Abstract: The resilient seated butterfly valve has a common spherical center for receiving either an on-center or off-center disc, both of which are rotatably mounted in the body. A seal has a seat spherical surface. The seal is affixed to the circumference of the valve chamber. It has an on-center seal region for engagement with the on-center spherical sealing edge of the on-center disc. The seal has an off-center seal region for engagement with the off-center spherical sealing edge of the off-center disc. The seal may include an outlet flange, an outlet ramp, an inlet ramp, and an inlet flange. The front face of the seal for the off-center disc extends beyond the position of the front face of the seal for the on-center disc.

Abstract: A device and methods for automatically diagnosing impairments in a digital quadrature amplitude modulated signal is disclosed. The impairments include phase noise, compression, coherent interference, and non-coherent interference. The device comprises a phase noise detector, a compression detector, and an interference detector. The phase noise detector detects phase noise by analyzing data points of an amplitude quadrature modulated constellation for orthogonal deviations from ideal points. The compression detector detects compression by analyzing the magnitudes of vectors from the constellation's origin to data points of the constellation. The interference detector detects coherent and non-coherent interference by detecting error signals in the data points and then analyzing the distribution of the error signals.

Abstract: A system for testing a portion of a cable network provides a pattern generator, addresser, forward error corrector, and comparator. The system is particularly adapted to testing the upstream channel in a cable network. The pattern generator generates a test signal. The addresser addresses the signal to a known server and also instructs the known server to return the test signal to the test system. The forward error corrector corrects errors introduced in the test signal in transmission from the known server to the test system. The comparator then compares the returned test signal to the originally transmitted test signal to determine the performance of the back channel. Preferably, the comparator uses a bit error rate test to determine the performance of the back channel.

Abstract: A system for testing a portion of a cable network provides a pattern generator, Addresser, forward error corrector, and comparator. The system is particularly adapted to testing the upstream channel in a cable network. The pattern generator generates a test signal. The addresser addresses the signal to a known server and also instructs the known server to return the test signal to the test system. The forward error corrector corrects errors introduced in the test signal in transmission from the known server to the test system. The comparator then compares the returned test signal to the originally transmitted test signal to determine the performance of the back channel. Preferably, the comparator uses a bit error rate test to determine the performance of the back channel.

Abstract: A system for testing a portion of a cable network provides a pattern generator, Addresser, forward error corrector, and comparator. The system is particularly adapted to testing the upstream channel in a cable network. The pattern generator generates a test signal. The addresser addresses the signal to a known server and also instructs the known server to return the test signal to the test system. The forward error corrector corrects errors introduced in the test signal in transmission from the known server to the test system. The comparator then compares the returned test signal to the originally transmitted test signal to determine the performance of the back channel. Preferably, the comparator uses a bit error rate test to determine the performance of the back channel.

Abstract: A system and method for testing a portion of a cable network provides a pattern generator, addresser, forward error corrector, and comparator. The system and method is particularly adapted to testing the upstream channel in a cable network. The pattern generator generates a test signal. The addresser addresses the signal to a known server and also instructs the known server to return the test signal to the test system. The forward error corrector corrects errors introduced in the test signal in transmission from the known server to the test system. The comparator then compares the returned test signal to the originally transmitted test signal to determine the performance of the back channel. Preferably, the comparator uses a bit error rate test to determine the performance of the back channel.

Abstract: The resilient seated butterfly valve has a common spherical center for receiving either an on-center or off-center disc, both of which are rotatably mounted in the body. A seal has a seat spherical surface. The seal is affixed to the circumference of the valve chamber. It has an on-center seal region for engagement with the on-center spherical sealing edge of the on-center disc. The seal has an off-center seal region for engagement with the off-center spherical sealing edge of the off-center disc. The seal may include an outlet flange, an outlet ramp, an inlet ramp, and an inlet flange. The front face of the seal for the off-center disc extends beyond the position of the front face of the seal for the on-center disc.

Abstract: A utility trenching and sidewalk system comprising modular utility sidewalk units which may be assembled together to form a cable trench. The modular units are formed from plastic composite material and include sidewalls, a bottom wall and covers which define a chamber for housing utility cables. A cavity formed in the sidewalls and bottom wall is filled with concrete through apertures in the sidewalls. The covers are removable from the module to provide access to the chamber. The module further includes a recess for receiving a paving material which serves as a sidewalk surface in the installed system.

Abstract: A system and method for testing a portion of a cable network provides a pattern generator, addresser, forward error corrector, and comparator. The system and method is particularly adapted to testing the upstream channel in a cable network. The pattern generator generates a test signal. The addresser addresses the signal to a known server and also instructs the known server to return the test signal to the test system. The forward error corrector corrects errors introduced in the test signal in transmission from the known server to the test system. The comparator then compares the returned test signal to the originally transmitted test signal to determine the performance of the back channel. Preferably, the comparator uses a bit error rate test to determine the performance of the back channel.

