Abstract: A method and system for electroplating a metal coating onto a continuous part, such as the leadframe stock used in packaging integrated circuits, whereby the method comprises plating metal from a series of plating baths having the same or compatible chemical composition, supplying a continuous electrical connection between the D.C. power supply via a rotating contact held in intimate contact with the cathode, and cooling the contact by using the plating solution itself.

Abstract: A method and system for computing using reconfigurable computer architecture utilizing logic devices is disclosed. The computing may be accomplished by configuring a first programmable logic unit as a system controller. The system controller directs the implementation of an algorithm in a second one of the programmable logic units concurrently with reconfirguring a third one of the programmable logic units. In another aspect, the computing system may include a pair of independent, bi-directional busses each of which is arranged to electrically interconnect the system controller and the plurality of programmable logic devices. With this arrangement, a first bus may be used to reconfigure a selected one of the programmable logic devices as directed by the system controller while the second bus is used by an operational one of the programmable logic devices.

Abstract: A camera comprising a front taking lens, an exposure chamber centered about an optical axis of the taking lens and having a rear backframe opening for exposing successive sections of a filmstrip, and a circuit board located between the taking lens and the backframe opening and having an opening centered about the optical axis which is smaller the backframe opening, is characterized in that the opening in the circuit board is located within the exposure chamber to make a peripheral edge of the opening serve as a light baffle for the backframe opening.

Abstract: A shutter mechanism comprising an aperture through which ambient light is passed to cause a film exposure, a pair of shutter blades supported for pivotal opening movement in opposite opening directions away from one another to uncover the aperture to permit ambient light to pass through the aperture and for pivotal closing movement in return closing directions towards one another to re-cover the aperture and supported to allow them to be pivoted simultaneously in the same direction to cause accidental shutter opening when a physical shock is applied to the shutter blades in the opening direction of one of the shutter blades, is characterized in that each one of the shutter blades completely covers the aperture in order that both of the shutter blades must be removed from the aperture to uncover the aperture to permit ambient light to pass through the aperture, and a single fixed stop is positioned between the shutter blades to prevent either one of the shutter blades from pivoting in the same direction as the

Abstract: A camera comprising an aperture through which ambient light is passed to cause a film exposure, at least one shutter blade supported for opening movement to uncover the aperture to permit ambient light to pass through the aperture and for closing movement to re-cover the aperture and susceptible of being moved open accidentally such as when the camera is dropped or jarred, and a shutter release button manually depressible to initiate opening movement of the shutter blade, is characterized in that an indicator is activatable to provide a warning the shutter blade has been moved open without the shutter release button having been manually depressed, whereby the warning indicates the shutter blade has been moved open accidentally such as when the camera is dropped or jarred.

Abstract: An underwater camera which comprises a shutter release button having an elastic construction that permits the shutter release button to be manually depressed to initiate shutter opening and to be increasingly depressed because of increases in the water pressure as the underwater depth of the camera is increased, and an underwater depth gauge that indicates increases in the underwater depth of the camera, is characterized in that the underwater depth gauge is coupled with the shutter release button for the underwater depth gauge to indicate increases in the underwater depth of the camera in accordance with increases in the depression of the shutter release button.

Abstract: An illuminated trash receptacle having lighting devices that provide uniform illumination of an advertisement displayed on the side walls of the receptacle without occupying much more space within the side walls of the receptacle than the advertisement. The lighting device has a light emitting surface having a surface area corresponding to the advertising area of the advertisement. Preferably, the light emitting surface contacts the advertisement. The lighting device may be an electroluminescent flat lamp, or a substantially planar light guide that emits light over the entire surface area of the visible portion of the advertisement.

Abstract: A camera comprises an exposure aperture, a shutter blade supported for pivotal movement from a covering position over the exposure aperture to an uncovering position removed from the exposure aperture and having an indentation along an edge of the shutter blade, and a striker movable within the indentation in a forward direction against one portion of the edge to pivot the shutter blade from its covering position to its uncovering position. The striker is movable in the forward direction out of the indentation when the shutter blade is pivoted to its uncovering position, in order to allow the shutter blade to be returned to its covering position, and is movable in a reverse direction to return to the indentation when the shutter blade is in its covering position.

