Abstract: A stocked product sensing system that can be used with a product display, displaying product items on one or more shelves thereof, to determine the level of product availability and/or configuration of product items on one or more shelves of the product display. According to one embodiment of this invention, the stocked product sensing system utilizes capacitive sensing at the shelf-level. According to another embodiment of this invention, the stocked product sensing system utilizes optical sensing at the shelf-level. The stocked product sensing system of this invention may utilize a store-level management system and/or a central management system and generate low stock alarms based on user-defined criteria in a software system.

Abstract: The invention disclosed is a process to allocate channels in a sectorized cellular network. A system of allocating cellular frequencies (channels) to the sectors among the cells within a tile is disclosed which maximizes channel set usage within the tile while avoiding co-channel interference between cells. According to the present system, no infrastructure rebuild is required. The disclosed approach further supports all currently used cellular technology. By alternating and rotating the channel assignments across sectors, what is a seemingly locally poor algorithm utilizing additional local channels is actually a globally good algorithm which is efficient in terms of the total number of channels used owing to short reuse distance and low number of cell types.

Abstract: The invention relates to a no-back device for a mobile element actuating device including a screw shaft having first and second braking means each comprising a ratchet wheel. These ratchet wheels are mounted opposite one another so that the first braking means are adapted to resist an unwanted movement of the screw shaft in a first direction, and the second braking means are adapted to resist an unwanted movement of the screw shaft in an opposite direction. The no-back device also includes means for detecting the state of the rotation of the ratchet wheels and indicating means for furnishing, according to the state of the rotation of the wheels, an indication concerning the operating state of the no-back device.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for coating micron-sized or sub-micron-sized particles such as living cells. The coating apparatus includes an encapsulation chamber enclosing a two-layer water-oil system for coating each islet cell with an aqueous polymeric coat. Islets together with an aqueous polymer solution are fed by a feed device that utilizes the principle of hydrodynamic focusing in order to ensure encapsulation of individual islets. The polymer in the aqueous coat is subsequently crosslinked by being exposed to laser light to produce structurally stable microcapsules of controllable thickness of the order of tens of microns. Encapsulated islets are removed from the encapsulation chamber by a valveless pump and recovered by filtration or centrifugation.

Abstract: This invention relates to an apparatus for an entrainment system of a vortex burning combustion chamber or a vortex burning inter-turbine burner in a gas turbine. The entrainment system rapidly and thoroughly mixes hot combustion gases with non-combustion gases to reduce the gas temperature before entering a turbine. The entrainment system includes a plurality of helical vanes forming trenches and resulting in a highly helical flow path. The highly helical flow path provides an increased residence time for mixing of the combustion gases and non-combustion gases. Radial cavities in the helical vanes, canted vane angles and varying geometries further facilitate mixing while reducing losses. This invention also includes a method of mixing combustion and non-combustion gases in an entrainment system.

Abstract: A locking device for a mold including more than one movable plate. A spring-biased wedge block includes a first side wall and an opposing second side wall that is beveled with respect to the first side wall. A latch bar includes an inclined latch end for engaging with the second side wall of the wedge block. A cam bar includes a cam end for engaging with the first side wall of the wedge block. At least one of the wedge block, the latch bar or the cam bar is formed of a 4340 steel alloy, and at least one of the latch end, the cam end, or the wedge block second side wall is nitrided or nitride coated.

Abstract: A flexible carrier for carrying a plurality of containers includes a flexible sheet and a plurality of container receiving apertures formed in the flexible sheet. An array of the container receiving apertures extend longitudinally across the flexible sheet wherein each container receiving aperture is substantially rectangular and includes an aperture perimeter that increases more than 42% following application to a container.

Abstract: A hammer device in the form of a needle gun. The gun includes a cylinder housing containing a cylinder, in which a flying piston is displaced and an anvil, against which the piston strikes. A needle carrier is located on the anvil, and the needles of the gun are held in the carrier so that the needles can be longitudinally displaced. To reduce the wear on the needle carrier and to preserve the needle heads of the needles, the needle carrier is configured from several layers, at least in the vicinity of the guide plate. The layers are of alternating hard and soft material.

Abstract: A pallet for receiving and transporting loads, having an upper platform for receiving the loads, and a substructure, which supports the upper platform and is constructed of an upper part and a lower part and several support members inserted between them. A good shock absorption, along with a rugged construction, is achieved because the support members each is of a held-together bundle of spike-like individual elements, which extend between the upper part and the lower part, can be laterally deflected with respect to each other and have damping properties.