Abstract: A stop apparatus for a gear actuator includes a traveling stop nut that has adjustable positions and travels on a screw on an input shaft. The stop nut is mounted to threadably travel on the stop screw. A stop guide is attached to the stop screw and prevents rotation of the stop screw relative to the gear actuator and permits longitudinal travel of the stop screw during rotation of the input shaft. The stop nut abuts a stop surface upon a predermined amount of rotation of the input shaft to prevent further rotations.

Abstract: A utility trenching and sidewalk system comprising modular utility sidewalk units which may be assembled together to form a cable trench. The modular units are formed from plastic composite material and include sidewalls, a bottom wall and covers which define a chamber for housing utility cables. A cavity formed in the sidewalls and bottom wall is filled with concrete through apertures in the sidewalls. The covers are removable from the module to provide access to the chamber. The module further includes a recess for receiving a paving material which serves as a sidewalk surface in the installed system.

Abstract: A utility trenching and sidewalk system comprising modular utility sidewalk units which may be assembled together to form a cable trench. The modular units are formed from plastic composite material and include sidewalls, a bottom wall and covers which define a chamber for housing utility cables. The covers are removable from the module to provide access to the chamber. The module further includes a recess for receiving a paving material which serves as a sidewalk surface in the installed system.

Abstract: A stop apparatus for a gear actuator includes a traveling stop nut that has adjustable positions and travels on a screw on an input shaft. The stop nut is mounted to threadably travel on the stop screw. A stop guide is attached to the stop screw and prevents rotation of the stop screw relative to the gear actuator and permits longitudinal travel of the stop screw during rotation of the input shaft. The stop nut abuts a stop surface upon a predermined amount of rotation of the input shaft to prevent further rotations.

Abstract: A utility trenching and sidewalk system comprising modular utility sidewalk units which may be assembled together to form a cable trench. The modular units are formed from plastic composite material and include sidewalls, a bottom wall and covers which define a chamber for housing utility cables. The covers are removable from the module to provide access to the chamber. The module further includes a recess for receiving a paving material which serves as a sidewalk surface in the installed system.

Abstract: A method for transporting digital data from a sender to a receiver in a system where the digital data is broken into data packets for transmission over radio frequency channels, each data packet including forward error-correcting code, the method comprising the steps of receiving the data packets at the receiver; reconstructing the data packets to the digital data, the forward error-correcting code for fixing corrupted data packets; and halting the data packet reconstructing step if a data packet is uncorrectable.

Abstract: An assembly which includes a linkarm joining a valve having a rotatable mounted first shaft on which a butterfly is mounted and a actuator having a second shaft which reciprocally moves in a linear path. The linkarm includes a plate having first and second apparatus for engaging the first shaft and first and second apparatus for engaging the second shaft. The first and second apparatus for engaging the first shaft includes apparatus limiting engagement between the first shaft and the first and second apparatus for engaging the first shaft to specific angular positions. The specific angular positions are rotated with respect to each other in some embodiments.

Abstract: A unitary bearing and locator assembly is provided having a body portion with a passageway therethrough and an integral shoulder flange portion. In one embodiment, this shoulder flange includes a rectilinear perimeter and a radiussed surface. In another embodiment, the shoulder flange has a generally curved perimeter with only a portion thereof being flattened. The bearing is adapted to be inserted in a valve assembly between a rotatable shaft, on which a valving member is mounted, and a shaft bore in the valve body. The shoulder flange is adopted to support and distribute the load from this valving member within the valve body and the fluid passageway therethrough. The linear portions shoulder flange perimeter are adapted to engage portions of the valve body and prevent rotation of the unitary bearing and locator with respect to the valve body.

Abstract: Disclosed is a flexible sealing ring for a valve having a generally S-shaped cross-section and an extension from one end of that S-shape. The extension is mounted on the valve body and serves as a cantilever means for the sealing ring which is thus sealingly engagable with the peripheral sealing surface of a movable valve member pivotally positioned within the valve passageway. The sealing ring is formed from materials capable of withstanding high temperatures (1000.degree. F.) for sustained periods without impairment of its' sealing capacity. The sealing ring may be used in cooperative combination with other sealing rings, including heat destructible materials such as "Teflon", to form valve seal means effective over a range of temperatures and pressures, including firesafe valve seal means.

Abstract: Chemical waste by products are used in place of conventional heating fuels both for induration and chloridization of impure iron oxide. Pelletized iron oxide is hardened and purified simultaneously by exposure to the heat and combustion products generated from burning chlorinated organic by-products. Hydrogen chloride produced during this combustion reacts with trace metal impurities in the iron oxide to effectively remove substantially all such impurities as volatile metal chlorides. Conventional fuel and binder requirements are substantially reduced or completely eliminated through use of such by-products, while remedying the problem of their disposal.