of said swing frame through elastic deformation in an opposite direction relative to direction of elastic deformation of said lip portion.
10. A swing mechanism of a construction machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said top plateau wall is divided into two separable plateau sections, said two separable plateau sections including an outer plateau wall section formed integrally with other bath-forming walls of said grease bath, and an inner plateau wall section connected to said center joint on the inner peripheral side thereof.
11. A swing mechanism of a construction machine as defined in claim 10, wherein inner and outer peripheral ends of said outer and inner plateau wall sections are joined with each other at a position, and said seal member is located across joined ends of said outer and inner plateau wall sections.
12. A swing mechanism of a construction machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said plateau wall is connected to said center joint in such a way as to leave one or a plural number of gaps or opening around said center joint.

1. A compound of Formula (I):
wherein:
R2 is phenyl, fluorophenyl, chlorophenyl, trifluorophenyl, methylisoxazolyl, or pyridinyl;
R3 is H, \u2014CH3, \u2014CH2(cyclopropyl), pyridinyl, chloropyridinyl, or methoxypyridinyl;
each Ra is independently F, Cl, \u2014CH3, \u2014OCH3, \u2014CN, andor \u2014O(cyclopropyl);
or two adjacent Ra along with the carbon atoms to which they are attached form a dioxole ring;
each Rb is independently F, Cl, \u2014CHF2, andor \u2014CF3;
y is zero, 1, or 2; and
z is zero, 1, or 2.
2. The compound according to claim 1 wherein:
R2 is phenyl, fluorophenyl, chlorophenyl, or trifluorophenyl.
3. The compound according to claim 1 wherein:
R2 is methylisoxazolyl.
4. The compound according to claim 1 wherein:
R2 is pyridinyl.
5. The compound according to claim 1 wherein:
R3 is H or \u2014CH3.
6. The compound according to claim 1 wherein:
R3 is \u2014CH2(cyclopropyl), pyridinyl, chloropyridinyl, or methoxypyridinyl.
7. A compound according to claim 1 selected from: (2R,3R)-N-((3S)-1-methyl-2-oxo-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-1,4-benzodiazepin-3-yl)-3-phenyl-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (1); (2R,3R)-3-(4-fluorophenyl)-N-((3S)-1-methyl-2-oxo-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-1,4-benzodiazepin-3-yl)-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (2); (2R,3R)-N-((3S)-1-methyl-2-oxo-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-1,4-benzodiazepin-3-yl)-3-(2,3,4-trifluorophenyl)-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (3); (2R,3R)-N-((3 S)-2-oxo-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-1,4-benzodiazepin-3-yl)-3-phenyl-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (4); (2R,3R)-N1-((S)-5-(3-fluorophenyl)-9-methyl-2-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoe1,4diazepin-3-yl)-3-phenyl-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (5); (2R,3R)-N1-((S)-1-methyl-2-oxo-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoe1,4diazepin-3-yl)-3-(3-methylisoxazol-4-yl)-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (6); (2R,3R)-N1-((S)-1-(cyclopropylmethyl)-2-oxo-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoe1,4diazepin-3-yl)-3-phenyl-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (7); (2R,3R)-N1-((S)-1-(cyclopropylmethyl)-2-oxo-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoe1,4diazepin-3-yl)-3-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (8); (2R,3R)-3-(3-methylisoxazol-4-yl)-N1-((S)-2-oxo-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoe1,4diazepin-3-yl)-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl) succinamide (9); (2R,3R)-N1-((S)-2-oxo-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoe1,4diazepin-3-yl)-3-(pyridin-3-yl)-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (10); (2R,3R)-3-(3-methyl-4-isoxazolyl)-N-((3 S)-2-oxo-5-phenyl-1-(2-pyridinyl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-1,4-benzodiazepin-3-yl)-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (11); (2R,3R)-N-((3S)-2-oxo-5-phenyl-1-(2-pyridinyl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-1,4-benzodiazepin-3-yl)-3-phenyl-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (12); (2R,3R)-3-(3-methyl-4-isoxazolyl)-N-((7S)-6-oxo-9-phenyl-6,7-dihydro-5H-1,3dioxolo4,5-h1,4benzodiazepin-7-yl)-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (13); (2R,3R)-N-((3S)-1-(5-methoxy-2-pyridinyl)-2-oxo-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-1,4-benzodiazepin-3-yl)-3-(3-methyl-4-isoxazolyl)-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl) succinamide (14); (2R,3R)-N-((3S)-1-(5-methoxy-2-pyridinyl)-2-oxo-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-1,4-benzodiazepin-3-yl)-3-phenyl-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (15); (2R,3R)-N-((3S)-1-(6-methoxy-2-pyridinyl)-2-oxo-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-1,4-benzodiazepin-3-yl)-3-phenyl-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (16); (2R,3R)-N1-((S)-9-chloro-2-oxo-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoe1,4diazepin-3-yl)-3-(3-methylisoxazol-4-yl)-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (17); (2R,3R)-N1-((S)-9-fluoro-2-oxo-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoe1,4diazepin-3-yl)-3-(3-methylisoxazol-4-yl)-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (18); (2R,3R)-N1-((S)-9-fluoro-2-oxo-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoe1,4diazepin-3-yl)-3-phenyl-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (19); (2R,3R)-N1-((S)-9-methoxy-2-oxo-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoe1,4diazepin-3-yl)-3-(3-methylisoxazol-4-yl)-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (20); (2R,3R)-N1-((S)-9-methoxy-2-oxo-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoe1,4diazepin-3-yl)-3-phenyl-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl) succinamide (21); (2R,3R)-N-((3S)-1-(5-chloro-2-pyridinyl)-2-oxo-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-1,4-benzodiazepin-3-yl)-3-phenyl-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (22); (2R,3R)-N-((3S)-1-(5-chloro-2-pyridinyl)-2-oxo-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-1,4-benzodiazepin-3-yl)-3-(3-methyl-4-isoxazolyl)-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (23); (2R,3R)-N1-((S)-9-chloro-2-oxo-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoe1,4diazepin-3-yl)-3-phenyl-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (24); (2R,3R)-N1-((S)-7-cyano-9-methoxy-2-oxo-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoe1,4diazepin-3-yl)-3-phenyl-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (25); (2R,3R)-N1-((S)-9-cyclopropoxy-2-oxo-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoe1,4diazepin-3-yl)-3-phenyl-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (26); (2R,3R)-N1-((S)-5-(4-fluorophenyl)-9-methyl-2-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoe1,4diazepin-3-yl)-3-phenyl-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (27); (2R,3R)-N1-((S)-9-methyl-2-oxo-5-(3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoe1,4diazepin-3-yl)-3-(3-methylisoxazol-4-yl)-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (28); (2R,3R)-N1-((S)-9-methyl-2-oxo-5-(3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoe1,4diazepin-3-yl)-3-phenyl-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (29); (2R,3R)-N1-((S)-9-methyl-2-oxo-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoe1,4diazepin-3-yl)-3-phenyl-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (30); (2R,3R)-N1-((S)-5-(3-chlorophenyl)-9-methyl-2-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoe1,4diazepin-3-yl)-3-phenyl-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (31); (2R,3R)-N1-((S)-5-(3-chlorophenyl)-9-methyl-2-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoe1,4diazepin-3-yl)-3-(3-methylisoxazol-4-yl)-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (32); (2R,3R)-N1-((S)-5-(4-fluorophenyl)-9-methyl-2-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoe1,4diazepin-3-yl)-3-(3-methylisoxazol-4-yl)-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (33); (2R,3R)-N1-((S)-5-(3-(difluoromethyl)phenyl)-9-methyl-2-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoe1,4diazepin-3-yl)-3-phenyl-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl) succinamide (34); (2R,3R)-N1-((S)-9-cyclopropoxy-5-(3-fluorophenyl)-2-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoe1,4diazepin-3-yl)-3-phenyl-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (35); and (2R,3R)-3-(4-chlorophenyl)-N1-((S)-9-methoxy-2-oxo-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoe1,4diazepin-3-yl)-2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)succinamide (36).
