Abstract: A printing system capable of concurrently processing and scheduling a plurality of job streams and including at least one marking engine and multiple print media destination is controlled by a controller that includes a jobs scheduler for determining a schedule for processing queued print jobs using the plurality of concurrent job streams. The job scheduler determines the schedule using a method including: determining a utility function dependent at least upon user preference delay criteria, and the schedule of the queued print jobs; and optimizing the utility function respective to the schedule of queued print jobs.

Abstract: A stent for insertion in a fluid conduit of a human or animal body includes a hollow structure having generally circumferentially extending parts which have opposite end portions in the longitudinal direction. The circumferential parts are joined to a longitudinally adjacent circumferential parts along the length of the hollow structure wherein the end portions of adjacent circumferential parts are not in parallel planes and/or the end portions of the same part are not in parallel planes. Also, the non-parallel end portions are arranged along the length of the hollow structure such that a flow lumen defined by the hollow structure, and imposed on the flow lumen by the hollow structure when in the fluid conduit, follows a non-planar curve.

Abstract: A Macro-Diversity HandOver (MDHO) solution based on multi-User MIMO is provided. Multiple base stations (BSs) serve the MDHO zone. By jointly precoding the modulated signals to be sent, the multiple BSs send the precoded signals to the multiple mobile stations (MSs) over the same time-frequency resources. The signal to be sent is transmitted to the multiple MSs in the MDHO zone. Due to the adoption of the precoding technique, each MS makes no or small interference to other MSs. Since the multiple BSs that serve one MDHO zone serve multiple MSs over the same time-frequency resources, the system capacity in the MDHO zone is greatly improved.

Abstract: The present invention provides two primary Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) mechanisms for a multi-hop network, i.e. an active Mobile Multi-hop Relaying (MMR) HARQ and a passive Mobile Multi-hop Relaying (MMR) HARQ. According to the solution of the present invention, there are provided a method and a device for HARQ retransmission in relay stations of a wireless communication network, wherein in HARQ retransmission, the HARQ procedure is implemented based on resource allocated by a base station; and a method and device for HARQ in a base station, characterized in that a HARQ procedure is implemented in-between one or more relay stations and a mobile station. With the methods of the present invention, the HARQ problems existing in a multi-hop network are overcome, the correction rate of data transmission is improved, while time delay for data transmission is reduced.

Abstract: A pump assembly includes a housing having a chamber in communication with an inlet and an outlet. A rotating ring, variable displacement vane pump is received in the chamber. The pump, and particularly the rotating ring, is supported by a fluid bearing in the chamber. A control is provided for selectively altering fluid flow to the bearing in response to one of hydrodynamic bearing pressure, boost flow pressure, and the pump stroke.

Abstract: A control system for a pneumatically operated mast has a first control, a second control, and a positioning member. A first serial link communicates the first control with the second control. A second serial link communicates the second control with the positioning member. A relay system communicates with the first and second control and the positioning member. The relay system accommodates a 12 voltage or 24 voltage source.

Abstract: A liquid crystal etalon includes a chiral nematic material contained in a liquid crystal cell having alignment surfaces configured to bias the chiral nematic material toward a twisted liquid crystal configuration with a twist less than 360°. Electrodes are arranged to apply an operative electrical bias to the liquid crystal cell. Mirrors disposed about the chiral nematic material define a resonant optical cavity. At a first electrical bias the etalon is transmissive for light of a first wavelength via a selected liquid crystal twist angle and cavity thickness at which different non-equal eigenmodes reach resonance conditions simultaneously. In a projector embodiment, a projection system with a field sequential image projection light source is coupled with the liquid crystal etalon, the etalon electrodes are patterned into pixels defining a display area, and the projector is operated in a field sequential illumination mode.

Abstract: A clustering system includes a visual mapping sub-system configured to display an N-dimensional to two- or three-dimensional mapping of items to be clustered, where N is greater than three, the mapping having mapping parameters for the N-dimensions. A user interface sub-system is configured to receive user inputted values for the mapping parameters, user inputted values selecting whether selected mapping parameters are fixed or adjustable, and user inputted values associating selected items with selected groups. An adjustment sub-system is configured to adjust the adjustable mapping parameters, without adjusting any fixed mapping parameters, to improve a measure of distinctness of one or more groups of items in the two- or three-dimensional mapping.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for testing an independent monitoring circuit in an LED traffic signal is provided. The apparatus comprises: a proof test circuit embedded within the traffic signal; and a proof test device embedded within the traffic signal. The method comprises: via the proof test circuit, simulating a faulty traffic signal state; activating the independent monitoring circuit without switching the traffic signal into a high impedance state; energizing the proof test device; and via the proof test device, communicating externally the current state of the independent monitoring circuit.

Abstract: Patches are generated from the overprinting of one or more separations to encode four or more values per patch each color representing a numerical value. In a calibration step, all possible color overprint combinations are printed multiple times on a calibration sheet. The sheet is scanned and each overprinted patch is entered in to a proximity array, which is a volume data structure representing three dimensional (3D) color space). After all calibration colors are entered, the proximity array is repeatedly dilated. Later, sheets that need to be identified are printed with a code number encoded as one or more patch codes. The sheet is scanned and the patch code colors are looked up in the proximity array to determine which original colors were printed. The identified colors are converted the code number. Patch codes are further augmented with error detection and optionally error correction bits to further increase robustness.

