Abstract: A system and method for providing an intellectual property marketplace (IM) using a secured information vault so that individual owners of intellectual property (IP) may control and manage the access and dissemination of the IP. Producers of the IP may also receive compensation for transactions in the marketplace. Multiple services for adding IP such as books, movies, video, papers, research, music, inventions, or the like, to the IM include controlling authorized access to the IP and generation of advertising based on types of IP in order to solicit potential consumers. Transactions may be securely transacted using public keying infrastructure (PKI). Consumers subscribing to the IM may also be automatically notified when IP is added to the IM based on predetermined preferences established by the consumer.

Abstract: Digital data can be escrowed by receiving escrow parameters including a condition(s) for releasing the escrowed data, and an escrow recipient. An escrow contract is then created based upon the specified escrow parameters. The escrowing further includes storing the digital data in a secure information vault, and storing the escrow contract, along with a pointer to the stored data, in a database. When the condition has been satisfied, the data is released to the escrow recipient. The condition(s) for release can be a payment sum, a date, an indication from a depositor, a trustee or a vault administrator, and/or fulfillment of another escrow contract.

Abstract: A system and method for providing a secured information vault so that individual owners of personal data may control and manage the access and dissemination of the personal data and provides for the owner of the personal data to receive compensation for the use of the personal data, thus, in effect, the personal data becomes a valuable commodity analogous to money. Centralized protected storage of personal data is provided, which minimizes the number of copies that may be in existence. The personal data may be converted from one format to another by subscribing to format conversion services provide by the vault. The vault regularly updates stored personal data per the subscribed services so that the personal data is available in the latest data formats used by various industries. A fee may be charged for format conversions.

Abstract: A system and method for providing an information vault so that individual owners of personal data may control and manage the access and dissemination of the personal data and provides for the owner of the personal data to receive compensation for the use of the personal data, thus, in effect, the personal data becomes a valuable commodity analogous to money. A business model is provided that allows competitive, unbiased trusted third parties whose business is protecting the information analogous to how a commercial bank protects money. Centralized protected storage of personal data is provided, thereby minimizing the number of copies that may be in existence. Second party access to the centralized storage of personal data may be made on-demand, as required for commerce, with a provision for assessing fees for accesses.

Abstract: A system and method is provided for an on-demand advertising information vault so that advertisers may establish accounts for distributing advertisements on-line to potential subscribers. The on-demand information vault also provides for consumers to subscribe to advertisements from advertisers based on the consumer's preferences of categories of products or services. An advertiser may also establish rewards for viewing their advertisements for inducing consumers to subscribe to their advertising service. In this way, a consumer may agree to receive only certain types of advertisements and receive remuneration for viewing the advertisements. The vault mechanisms may also provide for protecting the identities of the consumer and advertiser and avoids misusing personal data by others by employing security measures.

Abstract: A system and method for providing a Contact Management System (CMS) so that individual owners of personal contact data may control and manage the access and dissemination of the personal data. The owner of personal contact data may securely register the data with secured information vault of the CMS and specify which other parties may have access to the personal data. In this way, duplication of the personal data is avoided, but at the same time is always current. In use, a second party's device, such as a telephone or a PDA may access the CMS database and under public key infrastructure (PKI) controls identify themselves so that access to the owner's personal data may be verified. Once verified, the telephone number or other data may be returned to the device where a call may be automatically placed or otherwise used.

Abstract: In the case of a backrest (1), in particular for an office chair, having a lordosis support (3) comprising supporting ribs (2) arranged in a manner such that they run parallel to one another, said supporting ribs are precurved in a flexurally elastic manner in their starting position. An adjusting element (9), which can be actuated via an adjusting member (6) and is intended for setting the lordosis curvature (18), is guided on the curvature side (12) of the lordosis support (3) in such a manner that the lordosis curvature (18) decreases during a tensile loading of the adjusting element (9).

Abstract: A method and system for fast setup of group Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications. The method and system provide a lower VoIP signaling overhead and a faster setup-time of group calls such as N-way audio and/or audio-video conference calls. Multi-party VoIP connections are quickly set-up over one or more virtual communications channels established between plural network devices using a session layer application, one or more group transport layer ports and a broadcast destination network address.

Abstract: A tool for crimping work pieces to one another is disclosed. The tool is mounted on a power actuator having a reciprocating ram for effecting crimping. The tool includes a body engageable with the workpiece. A movable head is mounted on the body and receives the ram. A jaw is pivotably mounted on the body. A link connects the head to the jaw, which pivots in response to the ram engaging and moving the head. The jaw has a tooth that penetrates the work pieces upon pivoting of the jaw. Penetration of the work pieces by the tooth crimps the pieces to one another. A receiver is mounted on the body to permit its engagement with the actuator by means of an attachment device adapted to a particular actuator. The tool may be removably attachable to the actuator or permanently attached thereto.

