Abstract: A beverage production system, comprising a cup dispensing station configured to dispense cups, a beverage dispensing station configured to dispense a beverage, and a turntable assembly. The turntable assembly comprising a central axis, an inner turntable including a first row of cup receptacles, and an outer turntable including a second row of cup receptacles. The outer turntable is disposed circumferentially about the inner turntable, and the outer turntable is configured to rotate about the central axis to align the cup receptacles of the second row with the cup dispensing station and the beverage dispensing station. The turntable assembly is configured to align an opening in a cup receptacle in the second row with an opening in a cup receptacle in the first row. A slide assembly includes an arm configured to slide a cup positioned in the cup receptacle in the second row into the aligned opening of the cup receptacle in the first row.

Abstract: A beverage production system, comprising a cup dispensing station configured to dispense cups, a beverage dispensing station configured to dispense a beverage, and a turntable assembly. The turntable assembly comprising a central axis, an inner turntable including a first row of cup receptacles, and an outer turntable including a second row of cup receptacles. The outer turntable is disposed circumferentially about the inner turntable, and the outer turntable is configured to rotate about the central axis to align the cup receptacles of the second row with the cup dispensing station and the beverage dispensing station. The turntable assembly is configured to align an opening in a cup receptacle in the second row with an opening in a cup receptacle in the first row. A slide assembly includes an arm configured to slide a cup positioned in the cup receptacle in the second row into the aligned opening of the cup receptacle in the first row.

Abstract: A beverage production system, comprising a cup dispensing station configured to dispense cups, a beverage dispensing station configured to dispense a beverage, and a turntable assembly. The turntable assembly comprising a central axis, an inner turntable including a first row of cup receptacles, and an outer turntable including a second row of cup receptacles. The outer turntable is disposed circumferentially about the inner turntable, and the outer turntable is configured to rotate about the central axis to align the cup receptacles of the second row with the cup dispensing station and the beverage dispensing station. The turntable assembly is configured to align an opening in a cup receptacle in the second row with an opening in a cup receptacle in the first row. A slide assembly includes an arm configured to slide a cup positioned in the cup receptacle in the second row into the aligned opening of the cup receptacle in the first row.

Abstract: A beverage production system, comprising a cup dispensing station configured to dispense cups, a beverage dispensing station configured to dispense a beverage, and a turntable assembly. The turntable assembly comprising a central axis, an inner turntable including a first row of cup receptacles, and an outer turntable including a second row of cup receptacles. The outer turntable is disposed circumferentially about the inner turntable, and the outer turntable is configured to rotate about the central axis to align the cup receptacles of the second row with the cup dispensing station and the beverage dispensing station. The turntable assembly is configured to align an opening in a cup receptacle in the second row with an opening in a cup receptacle in the first row. A slide assembly includes an arm configured to slide a cup positioned in the cup receptacle in the second row into the aligned opening of the cup receptacle in the first row.

Abstract: Embodiments of a method for monitoring an annular packer are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method for monitoring a sealing element of a blowout preventer may include providing a fluid to a chamber disposed within a blowout preventer to actuate a piston disposed within the chamber, wherein the actuation of the piston causes a reduction of an inner diameter of a sealing element; measuring one or more parameters of the fluid via a sensor; receiving data relating to the one or more parameters from the sensor; determining a stiffness of the sealing element utilizing the data relating to the one or more parameters; and determining an amount of degradation of the sealing element by comparing the determined stiffness of the sealing element to a known data profile.

Abstract: A system and method for managing and storing logically grouped hierarchical data via physical block storage is provided. Logical groups of parsed XML node data forming node ID ranges are indexed by creating and inserting an index entry into a node ID range. Index entries indicate node ID range bounds for blocks in which nodes are stored. Consulting a node ID range index facilitates XML node traversal via logical links between nodes in different blocks. Additionally, physical links between nodes within a block allow for fast node traversal. Node update including insertion and deletion as well as document order based pre-fetch and XML document re-organization is also facilitated by this architecture.

Abstract: A computer readable storage medium, method, gaming board apparatus, and kit is provided to implement aspects of a puzzle game played on a gaming board arranged into a 4 by 4 matrix of cells, the player being required to place gaming tokens (or tiles) each having an indicia thereon in each of the matrix of cells such that no two tokens comprising a common tile indicia may be placed in a same column, row, or diagonal in the four by four matrix of cells. The puzzle game is solved when no remaining unplaced tokens exists that may be placed in any cell of the four by four matrix of cells. The game may be played by one player, or by a plurality of players. Points may be awarded to a respective player for successfully placing a token, or for completing various arrangements of tokens on the gaming board.

