Abstract: Improved approaches to assist those having hearing loss are disclosed. One approach pertains to providing customization of personal audio systems for a hearing impaired individual. Another approach pertains to designing and producing an audio product that includes components or software that can be customized for hearing impaired individuals. The customization provided by either approach can be performed on-line or off-line.

Abstract: A disclosed gaming machine provides method and apparatus for presenting a plurality of game outcome presentations derived from one or more virtual 3-D gaming environments stored on the gaming machine. While a game of chance is being played on the gaming machine, two-dimensional images derived from a three-dimensional object in the 3-D gaming environment may be rendered to a display screen on the gaming machine in real-time as part of the game outcome presentation. To add excitement to the game, a 3-D position of the 3-D object and other features of the 3-D gaming environment may be controlled by a game player. Nearly an unlimited variety of virtual objects, such as slot reels, gaming machines and casinos, may be modeled in the 3-D gaming environment.

Abstract: A nickel-zinc galvanic cell is provided, having a pasted zinc oxide negative electrode, a pasted nickel oxide positive electrode, and an alkaline electrolyte. Chemical additives are placed in each of the negative and positive electrodes. The positive nickel hydroxide electrode contains a mixture of co-precipitated cobalt oxide in the range of 1% to 10%, and freely added, finely divided cobalt metal in the range of 1% to 5%, by weight. The negative zinc oxide electrode contains oxides other than the oxide of zinc, which have redox potentials which are negative of 0.73 volts. Also, the metal oxide additives to the negative zinc oxide electrode are such as to inhibit release of soluble cobalt from the nickel oxide negative electrode prior to a formation charge being applied to the electrochemical cell. The nickel-zinc cell contains 1% to 15% of the defined metal oxides, having a solubility less than 10−4M in the alkaline electrolyte.

Abstract: An electronic device containing an electronic element such as a thermistor element is produced first by providing the element with electrodes formed on its two main surfaces facing outward away from each other, at least two terminals and a casing. Each terminal has a contact part for contacting one of the electrodes and an extended part extending from the contact part. The contact part of at least one of the terminals is elastic and bendable. The terminals and the electronic element are inserted into the casing either sequentially or simultaneously as an assembly in any of the ways such that the electrodes on the electronic element are not rubbed directly against the contact parts of the terminals. This may be done by disposing flexible guide plates over the contact parts such that the electrodes will glide over these guide plates as the electronic element is inserted after the terminals are installed inside the casing.

Abstract: A scalable cluster system that provides scalable services for client applications is provided with a forwarding list. The scalable services are transparent to the client application. To facilitate this transparent scalability, the system provides a forwarding list. For various operational reasons, such as tuning the system, an operator may change the work distribution weights between nodes of a scalable cluster system. Such a change in work distribution weights may change how packets are assigned to nodes. Forwarding lists are provided so that if the work distribution weights are changed while there are existing connections the forwarding lists allow packets from existing connections to go to the same node as earlier packets from the same connection.

Abstract: A damping performance evaluation apparatus for damping devices including: a support member detachably supporting a damping device in a state enabling the device to exhibit a damping effect thereof; a hammer member for applying oscillation force to the device caused by gravitational descent to strike the device; a double-strike preventing member for preventing the hammer member from dropping a second time due to rebound after initially striking the device, to prevent double-strike of the device by the hammer member; a vibration sensor installed at a vibration zone caused to vibrate through oscillation force applied by said hammer member, for outputting an electrical signal in response to vibration at the vibration zone; and a sensing member for sensing a vibration mode in the vibration zone on the basis of an output of said vibration sensor. A damping performance evaluation method is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for comparing an input or query file to a set of files to detect similarities between the query file and the set of files, and digitally shredding files that match, to some degree, the query file and doing so from within the comparison feature. Using a comparison program, the query file is compared with each non-query file in a data processing system, ranging from a stand-alone computer to an enterprise computing network. A list of non-query files having some degree of similarity with the query file is compiled and presented to the user via a user interface within the comparison program. Certain or all non-query files can then be deleted by marking the names of those non-query files in the list. The comparison program can be of the type using either clustering or coalescing, or both, known hashing techniques, or other comparison algorithms.

Abstract: An access control system (a firewall) controls traffic to and from a local network. The system is implemented on a dedicated network device such as a router positioned between a local network and an external network, usually the Internet, or between one or more local networks. In this procedure, access control items are dynamically generated and removed based upon the context of an application conversation. Specifically, the system dynamically allocates channels through the firewall based upon its knowledge of the type of applications and protocol (context) employed in the conversation involving a node on the local network. Further, the system may selectively examine packet payloads to determine when new channels are about to be opened.