Abstract: In a gas turbine, a bore tube assembly radially inwardly of an aft bearing conveys cooling steam to the buckets of the turbine and returns the cooling steam to a return. To cool the bearing and thermally insulate the bearing from the cooling steam paths, a radiation shield is spaced from the bore tube assembly by a dead air gap. Additionally, an air passageway is provided between the radiation shield and the inner surface of an aft shaft forming part of the rotor. Air is supplied from an inlet for flow along the passage and radially outwardly through bores in the aft shaft disk to cool the bearing and insulate it from transfer of heat from the cooling steam.

Abstract: A portable medication cartridge allows for both manual and automated dispensing of tablets or capsules of virtually all sizes through a radial dispensing apparatus. The cartridge may be sealed and encoded with medication and patient identification. A microprocessor controlled medication dispensing apparatus includes a cartridge magazine capable of holding a plurality of cartridges for the same or different patients. The portable medication dispensing apparatus and method detects patient identification data and activates a radial dispensing medication cartridge in response to verification of patient identification data. The radial dispensing medication cartridge may include, for example, a tablet tray having a plurality of tablet stalls with at least a partially open top and side. The tablet and tray accommodates different sizes and types of tablets or capsules.

Abstract: A method of controlling transfer of proprietary content on a computer network including the steps of identifying computers offering proprietary content on the computer network, identifying network addresses corresponding to the computers, identifying physical addresses corresponding to the network addresses and communicating a warning notice to at least one physical address.

Abstract: During a standard fired shutdown of a turbine, a loaded rabbet joint between the fourth stage wheel and the aft shaft of the machine can become unloaded causing a gap to occur due to a thermal mismatch at the rabbet joint with the bearing blower turned on. An open or unloaded rabbet could cause the parts to move relative to each other and therefore cause the rotor to lose balance. If the bearing blower is turned off during a shutdown, the forward air/oil seal temperature may exceed maximum design practice criterion due to “soak-back.” An air/oil seal temperature above the established maximum design limits could cause a bearing fire to occur, with catastrophic consequences to the machine. By controlling the bearing blower according to an optimized blower profile, the rabbet load can be maintained, and the air/oil seal temperature can be maintained below the established limits. A blower profile is determined according to a thermodynamic model of the system.

Abstract: In a turbine rotor, an aft shaft wheel and the final-stage wheel of the rotor are coupled together, including by a rabbeted joint. During shutdown and startup of the turbine, a thermal mismatch between the aft shaft wheel and final-stage wheel is avoided by respectively heating and cooling the aft shaft wheel to maintain the thermal mismatch within acceptable limits, thereby avoiding opening of the rabbeted joint and the potential for unbalancing the rotor and rotor vibration. The thermal medium may be supplied by piping in the aft bearing cavity into the cavity between the forward closure plate and the aft shaft wheel.

Abstract: In a turbine rotor, a thermal mismatch between various component parts of the rotor occurs particularly during transient operations such as shutdown and startup. A thermal medium flows past and heats or cools one part of the turbine which may have a deleterious thermal mismatch with another part. By passively controlling the flow of cooling medium past the one part in response to relative movement of thermally responsive parts of the turbine, the flow of thermal medium along the flow path can be regulated to increase or reduce the flow, thereby to regulate the temperature of the one part to maintain the thermal mismatch within predetermined limits.

Abstract: A combustor cooperating with a compressor in driving a gas turbine includes a cylindrical outer combustor casing. A combustion liner, having an upstream rich section, a quench section and a downstream lean section, is disposed within the outer combustor casing defining a combustion chamber having at least a core quench region and an outer quench region. A first plurality of quench holes are disposed within the liner at the quench section having a first diameter to provide cooling jet penetration to the core region of the quench section of the combustion chamber. A second plurality of quench holes are disposed within the liner at the quench section having a second diameter to provide cooling jet penetration to the outer region of the quench section of the combustion chamber.

Abstract: An extendible drain closure device has a plurality of telescoped hollow tubular members. The outermost hollow tubular member is a main body which has a base portion sized to seat down into a drain opening and an upper flange having a recessed portion. The main body is sized such that the upper flange is flush with the top of the drain opening. Multiple hollow tubular members are positioned within the main body in a telescopically operative manner with the innermost hollow tubular member having a stop ring which seats into the recessed portion of the flange. The top of the extendible drain closure device is thus flush with the top of the drain opening when the device is in a telescopically retracted position. A handle, which can be hinged so that it lies flat when not in use, is provided on the stop ring which may grasped and pulled upwardly to deploy the extendible drain closure device in a telescopically extended position.