Abstract: A drill bit made according to one embodiment includes at least a gamma ray sensor configured to provide signals representative of a presence and/or amount of a naturally occurring gamma ray source when the drill bit is used for cutting into a formation. A circuit may be configured to process signals from the gamma ray sensor to provide an estimate a parameter relating to the naturally occurring gamma ray source, which may used for purposes such as optimizing drilling parameters and geosteering.

Abstract: A packet scheduler includes a packet manager interface, a policer, a congestion manager, a scheduler, and a virtual output queue (VOQ) handler. The policer assigns a priority to each packet. Depending on congestion levels, the congestion manager determines whether to send a packet based on the packet's priority assigned by the policer. The scheduler schedules packets in accordance with configured rates for virtual connections and group shapers. A scheduled packet is queued at a virtual output queue (VOQ) by the VOQ handler. In one embodiment, the VOQ handler sends signals to a packet manager (through the packet manager interface) to instruct the packet manager to transmit packets in a scheduled order.

Abstract: A composite seal gland insert for a roller cone rock bit is a polymer composite sleeve containing one or more constituents that function to significantly lower the wear of the elastomeric seal ring. A fluid lubricant film also may be used between the elastomer seal and the gland. The outer surface of the insert is profiled to provide a sealing surface against which the elastomer seal runs. The insert is installed over the bearing pin and has a surface that engages the last machined surface of the leg. A static seal, which may comprise an additional elastomeric seal, may be used beneath the gland insert to provide a pressure seal between the insert and the pin. An adhesive also may be used as the pressure seal and also to retain the gland insert in the desired position. In addition, a mechanical anti-rotation device may be used to prevent rotation of the gland insert.

Abstract: An earth-boring drill bit having a bit body with a cutting component formed from a tungsten carbide composite material is disclosed. The composite material includes a binder and tungsten carbide crystals comprising sintered pellets. The composite material may be used as a hardfacing on the body and/or cutting elements, or be used to form portions or all of the body and cutting elements. The pellets may be formed with a single mode or multi-modal size distribution of the crystals.

Abstract: Downhole tool bearings are provided with diamond enhanced materials. The diamond enhanced materials comprise diamond grains in a matrix of tungsten or silicon carbide. A brazed diamond grit or diamond particles coated with a reactive braze may be utilized for bearing applications. Bearing rings formed at least in part with diamond enhanced material are installed on at least one of the bearing pin journal, the nose and the cone cavity. The bearing rings may be continuous rings or partial rings and attached to the journal pin or cone cavity. These may include thrust bearings, rollers, roller race, balls and ball races made of diamond enhanced material. These bearing surfaces also are formed at least in part with diamond enhanced material and attached to portions of the journal or cone bearing surfaces.

Abstract: Disclosed is a wound closure device, such as a suture, including a substantially flexible tensile member, the tensile member having an external surface, the external surface including a biocidal material such as a coating of substantially pure silver. A method of applying the suture includes piercing a patient's skin adjacent to a wound using, for example, a needle and drawing a substantially flexible tensile member through a resulting aperture in the skin. By virtue of the biocidal material, pathogens and other bioactive materials drawn through the aperture are rendered less active and/or incapable of causing infection.

Abstract: A hemostatic biocidal dressing includes pro-coagulant and biocidal agents providing a physical barrier to bleeding as well as chemical action to promote blood coagulation and thereby arrest coverage. At the same time, biocidal properties of the dressing prevent the introduction of infected agents and the establishment of infection within wounded tissue. A silverized textile provides biocidal action while a granulated hemostatic agent disposed within interstitial regions between polymer fibers provides coagulating action.

Abstract: A packet scheduler includes a packet manager interface, a policer, a congestion manager, a scheduler, and a virtual output queue (VOQ) handler. The policer assigns a priority to each packet. Depending on congestion levels, the congestion manager determines whether to send a packet based on the packet's priority assigned by the policer. The scheduler schedules packets in accordance with configured rates for virtual connections and group shapers. A scheduled packet is queued at a virtual output queue (VOQ) by the VOQ handler. In one embodiment, the VOQ handler sends signals to a packet manager (through the packet manager interface) to instruct the packet manager to transmit packets in a scheduled order.

Abstract: An earth-boring drill bit having a bit body with a cutting component formed from a tungsten carbide composite material is disclosed. The composite material includes a binder and tungsten carbide crystals comprising sintered pellets. The composite material may be used as a hardfacing on the body and/or cutting elements, or be used to form portions or all of the body and cutting elements. The pellets may be formed with a single mode or multi-modal size distribution of the crystals.

