Abstract: A method for carrying out commercial transactions includes establishing a transaction processing system on an electronic communications network, and establishing an account within the transaction processing system for a corresponding account holder. One or more descriptions of acceptable future commercial transactions related to the account are obtained from the account holder. Commercial transactions carried out via the transaction processing system are administered, and it is verified that administered commercial transactions related to the account meet one or more of the descriptions obtained.

Abstract: A shaving system comprises a bifurcated razor handle (1,90) comprising a unitary, two-shot plastics molding having a pair of hinges (4) with elastomeric springs (11) joined by a cartridge mounting portion (30,91) which receives the bottom side of a generally flat, multi-blade cartridge (60) in fixed, snap-fit relation. The cartridge is retained in a dispenser (80) beneath a resilient leaf (84) and pressed onto the mounting portion along an engagement axis E normal to the shaving plane, the leaf being received in a recess (48) between the mounting portion and the cartridge. The cartridge is then retracted from the dispenser along a retraction axis R generally parallel with the shaving plane. The mounting portion includes digit-receiving regions (40) for pressing the mounting portion onto the cartridge, an ejection element (41,141) for disengaging the cartridge from the handle, and an elastomeric skin-engaging platform (51) arranged in advance of the shaving plane.

Abstract: Methods and a system are disclosed for one or more appliances including a controller for managing power consumption within a household. The controller is configured to receive and process a signal indicative of one or more energy parameters of an associated energy utility, including at least a peak demand period or an off-peak demand period. A generated serial number is obtained from an original serial number of the appliance or controller, which is configured for a signal to communicate to the appliance within a population and command the appliance to operate in an energy savings mode and a normal mode at various time periods. The generated serial number (GSN) is used to segregate a total population into segments to provide granularity in assigning DR activations and deactivations based upon the GSN.

Abstract: A printing system includes at least one marking engine and a paper path which carries sheets of print media to the marking engine from an upstream direction and carries sheets of print media which have been marked by the marking engine in a downstream direction. A buffer system includes a sheet buffer in the paper path downstream of the marking engine and optionally includes another sheet buffer in the paper path upstream of the marking engine. The buffer system allows variability in the residence time of the marking engine to be accommodated by varying the residence time of sheets in the downstream buffer.

Abstract: In accordance with another aspect of the present development, an articulated link duster support frame includes a base and a working region connected to the base. The working region includes a plurality of links pivotally connected in series such that each link is pivotally connected to at least one adjacent link, with an inner one of said links pivotally connected to the base. Respective articulated joints pivotally connect the inner link to the base and pivotally connect each link to at least one adjacent link. Each joint includes a first side comprising at least two ears and a second side comprising at least one tab located between and slidably abutted with the at least two ears of said first side. Each joint further includes a fastener pivotally connecting the first and second joint sides. A fabric, feather, or other dusting member is connected to the working region.

Abstract: A merchandise security system includes a merchandise display having a first display member and a second display member vertically spaced from the first display member. At least one tile is mounted to the first display member. The at least one tile is movable between a first position blocking access to a desired column of associated merchandise stored on one of the first and second display members to a second position allowing access to the desired column of the associated merchandise. A lock member is operatively connected to the at least one tile for restricting movement of the at least one tile from its first position. The lock member is movable from the locked position where at the lock member interferes with movement from the at least one tile from its first position to an unlocked position which enables the at least one tile to be moved from its first position to its second position for allowing access to the desired column of associated merchandise.

Abstract: A portable monitor used to measure landfill gas and landfill well parameters. The portable monitor includes a control unit and a measuring unit that can communication wirelessly with one another. The control unit and/or measuring unit can includes a heating arrangement to increase the temperature of one or more components in the control unit and/or measuring unit in cold environments.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a film comprising at least one layer comprising an ethylene homo- or copolymer which has a complex viscosity at 5 kPa shear stress eta5 of 200,000 or less and a shear thinning index SHI(5/300) measured at 190° C. as the ratio between the complex viscosity at 5 kPa shear stress and the complex viscosity at 300 kPa shear stress of 120 or more.

Abstract: A method of registering a print between print stages in a printing system is provided. The method comprises: printing a first part of a digital image on a substrate with a first print engine, wherein the first part of the digital image includes a plurality of reference features; scanning image content on the substrate as it is readied for the second print engine; determining the actual positions of the reference features; using the actual positions of the reference features to determine desired adjustments for the second part of the digital image; applying electronic registration according to the desired adjustments to modify image content of the second print to be aligned with content already on the substrate; and printing a second part of the digital image on the substrate.

Abstract: Production control systems and methods are presented for estimation of production resource failure probabilities in which a set of four count values are maintained and updated for each resource including a first count value m11 indicating a number of plans where the resource m was used and failed, a second count value m10 indicating a number of plans where the resource m was used and succeeded, a third count value m01 indicating a number of plans where the resource m was not used and failed, and a fourth count value m00 indicating a number of plans where the resource m was not used and succeeded, and the current fault probability for each resource is estimated and stored for single or multiple, persistent or intermittent faults based on the corresponding count values.