Abstract: A shutter and flash synchronization assemblage comprising a flash circuit board having a shutter-flash synchronization contact, an electrically conductive shutter blade supported for movement between a lens covering position spaced from the synchronization contact and a lens uncovering position in abutment with the synchronization contact to establish a temporary conductive connection between the flash circuit board and the shutter blade, and an electrically conductive return spring interconnecting the flash circuit board and the shutter blade to establish a permanent conductive connection between the flash circuit board and the shutter blade and to urge the shutter blade to its lens covering position, is characterized in that the return spring is a non-conductive substance which is elastic to urge the shutter blade to its lens covering position and which is provided with a plurality of electrically conductive cross-woven strands to establish the permanent conductive connection between the flash circuit board

Abstract: A partition establishment arrangement for use in a computer system comprising a plurality of processors interconnected by a communications network. The communications network comprises a plurality of communications nodes connected in a series of levels, with the nodes of at least some of the levels being controllable to connect to multiple ones of the nodes in a subsequent level. The partition establishment arrangement determines the controlling of the communication nodes to facilitate the partitioning of the processors into a plurality of partitions. The partition establishment arrangement, in a plurality of iterations, identifies conflict sets of processors to be assigned to respective partitions at a level, each conflict set identifying partitions for which, at a selected level, a processor may be connected to the same communications nodes in the next level.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a tubular ozone generator which uses a novel electrode structure wherein a wound electrode has a solid insulator between the turns of the windings.

Abstract: Corrosion metal contaminants are removed from a liquid composition comprising a carboxylic acid and/or an anhydride thereof, a rhodium carbonylation catalyst, and a carbonylation catalyst co-promoter by using a chelating resin selective for the removal of corrosion metals rather than carbonylation catalyst and co-promoter.

Abstract: A process for removing acetone from an acetone/methyl acetate/methyl iodide mixture utilizing extractive distillation with water being introduced to the distillation zone above the point of introduction of the mixture and acetic acid being introduced at or above the point of introduction of the mixture. In a preferred embodiment the mixture is subjected to an initial extraction with an aqueous extractant to remove most of the methyl iodide.The process is particularly applicable to removing acetone by-product in carbonylation processes for the production of acetic anhydride.

Abstract: Classification of natural language data wherein the natural language data has an open-ended range of possible values or the data values do not have a relative order. A training database stores training records, wherein each training record includes predictor data fields. Each predictor data field containes a feature, wherein each feature is a natural language term, and a target data field containing a target value representing a classification of the record. Features may also include conjunctions of natural language terms and each feature may also be a member of a category subset of features. The training database stores, for each feature, a probability weight value representing the probability that a record will have the target value contained in the target data field if a feature contained in a corresponding predictor data field occurs in the record.

Abstract: A character recognition system for recognizing a character associated with a query character. The query character has a query character image defined by a query character image array having a pattern of array elements defining on pixels and off pixels for said query character image, in response to training character images also represented by patterns of on and off pixels. The system generates, for each image array, a distance array having a pattern of array elements each identifying a distance value to pixels of selected conditions, thereby identifying distances to artifacts in the respective images. In addition, the system generates distance scores for both the query character and the training character, using the distance arrays, representing the consolidated deviation between the query character image and the training character images. The system includes a massively-parallel processor including a plurality of processing elements to process the training character image arrays in parallel.

Abstract: Helmet mounted display apparatus for use in aircraft and rotorcraft includes an image source for generating images that are projected into the pilot's forward field of view by a portion of relay optics that are common to both day and night viewing and interchangeable optical eyepieces, one for daytime viewing and one for nighttime viewing.

Abstract: Helmut mounted display apparatus configured for simulator use includes a pair of visual image sources and a pair of optics arrangements, including relay optic and eyepiece portions thereof, that optically present the image source images into the wearer's forward visual field, a first eyepiece type optimized for daytime luminance conditions, a second type optimized for nighttime luminance conditions, a single eyepiece being releasably engageable to and rotatable about the corresponding relay optic portion, wheeby said eyepiece rotation allows a varying binocular field of view to be displayed to the wearer.

Abstract: Helmet mounted display apparatus for use in aircraft and rotorcraft includes an first image source for generating images comprising pilotage symbol information, a second image source for sensing and generating images of the exterior scene, and relay optical components that optically superimpose the two images together and subsequently project the superimposed image into the observer's forward field of view.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for a helmet mounted display with a cathode ray tube for mounting on the torso of the operator are disclosed. A disconnectable cable supplies an information bearing signal to a signal conditioning circuit for mounting on the torso of the operator and a low voltage signal to a high voltage supply also for mounting on the torso of the operator. The high voltage supply provides the necessary high voltage for the operation of the cathode ray tube. The signal conditioning circuit provides the horizontal and vertical deflection signals and a decoded and amplified information bearing signal to the cathode ray tube. The cathode ray tube converts the information bearing signal into CRT images. A reducer, adjacent to and facing the cathode ray tube display face, reduces these CRT images and presents them to an optical fiber bundle which in turn presents the reduced CRT images to an expander.