Abstract: A mounting plate for electronic components, including cooling conduits that are integrated into a plate body and that are traversed by a coolant, a fixing device for mounting electronic components that are to be cooled being located on the plate body. The mounting plate has the fixing device including at least one first groove with an approximately C-shaped cross-section, which extends in a linear manner in the extension direction of the mounting plate. At least one screw nut is inserted and locked against torsion in the groove in order to form a screw connection with an electronic component.

Abstract: A valve assembly including a block forming a bore. An air inlet opening is in communication with the bore, and provides a volume of air into the bore. The bore provides communication between the air inlet opening and at least one air outlet passage. A fuel inlet opening is in communication with the bore, and provides a volume of fuel into the bore. The bore provides communication between the fuel inlet opening and at least one fuel outlet passage. A pintle is slidably positionable within the bore to control the volume of air directed out of the bore through the air outlet passage and the volume of fuel directed out of the bore through the fuel outlet passage.

Abstract: A system and method of loading a product into a carton includes loading the product into a carrier and then extending the carrier into the carton. The product is then restrained within the carton as the carrier is removed from the carton. The carrier may include a static carrier having a fixed volume or a dynamic carrier having moveable sidewalls.

Abstract: A probe for measuring electrical characteristics of an excitation current of a plasma is provided. The probe is mounted on a conductive line that includes an inner conductor and an outer conductor. The probe includes a current sensor and a voltage sensor. The current sensor includes a groove formed in the ground of one of the conductors in order to form a detour for the current flowing through the conductor, and a point for measuring electric voltage between a ground connected to the conductor and a point of the groove. The current sensor thus is able to measure a voltage proportional to the first time derivative of intensity (Iplasma) of the excitation current. The voltage sensor is a shunt sensor capable of measuring a voltage proportional to the first time derivative of the voltage (Vplasma) of the excitation current. A plasma reactor including a probe of the aforementioned type is also provided.

Abstract: A cooling arrangement with a housing for receiving electronic printed circuit boards or plug-in modules, and with an air-conditioning device which is connected via a coolant-conducting feed line and a return-flow line with at least one electronic component, which is to be cooled, on the respective printed circuit board or plug-in module. The feed line is coupled with at least one component feed line assigned to the electronic component. The return-flow line is coupled with at least one component return-flow line assigned to the electronic component. The component feed line and the component return-flow line have coupling elements attached at ends of the respective printed circuit board or plug-in module which, together with the counter coupling elements of the feed line and the return-flow line attached at the end of the housing, form a coupling connection, which is releasable.

Abstract: A system and method for maintenance management in which data relating to maintenance usage and maintenance-related policies and practices is collected in an automated data processing device. The data is analyzed to arrive at a diagnosis of maintenance management effectiveness from which recommendations for improving the maintenance management effectiveness are generated.

Abstract: A housing for an airbag module that contains an inflatable airbag cushion in a compacted configuration before being inflated by inflation gas supplied by an inflator device. The housing includes a collar formed of a rigid material for attaching the housing to a vehicle and a chute assembly formed of a flexible material and secured to the collar.

Abstract: A flexible carrier for carrying a plurality of containers includes a flexible sheet having a row of container receiving apertures formed therein. The flexible carrier further includes a handle integrated with respect to the flexible sheet and may further include a panel integrated with respect to at least one row of the container receiving apertures on an opposite side of the row of container receiving apertures from the handle. A package is formed by fanning out the two rows of container receiving apertures and inserting a plurality of containers, each within a respective container receiving aperture.

Abstract: A round shaft chisel with a clamping sleeve, wherein the round shaft chisel has a chisel head and a chisel shaft rotatably maintained in the clamping sleeve. A pivot bearing is between an inner contour of the clamping sleeve and a shaft contour of the chisel shaft so that a center longitudinal axis of the round shaft chisel is pivotably seated with respect to a center longitudinal axis of the clamping sleeve. As a result of the induced tumbling motion of the round shaft chisel within the clamping sleeve 30, improved dirt removal can be assured during operations. The improved rolling action results in reduced wear between the clamping sleeve and the chisel shaft, which has advantageous results regarding the service life.

Abstract: A turning bar draw-off device for a tubular film extrusion installation, with a plurality of turning bars which can be rotatingly driven around a common axis of rotation or in reverse by rotary drive mechanisms. For the rotating or reversing guidance of the turning bars around the axis of rotation, the ends of each turning bar are connected with guide carriages, which are guided on guide rails arranged in a circle.