Abstract: Embodiments of the invention comprise forming a billet from molten steel and hot rolling the billet to reduce the cross sectional area of the billet. Thereafter, the billet is hot rolled into a lead pass bar having a cross-sectional area comprising a reduced width dimension located adjacent to the center longitudinal axis of the bar. In one embodiment of the invention, the billet can be formed into a lead pass bar having a cross-sectional area in the shape of an hourglass or peanut by feeding the billet through a first set of rolls. After the lead pass bar is formed, it is passed through a second set of rolls in order to form the substantially continuous threaded rebar without longitudinal ribs. The cross-sectional area of the lead pass bar helps to produce a substantially continuous threaded rebar product without longitudinal ribs using standard rebar manufacturing tooling and equipment.

Abstract: A distributed event system for a relational database is disclosed. An event data model operatively describes a target database. For a subject entity in the target database, the event data model declares and defines triggering events and respective corresponding operations. An event engine monitors database queries and events involving the subject entity and determines from the event data model corresponding operations. Execution of the determined corresponding operations is distributed to network-based agents. Agents may be filtered based on skills and/or credentials injected at runtime. Code binaries of the operations are downloaded to the agents for execution.

Abstract: A bypass valve (130) that regulates a flow of a fluid in a waste heat recovery system (100) is provided. The bypass valve (130) comprises a valve housing (220), an expander poppet (250) coupled to the valve housing (220) and adapted to prevent the flow of the fluid to an expander (140), and a valve stem (230) with at least a portion disposed in the valve housing (220) wherein the valve stem (230) is adapted to displace the expander poppet (250) to allow the fluid to flow to the expander (140), and regulate the flow of the fluid.

Abstract: Disclosed are the methods and systems for transferring value from as first account to a second account via a consumer device. The methods may be consumer or merchant driven and may involve transferring value to peers, oneself, or a third party account holder with or without the creation of a user account. Based on information input by a user, various financial systems interact in a manner that results in creation of an escrow account and effectuates transfer of value from a funding account through that escrow account to a receiving account. Such novel methods allow for previously unavailable transfers of value. In certain embodiments, the methods and systems also encompass creation of a digital equivalent of the value and using the digital equivalent to make payments at as point of service.

Abstract: In a method of controlling access to secured data, a repository operatively coupled to one or more databases storing secure data is employed to intercept a user query of one database of the one or more databases. A user who generated the user query and a user role assigned to the user is automatically determined from the intercepted query. The intercepted query is parsed. Security information of the identified objects is looked up in a metamodel stored in the one or more databases. Based on the determined user role and the identified objects to be filtered out of the user query, an expression tree to filter out secure data is automatically built and the user query is modified by appending the expression tree to the user query. The modified query is applied to the one database.

Abstract: A method of forming a flapper assembly (200) for a throttle valve (100) is provided. The method includes steps of forming a flapper (110) comprised of hub (112) having an opening (114) and at least one vane (116a,b) coupled to the hub (112), disposing a shaft (210) in the opening (114), and pressing a punch (P) into an outer surface (112a) of the hub (112) such that a torque dimple (118) extends from the hub (112) into the shaft (210) to fasten the flapper (110) to the shaft (210).

Abstract: A waste heat recovery system (100) for an engine (101), comprises a fluid supply (104); two or more evaporators (120, 121) adapted to receive waste heat from an engine (101); a valve module (114) including an inlet port (115) in fluid communication with the fluid supply (104), a first outlet port (116) in fluid communication with a first evaporator (120) of the two or more evaporators (120, 121), and a second outlet port (117) in fluid communication with a second evaporator (121) of the two or more evaporators (120, 21), the module being adapted to selectively provide a fluid communication path between the fluid supply (104) and one or more of the two or more evaporators (120, 21). A fluid control module (200, 400) for a waste heat recovery system (100) with a 10 working fluid is provided.

Abstract: A waste heat recovery system (100) for an engine (101) comprises a fluid supply (104); one or more evaporators (120, 121) adapted to transfer waste heat from the engine (101) to fluid from the fluid supply (104) to heat the fluid to a superheated vapor; a condenser (134); a bypass circuit (130) in fluid communication with an outlet on the one or more evaporators (120, 121) and an inlet on the condenser (134); and an injection port (465) in fluid communication with the fluid supply (104) and the bypass circuit (130) and adapted to inject fluid from the fluid supply (104) into the bypass circuit (130) to cool the superheated vapor in the bypass circuit (130). A waste heat recovery system (100) for an engine (101) also comprises one or more evaporators (120, 121) adapted to transfer waste heat from the engine (101) to fluid from a fluid supply (104) wherein the engine (101) generates the waste heat with the fluid.

Abstract: A package comprising packaging material defining an enclosed space suitable for containing an item susceptible to microbial growth or spoilage is described. An interior of the package comprises at least one antimicrobial surface bearing an ordered nanoarray of metal or metal oxide nanostructures. A packaging material in the form of a sheet or film having a first face and a second face, in which at least a portion of one of the first or second faces of the film comprises a surface bearing a nanoarray of metal or metal oxide nanostructures, is also described.

Abstract: A computer method, system and apparatus control access to secured data in a plurality of databases. A repository is coupled to the databases and has a security runtime subsystem. The repository intercepts a user query of a subject database in the plurality. The security runtime subsystem determines from the intercepted query a user and corresponding user role. Based on user role, the security runtime subsystem automatically modifies the user query to filter out secure data for which the identified user is unauthorized to access but are part of the user query.