Abstract: A gaming system includes a system controller, a means for establishing a credit on the system, a plurality of gaming machines, and a communications system connecting each of the plurality of gaming machines to the system controller. The gaming machines each have credit register, a player input device, a tracking input device and a game controller. Each game controller is arranged to play a game when a player has established a credit in the credit register of the respective gaming machine and the credit establishment means is arranged to establish a player credit and to associate that credit with a player tracking means (such as a magnetic stripe card or a fingerprint) of a player establishing the credit.

Abstract: A gaming system having a server connected to a plurality of gaming machines for playing a game in which a player wagers credits held in a credit meter. The gaming machines having a player tracking apparatus to receive an identifier from a current player of the gaming machine. The gaming machine can be reserved by a player, in which case play of the gaming machine is prevented by any player other than a player with the same identifier for a predetermined period time. The ability to reserve gaming machines may be dependent on eligibility criteria.

Abstract: A bonus controller and method for controlling the award of a bonus at a gaming terminal. In one embodiment game play data is monitored and compared to a trigger event. A token is then sent to the triggering gaming terminal dependent on any received response the bonus is immediately awarded, or data defining the bonus and a player identifier is stored to enable subsequent award of the bonus. In another embodiment, the method includes communicating a token over a wide area network and checking whether the gaming machine is eligible to award the bonus.

Abstract: Differentiated services for network traffic using weighted quality of service is provided. Network traffic is queued into separate per flow queues, and traffic is scheduled from the per flow queues into a group queue. Congestion management is performed on traffic in the group queue. Traffic is marked with priority values, and congestion management is performed based on the priority values. For example, traffic can be marked as “in contract” if it is within a contractual limit, and marked as “out of contract” if it is not within the contractual limit. Marking can also include classifying incoming traffic based on Differentiated Service Code Point. Higher priority traffic can be scheduled from the per flow queues in a strict priority over lower priority traffic. The lower priority traffic can be scheduled in a round robin manner.

Abstract: A hierarchical congestion management system improves the performance of traffic through a communications system. In one embodiment of the invention, a first subset of thresholds is configured so as to guarantee the passage of a certain high-priority or other selected communications traffic. Further, a second subset of thresholds is configured to control interference among independent flows of traffic that are competing to pass through the system. As a result of these configurations, traffic flows that cause congestion at the output are isolated to prevent dropping other traffic, and high-priority traffic is ensured passage.

Abstract: A method of modifying a layered protocol communication apparatus includes transferring a control plane from a first processor handling a first layer to a second processor handling a second layer.

Abstract: A method or corresponding apparatus in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention determines how many copies of a multicast packet are to be sent, as copies, to multiple destinations based on information in the multicast packet and a group (e.g., bridge node) with which the packet is associated. The copies of the multicast packets are then generated. After generating the copies, an action to take for each copy is determined. This determination is made using the information in the multicast packet and based on the group with which the packet is associated. After the action is determined for each copy, the action is performed on each copy. Through use of an embodiment of the present invention, memory space is conserved, allowing for continued use of a device in a multicast environment of an ever growing network, such as the Internet.

Abstract: An earth-boring bit, and a method of increasing the durability of the same, which includes the step providing a pliable sheet of a hardfacing matrix material. The pliable sheet of hardfacing material has a nickel and chromium matrix combined with a first element. The first element is selected from a group consisting of spherical sintered tungsten carbide, spherical cast tungsten carbide, and metallic glass. The hardfacing matrix material sheet is placed on a preselected surface of the drill bit. The hardfacing matrix material sheet is then fusion bonded to the drill bit.

Abstract: An earth-boring drill bit having a bit body with a cutting component formed from a tungsten carbide composite material is disclosed. The composite material includes a binder and tungsten carbide crystals comprising sintered pellets. The composite material may be used as a hardfacing on the body and/or cutting elements, or be used to form portions or all of the body and cutting elements. The pellets may be formed with a single mode or multi-modal size distribution of the crystals.

Abstract: A gaming system having a server connected to a plurality of gaming consoles for playing a game in which a player wagers credits held in a credit meter. The gaming consoles having a player tracking apparatus to receive an identifier from a current player of the console. The gaming console can be reserved by a player, in which case play of the gaming console is prevented by any player other than a player with the same identifier for a predetermined period time. If the predetermined period of time expires, the credits on the console are automatically recorded by the server and associated with the current player, the credit meter is cleared, and the reserve on the gaming console ceases.