Abstract: An expandable table that has a frame, at least one leg supporting the frame, first and second top portions movably connected or interconnected to the frame, an intermediate top portion movably connected or interconnected to the frame, and a movement mechanism connected or interconnected to the frame. The movement mechanism is configured to cause the first and second top portions to move along a longitudinal axis of the frame. The movement mechanism is also configured to cause the intermediate top portion to move normal to said longitudinal axis of a plane of movement of said first and second top portions.

Abstract: A system and method for reviewing documents are provided. A collection of documents is portioned into sets of documents for review by a plurality of reviewers. For each set, documents in the set are displayed on a display device for review by a reviewer and temporarily organized through grouping and sorting. The reviewer's labels for the displayed documents are received. Based on the reviewer's labels, a class from a plurality of classes is assigned to each of the reviewed documents. A classifier model stored in computer memory is progressively trained, based on features extracted from the reviewed documents in the set and their assigned classes. Prior to review of all documents in the set, a calculated subset of documents for which the classifier model assigns a class different from the one assigned based on the reviewer's label is returned for a second review by a reviewer. Models generated from one or more other document sets can be used to assess the review of a first of the sets.

Abstract: A system and method for modeling print jobs provides a central server that is accessible to remotely located print shops. The remote print shops are able to communicate with the central server to forward print job parameters and to receive the output from a modeling program to enable the print shop to run “what-if” scenarios to maximize print shop efficiency. The central server is also provided with various other print shop tools to assist with print shop design and organization.

Abstract: The invention relates to a magnetic coupling pump, with the motor-driven part of the magnetic coupling lying radially inward and the radially outward part of the coupling, together with the pump rotor, having a floating fit in the pumped fluid such that the rotating part of the floating bearing is also radially arranged over the outer magnets. The wall of the pump housing can itself be embodied as the stationary part of the floating bearing with the possibility of direct external access (lubrication, sensor mechanism) and an effective convectional cooling. Dry running on operational faults can be avoided by means of the floating bearing arranged far to the outside, as the damaging gas fraction collects in the radial interior of the pump and remaining traces of liquid are continuously driven outwards and thus contribute to bearing lubrication. By means of an additional annular barrier, the loss of residual fluid can be prevented.

Abstract: Electronic devices, such as organic thin film transistors, with improved mobility are disclosed. The semiconducting layer comprises layers or striations of an organic semiconductor and graphene, including alternating layers/striations of such materials. The organic semiconductor and graphene layers interact well together because both materials form lamellar sheets. The presence of graphene enhances mobility by correcting molecular packing defects in the organic semiconductor layers, and the conductivity of graphene can be controlled. Finally, both materials are flexible, allowing for flexible semiconductor layers and transistors.

Abstract: A method for distributing content data packages 7 originated by users of a super peer-to-peer network is proposed, wherein the content data packages 7 are to be cached in caching nodes CN1,CN2,CN3,CN4 of said network. The network comprises a plurality of caching nodes CN1,CN2,CN3,CN4 and user nodes 5 of said users and a plurality of data lines that extend between adjacent of said nodes and the users are being grouped in user groups and listed in a user group list. Content data traffic is to be delivered on traffic connections between user nodes 5 of the network.

Abstract: A compression and storage device comprises: a compressor configured to compress data; a central processing unit (CPU) configured to control storage of the compressed data and to perform at least one additional task; an electronic memory organized as storage blocks each having a storage block size; a direct memory access (DMA) engine configured to operate autonomously from the CPU to transfer a current transfer block of compressed data into one or more storage blocks of the electronic memory; and a transfer block size estimator configured to select a transfer block size for the current transfer block based on previous DMA transfers of compressed data, the selected transfer block size being generally different from the storage block size.

Abstract: Category context models (64) and a universal context model (62) are generated including sums of soft co-occurrences of pairs of visual words in geometric proximity to each other in training images (50) assigned to each category and assigned to all categories, respectively. Context information (76) about an image to be classified (70) are generated including sums of soft co-occurrences of pairs of visual words in geometric proximity to each other in the image to be classified. For each category (82), a comparison is made of (i) closeness of the context information about the image to be classified with the corresponding category context model and (ii) closeness of the context information about the image to be classified with the universal context model. An image category (92) is assigned to the image to be classified being based on the comparisons.

Abstract: A method for playing a game of chance includes distributing game cards from a set of game cards to a plurality of players, each of the game cards in the set displaying at least one game face which includes a set of indicia selected from a pool of indicia. A game of chance is played in which the players match indicia randomly called from the pool of indicia with the indicia in the respective game face. A game face is identified in which a set of the called indicia form a first configuration on a game card from the plurality of distributed game cards. A jackpot level is determined from a plurality of possible jackpot levels based at least in part on a comparison of at least one of the indicia displayed on the identified game face with at least one jackpot number.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described that facilitate removing punch hole artifacts in electronic document images. When a document with punch holes is scanned, the punch holes appear as unwanted dark spots in the margin. To remove these artifacts, a blanking regions having background color pixels are placed over the punch hole artifacts and the electronic document image is stored with the blanking regions in place. A user interface is provided to permit a user to enter blanking region parameters, including x,y coordinates, diameter, reference edge from which the coordinates are measured, etc. Default settings can be stored and recalled for common punch hole patterns, which may vary between offices and the like.