Abstract: A configurable actuation-orientation valve (100) includes a valve body (120) including a valve bore (126) and a coil (180), a first port (101) and a third port (103) located at a first end (111) and a second port (102) located at a second end (112), a pole piece (138), an armature (130) configured to move in response to energization of the coil (180), and a biasing device (135) between the pole piece (138) and the armature (130). When the biasing device (135) is selected to provide a normally-closed biasing force to the armature (130) then the configurable actuation-orientation valve (100) comprises a normally-closed (NC) valve and when the biasing device (135) is selected to provide a normally-open biasing force to the armature (130) then the configurable actuation-orientation valve (100) comprises a normally-open (NO) valve.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention comprise forming a billet from molten steel and hot rolling the billet to reduce the cross sectional area of the billet. Thereafter, the billet is hot rolled into a lead pass bar having a cross-sectional area comprising a reduced width dimension located adjacent to the center longitudinal axis of the bar. In one embodiment of the invention, the billet can be formed into a lead pass bar having a cross-sectional area in the shape of an hourglass or peanut by feeding the billet through a first set of rolls. After the lead pass bar is formed, it is passed through a second set of rolls in order to form the substantially continuous threaded rebar without longitudinal ribs. The cross-sectional area of the lead pass bar helps to produce a substantially continuous threaded rebar product without longitudinal ribs using standard rebar manufacturing tooling and equipment.

Abstract: Crimp tooling for crimping a crimp barrel of an electrical terminal to a wire includes an insulation crimper having an insulation crimp profile for crimping an insulation barrel segment of the crimp barrel to insulation of the wire, a wire crimper having a wire crimp profile for crimping a wire barrel segment of the crimp barrel to a conductor of the wire, and a transition crimper between the wire crimper and the insulation crimper. The transition crimper has a blended profile segueing from the wire crimp profile to the insulation crimp profile. The blended profile is used for crimping a transition segment of the crimp barrel between the insulation barrel segment and the wire barrel segment.

Abstract: The present invention comprises in some embodiments a system for providing digital entertainment content to patron devices located within a location-based business or other establishment comprising: a client server capable of transmitting a listing of available digital entertainment content to said patron devices; and a digital media aggregation server, wherein the digital aggregation media server maintains and provides the listing of available digital entertainment content to the client server. In some aspects, the present invention provides a method of providing aggregated digital entertainment content to patrons of a location-based business or other establishment comprising providing a listing of available digital entertainment content to a patron device; providing selected digital entertainment content to a patron device.

Abstract: Disclosed are the methods and systems for transferring value from a first account to a second account via a consumer device. The methods may be consumer or merchant driven and may involve transferring value to peers, oneself, or a third party account holder with or without the creation of a user account. Based on information input by a user, various financial systems interact in a manner that results in creation of an escrow account and effectuates transfer of value from a funding account through that escrow account to a receiving account. Such novel methods allow for previously unavailable transfers of value.

Abstract: A circuit to detect a movement of an object provides a threshold selection module or a peak identifier module that uses one or more threshold signals identified prior to a present cycle of magnetic field signal in order to establish a threshold signal used for a present cycle of the magnetic field signal. A method associated with the circuit is also described. The circuit and method can be tailored to store values associated with a least common multiple of a set of possible quantities of detectable features on target objects.

Abstract: A feed mechanism for a terminal crimping machine includes a feed track and a strip locator. The feed track has a top plate and a side wall. The top plate extends from a front of the feed track to a rear of the feed track. The top plate is configured to receive thereon a terminal strip having a plurality of terminals arranged along a carrier strip. The terminal strip is configured to be moved from the rear to the front towards a crimping zone of the terminal crimping machine. The side wall has a fixed edge above the top plate. The strip locator is coupled to the feed track. The strip locator has a rail movably coupled to a support wall. The support wall is fixed relative to the feed track. The rail is biased against the terminal strip to force the terminal strip against the fixed edge of the side wall.

Abstract: A method for providing a nanopattern of periodically ordered metal oxide nanostructures on a substrate is described. The method comprises the steps of providing a microphase separated block copolymer as a thin film on a substrate, the block copolymer comprising a first polymer having an affinity for a cations of the metal and a second polymer having a lower affinity for the cations than the first polymer, and selectively incorporating a salt of the metal cation into the first polymer of the block copolymer by means of a solvation process prior to or after formation of the microphase separated block copolymer. The block copolymer film is then treated to oxidise the metal ion salt and remove the polymers leaving a nanopattern of metal oxide nanostructures on the substrate.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention comprise forming a billet from molten steel and hot rolling the billet to reduce the cross sectional area of the billet. Thereafter, the billet is hot rolled into a lead pass bar having a cross-sectional area comprising a reduced width dimension located adjacent to the center longitudinal axis of the bar. In one embodiment of the invention, the billet can be formed into a lead pass bar having a cross-sectional area in the shape of an hourglass or peanut by feeding the billet through a first set of rolls. After the lead pass bar is formed, it is passed through a second set of rolls in order to form the substantially continuous threaded rebar without longitudinal ribs. The cross-sectional area of the lead pass bar helps to produce a substantially continuous threaded rebar product without longitudinal ribs using standard rebar manufacturing tooling and equipment.