Abstract: A universal charging apparatus has a housing, a neck bendably connected to the housing, and an electrical cord which is preferably retractable. The electrical cord is spooled around a retracting spool located inside the housing, allowing the electrical cord to extend by pulling, or retract by activating a switch. The electrical cord has a tip adapted to receive one of a plurality of adapters, each adapter being suitable for connecting the tip to a different one or more electrical devices. The neck has an electrical conductor for connecting with an electricity source and supplying electricity through the electrical cord to the device. An integrated circuit chip adapts the electrical characteristics to be suitable for the different devices to be charged or powered. A ratchet connected to the neck allows the neck to stop in multiple positions, but to allow a user to bend the neck to a different position with slight force. The housing may also have a faceplate and status indicator, such as a light emitting diode.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for provisioning services that includes configuring one or more different devices. According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for provisioning a service comprises an information model configured to represent a network resource of said network, to represent said service, and to represent the provisioning of said service, and a processor configured to use a subset of business rules and processes, which can be represented in the same information model, to constrain the implementation of said network resource. In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, an exemplary apparatus and method governs the manner in which a configuration of a network device is to be created, verified, approved, and deployed.