8. A pharmaceutical composition comprising at least one compound according claim 1; and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
9-11. (canceled)
12. A method of treating a disease or disorder associated with the activity of Notch, the method comprising administering to a mammalian patient at least one compound according claim 1 andor at least one salt thereof.
13. The method according to claim 12 wherein said disease is cancer.
14. The method according to claim 13 wherein said cancer is T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, colon cancer, or neuroblastoma.
15. The method according to claim 12, further comprising administering sequentially or concurrently one or more addition agents selected from dasatinib, paclitaxel, tamoxifen, dexamethasone, and carboplatin.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. An apparatus, comprising:
processing means for processing a received multipath signal having a plurality of signal paths to determine the earliest significant signal path, the processing means including:
data input means for providing, for each of a series of time periods, data representative of the energy and relative delay of the signal paths;
data filtering means, coupled to the data input means, for filtering the data for each time period to spread the data of each signal path;
signal path identification means, coupled to the data filtering means, for identifying from the filtered data a signal path which, after the spreading, is present at the same delay in a plurality of the time periods, and to identify any further such signal paths;
energy determination means, coupled to the signal path identification means, for determining an indication of combined energy of the filtered data of the identified signal paths within a time period;
energy assessment means, coupled to the energy determination means, for determining a time at which the indication satisfies a selected criterion; and
path selection means, coupled to the energy assessment means, for selecting the earliest significant signal path dependent on the determined time.
2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising normalization means, coupled to the data input means, for normalizing the data representative of energy prior to the filtering, to reduce the effect of variations in receiver gain in the different time periods.
3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data is sampled data derived at sample intervals, and wherein the data filtering means is for spreading each signal path over a range of one of 3, 4 or 5 sample intervals.
4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data filtering means comprises a symmetric finite impulse response filter.
5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of time periods employed by the signal path identification means comprises one of 2, 3 or 4 time periods.
6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the energy determination means include means for determining the indication of combined energy within successive positions of a sliding window of duration shorter than the time period.
7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the selected criterion employed by the energy assessment means comprises maximization of the combined energy within the sliding window.
8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the path selection means includes means for selecting the earliest significant signal path by selecting the signal path which has a peak data value at the delay where the combined energy within the sliding window is maximized.
9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the data is sampled data derived at sample intervals and wherein the length of the window is 8 sample intervals.
10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the energy determination means includes means for determining the indication of combined energy as an indication of cumulative energy through the time period.
11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the indication of cumulative energy is a cumulative density function.
12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the selected criterion employed by the criterion assessment means comprises reaching a threshold value.
13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the path selection means includes means for selecting the earliest significant signal path dependent on the determined time by selecting the earliest signal path that has a peak data value at or after the determined time.
14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising equalization means for employing the relative delay of the selected earliest significant signal path for further processing the received multipath signal.
15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the equalization means includes means for employing the relative delay of the selected earliest significant signal path, adjusted by a bias value dependent on a delay spread of the signal paths, for further processing the received multipath signal.
16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 15, comprising delay spread determination means for determining an indication of the delay spread of the signal paths as an indication of the time between the occurrence of two values of the cumulative energy.
17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 14, comprising means for employing the relative delay of the selected earliest significant signal path only if that time differs from a previously determined relative delay of a previously selected earliest significant signal path by more than a hysteresis value, otherwise employing a previously determined relative time of receipt.
18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 14, comprising means for employing the relative delay of the selected earliest significant signal path only if that time differs from a previously determined relative delay of a previously selected earliest significant signal path by less than a slew value, otherwise employing the previously determined relative delay adjusted by the slew value.
19. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising data generation means for employing the relative delay of the selected earliest significant signal path for generating data representative of the energy and relative delay of received signal paths.
20. An apparatus as claimed in claim 19, comprising data generation means for employing the relative delay of the selected earliest significant signal path, adjusted by a bias value dependent on the delay spread of the signal paths, for generating data representative of an amplitude and relative delay of received signal paths.
21. An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the multipath signal is a multipath Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) signal.
22. An apparatus as claimed in claim 21, wherein the multipath CDMA signal comprises chips and the apparatus includes means for sampling the multipath CDMA signal at intervals of half a chip duration.
23. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the apparatus is a mobile station.
24. A mobile communication system, comprising:
a transmitter for transmitting signals; and
a mobile station for receiving the transmitted signals as multipath signals, the mobile station including:
processing means for processing a received multipath signal having a plurality of signal paths to determine the earliest significant signal path, the processing means including:
data input means for providing, for each of a series of time periods, data representative of the energy and relative delay of the signal paths;
data filtering means, coupled to the data input means, for filtering the data for each time period to spread the data of each signal path;
signal path identification means, coupled to the data filtering means, for identifying from the filtered data a signal path which, after the spreading, is present at the same delay in a plurality of the time periods, and to identify any further such signal paths;
energy determination means, coupled to the signal path identification means, for determining an indication of combined energy of the filtered data of the identified signal paths within a time period;
energy assessment means, coupled to the energy determination means, for determining a time at which the indication satisfies a selected criterion; and
path selection means, coupled to the energy assessment means, for selecting the earliest significant signal path dependent on the determined time.
25. A system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the energy determination means include means for determining the indication of combined energy within successive positions of a sliding window of duration shorter than the time period.
26. A system as claimed in claim 25, wherein the path selection means includes means for selecting the earliest significant signal path by selecting the signal path which has a peak data value at the delay where the combined energy within the sliding window is maximized.
27. An apparatus, comprising:
a processor that processes a received multipath signal having a plurality of signal paths to determine the earliest significant signal path, the processor including:
a data input that provides, for each of a series of time periods, data representative of the energy and relative delay of the signal paths;
a data filter, coupled to the data input, wherein the data filter filters the data for each time period to spread the data of each signal path;
a signal path identifier, coupled to the data filter, wherein the signal path identifier identifies from the filtered data a signal path which, after the spreading, is present at the same delay in a plurality of the time periods, and which identifies any further such signal paths;
an energy determiner, coupled to the signal path identifier, wherein the energy determiner determines an indication of combined energy of the filtered data of the identified signal paths within a time period;
an energy assessor, coupled to the energy determiner, wherein the energy assessor determines a time at which the indication satisfies a selected criterion; and
a path selector, coupled to the energy assessor, wherein the path selector selects the earliest significant signal path dependent on the determined time.
28. A mobile communication system, comprising:
a transmitter for transmitting signals; and
a mobile station for receiving the transmitted signals as multipath signals, the mobile station including:
a processor that processes a received multipath signal having a plurality of signal paths to determine the earliest significant signal path, the processor including:
a data input that provides, for each of a series of time periods, data representative of the energy and relative delay of the signal paths;
a data filter, coupled to the data input, wherein the data filter filters the data for each time period to spread the data of each signal path;
a signal path identifier, coupled to the data filtering means, wherein the signal path identifier identifies from the filtered data a signal path which, after the spreading, is present at the same delay in a plurality of the time periods, and which identifies any further such signal paths;
an energy determiner, coupled to the signal path identifier, wherein the energy determiner determines an indication of combined energy of the filtered data of the identified signal paths within a time period;
an energy assessor, coupled to the energy determiner, wherein the energy assessor determines a time at which the indication satisfies a selected criterion; and
a path selector, coupled to the energy assessor, wherein the path selector selects the earliest significant signal path dependent on the determined time.