Abstract: Embodiments of a method for monitoring an annular packer are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method for monitoring a sealing element of a blowout preventer may include providing a fluid to a chamber disposed within a blowout preventer to actuate a piston disposed within the chamber, wherein the actuation of the piston causes a reduction of an inner diameter of a sealing element; measuring one or more parameters of the fluid via a sensor; receiving data relating to the one or more parameters from the sensor; determining a stiffness of the sealing element utilizing the data relating to the one or more parameters; and determining an amount of degradation of the sealing element by comparing the determined stiffness of the sealing element to a known data profile.

Abstract: A system and method for communication failover is disclosed. The disclosed embodiments allow voice communications (both inbound and outbound) that are normally carried by VoIP to be automatically switched over to a PSTN in the event of a failure of the VoIP communication network.

Abstract: A disclosed method of operating an engine may include discharging exhaust gas from at least one combustion chamber of the engine. The method may also include recirculating at least a portion of the exhaust gas to the at least one combustion chamber through an EGR system, including directing at least a portion of the exhaust gas through an EGR duct. Additionally, the method may include sensing pressure in a portion of the EGR duct by directing the pressure to a first pressure sensor via a first sensor passage having a first end connected to a portion of the EGR duct and a second end connected to the first pressure sensor, while maintaining a temperature of gas in the first sensor passage adjacent the second end at a bulk temperature of at least about 75 percent of a bulk temperature of gas in the first sensor passage at the first end.

Abstract: Techniques are described for processing a query to produce query results, the query specifying at least a first timestamp value. Embodiments receive the query for processing and access a database index containing a plurality of database keys. The database index contains one or more database index keys, each of which includes at least a timestamp value and a time zone value. Embodiments compare the first timestamp value specified in the query with a portion of one the database index keys to locate at least a portion of the query results. More specifically, the compared portion of the database index key excludes the time zone value. The located portion of the query results is then retrieved.

Abstract: In accordance with the principles of the present invention, read throttled input/output scheduler applications and methods are provided. A read-throttling input/output scheduler takes write requests for data captured from a network, provides this data to a system that persists the captured data, and takes read requests from external user systems. The rate of read and write requests is determined by maintaining two sliding windows over previous write requests, with the second window being longer then the first. The read-throttling input/output scheduler is configured such that, when write requests activity exceeds a threshold as determined over the first window, the read-throttling input/output scheduler throttles the flow of read requests. A storage medium is provided onto which the read and write requests are forwarded. This Abstract is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Abstract: In accordance with the principles of the present invention, read throttled input/output scheduler applications and methods are provided. A read-throttling input/output scheduler takes write requests for data captured from a network, provides this data to a system that persists the captured data, and takes read requests from external user systems. The rate of read and write requests is determined by maintaining two sliding windows over previous write requests, with the second window being longer then the first. The read-throttling input/output scheduler is configured such that, when write requests activity exceeds a threshold as determined over the first window, the read-throttling input/output scheduler throttles the flow of read requests. A storage medium is provided onto which the read and write requests are forwarded. This Abstract is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a device which provides a safety measure to vehicles by utilizing the dead man (tether) switch, or other electrical connection, in combination with a valve and actuator, to keep oil from leaking out of the lubrication system of the vehicle in a rollover situation.

Abstract: A method of operating an engine is disclosed. The method may include discharging exhaust gas from at least one combustion chamber of the engine. The method may also include recirculating at least a portion of the exhaust gas to the at least one combustion chamber through an EGR system, including directing at least a portion of the exhaust gas through an EGR duct. Additionally, the method may include sensing pressure in a portion of the EGR duct by directing the pressure to a first pressure sensor via a first sensor passage having a first end connected to a portion of the EGR duct and a second end connected to the first pressure sensor, while maintaining a temperature of gas in the first sensor passage adjacent the second end at a bulk temperature of at least about 75 percent of a bulk temperature of gas in the first sensor passage at the first end.

Abstract: An extensible identification system for nodes in a hierarchy is described wherein each node is assigned a concatenation of decimal based values. The values assigned uniquely identify the node, provides an order for the node, and identifies its parent, child, and sibling relationships with other nodes Furthermore, the IDs assigned can be encoded to be byte comparable. Furthermore, the ID's assigned to nodes need not be modified when changes (adding/deleting a child node or a subtree of nodes) are made in the hierarchy. Additionally, in the event of such a change, the order and relationships between the parent, child, and sibling nodes are retained.