Abstract: A system for delivering targeted content to a device includes a database and a processor. The database stores anonymous identifications for a plurality of customers of at least one financial institution. Each anonymous identification is associated with financial information for a respective customer of the at least one financial institution. The processor includes software that is configured to classify consumers, create a targeted list of content viewers, and deliver a targeted advertisement over a network to a device used by a content viewer on the targeted list. The classifications can be based on the financial information associated with each anonymous identification. The target list of content viewers can be based on at least one selected classification. The advertisement can be delivered to a device used by a content viewer on the targeted list after the device has been used to log onto an application offered by the at least one financial institution.

Abstract: A system and method to integrate breadth-first and depth-first strategies in a single search technique or routine is provided. It combines the complementary strengths of both strategies to achieve significantly improved speed over either strategy used alone. The new algorithm can be used to efficiently find solutions to the treewidth problem that has applications in areas such as diagnosis using probabilistic inferences.

Abstract: A cooperative mounting arrangement for an end member or spacer of a gas spring assembly includes a recess formed into one of the end member and the spacer. A projection is provided on or along an associated structural component. The recess receives the projection such that lateral forces acting on the end member of the gas spring assembly can be transferred to the associated structural component.

Abstract: Electronic ballasts, driver apparatus, and methods are provided in which a heating current is generated by the driver to power a resistive heating element of an insulation detector associated with a recessed can fixture using a regulated current source/sink circuit.

Abstract: A service broker system is presented for mediating events or messages to be sent to or received from a plurality of applications to control service interaction and to provide service blending in a communications system. The service broker system includes steplet functional components that determine a desired mediation for feature interaction or service blending associated with an event or message, along with a message manager component with a dispatcher for the steplet functional components, where the message manager creates and maintains a unique message object for a received request message. A user and end point data manager component is provided to obtain user data and endpoint data and to bind attribute data to a user ID associated with a current service session, and a session context component for binding attribute data to session ID associated with the current service session.

Abstract: A tag (1) for a laboratory sample cassette has a first layer (3). A chip (8) is mounted on a surface (7) of the first layer (3), and an antenna (6) is printed on the surface of the first layer (3). The antenna (6) is arranged to establish communication between the chip (8) and an electric or electronic read/write device. A second layer (4) is positioned and bonded against the surface (7) and has a hole (9) which passes through the second layer (4). The hole (9) contains the chip (8) and a third layer (5) covers the hole (9) from the opposite side to the first layer (3), the third layer (5) being bonded to the second layer (4). Thus, the antenna (6) and chip (8) are sealed within the tag (1). A plurality of perforations (10) are provided which pass through all the layers (3,4,5) of the tag (1) from one side of the tag (1) to an opposite side thereof to enable liquid to pass through the tag (1).

Abstract: An image management method and system provides for storing, indexing, searching, and/or retrieving image data. Keypoints are identified in images, including keypoints in a query image of a query document, and keypoints in potential target document images of a collection of potential target documents. Fingerprint information from the keypoints are generated, and the fingerprint information of a query image is compared with fingerprint information of potential target document images, found in the collection of potential target documents. A best match is determined between the fingerprint information of the query image and the potential target document images. At least one target document image is retrieved based on the determined best match. The retrieved at least one target image may then be displayed, printed or transmitted.

Abstract: The disclosure provides pantograph methods, apparatus and systems. Specifically disclosed is a method of rendering a pantograph including defining a foreground region associated with a pantograph, defining a background region associated with the pantograph, and applying a first UCR/GCR strategy to the background region and a second UCR/GCR strategy to the foreground region, whereby the foreground region is less discernable after the pantograph is rendered with a printing device relative to a reproduction of the rendered pantograph.

Abstract: A method and system is provided for finding stable keypoints in a picture image using localized scale properties. An integral image of an input image is calculated. Then a scale space pyramid layer representation of the input image is constructed at mulitple scales, wherein at each scale, a set of specific filters are applied to the input image to produce an approximation of at least a portion of the input image. Outputs from filters are combined together to form a single function of scale and space. Stable keypoint locations are identified in each scale at pixel locations at which the single function attains a local peak value. The stable keypoint locations which have been identified are then stored in a memory storage.

Abstract: A light assembly includes a metal halide light source having an arc tube with first and second legs extending from a discharge chamber. A light transmissive capsule surrounds the light source. A reflector is received in the capsule and has a large diameter, annular first portion that receives light from the discharge chamber and is dimensioned to operatively engage an inner surface of the capsule to mount the reflector assembly and light source relative to the capsule. In addition, a small diameter portion of the reflector assembly is received around the first leg. By electrically interconnecting the reflector with the second electrode assembly, namely the support leg, and positioning the small diameter portion closer to the first electrode assembly than the dimension between the electrode terminal ends allows the reflector to also serve as an ignition aid.