Abstract: An apparatus and method for image data compression performs a modified zero-tree coding on a range of image bit plane values from the largest to a defined smaller value, and a vector quantizer codes the remaining values and lossless coding is performed on the results of the two coding steps. The defined smaller value can be adjusted iteratively to meet a preselected compressed image size criterion or to meet a predefined level of image quality, as determined by any suitable metric. If the image to be compressed is in RGB color space, the apparatus converts the RGB image to a less redundant color space before commencing further processing.

Abstract: A drapery actuator to open and close draperies, comprising a housing and a drive pulley supported by the housing to engage a drapery cord coupled to a drape. A motor, typically a D.C. motor, is supported by the housing for providing torque to reversibly rotate the drive pulley to move the drapery cord between a first extreme (typically closed) position and a second extreme (typically open) position. A first electrical switch operatively connected to the motor functions as a cut-out switch and reversing switch to stop the motor from continued turning in a given direction and thereafter switching polarity, to allow the motor to turn in an opposite direction when the switch is re-activated. A torque-activated mechanism is provided, adapted to actuate the first electrical switch when the drive pulley moves the drapery cord to the first position, and is further adapted to actuate the first electrical switch when the drive pulley is reversibly rotated by the motor to move the drapery cord to the second position.

Abstract: A centering arrangement for controlling relative movement between a series of mold support plates in a stack mold having three or more levels. The centering arrangement uses a plurality of centering devices which are substantially identical, each spanning two mold levels and being connected to three adjacent mold support plates. Each centering device has a shaft generally parallel to an axis of the mold and having an intermediate portion journalled in an intermediate connector to allow rotational movement about a shaft axis, but to restrain relative axial movement between the shaft and the intermediate connector. Helical splines extend from the intermediate portion toward opposite ends of the shaft in oppositely twisting helices. End connectors having cooperating splines engage the splined portions of the shaft and connect the centering device to the outermost of the mold plates to which it is connected.

Abstract: An orbital lathe for resurfacing a fifth wheel kingpin having a support column insertable between the kingpin and an underlying surface generally axially aligned with the kingpin. A cutting tool is mounted for rotation about a pin axis and has a first positioner for moving the cutting tool radially relative to the pin axis and a second positioner for rotating the cutting tool about an axis generally orthoginal to the pin axis. A driver is provided for rotating the cutting tool about the pin axis to cause the cutting tool to remove material from the kingpin. A transport mechanism acts between the support column and the first and second positioner to move the first and second positioners and in turn the cutting tool along the pin axis.

Abstract: An actuator carriage for a multi-level injection molding apparatus having mold core and mold cavity support plates, tie bars supporting a moveable platen and having stripper mechanisms associated with mold cores mounted to the mold core support plates. The stripper mechanisms are displaced relative to the mold cores by lever arms having cam surfaces engaging actuators carried by the actuator carriage. Each actuator carriage includes a support bar extending generally transversely relative to the tie bars with at least one of the actuators being mounted on the support bar. At least one connector bar is rigidly secured to the support bar and a respective of the mold cavity support plates. The connector bar maintains the support bar at a fixed distance from the mold cavity support plate. The support bar is moveable along at least one of the tie bars and has a lateral restraining device limiting lateral movement of the support bar toward respective of the tie bars.

Abstract: Techniques of service-rate controls in ATM switches are described, and apparatus for their implementation are devised. The techniques fall in two categories: frequency domain controls, and time-domain controls. The regulators control the service rate on a per-class basis or on a per-connection basis. Some class regulators operate at very high speeds of the order of several gigabits per second and cover a medium number of classes, 32 for example. Other regulators operate at high speeds of the order of several-hundred megabits per second, and cover a very large number of classes, e.g., 10000. A compound regulator which combines both types of regulators is also described. The compound regulators extend the range of controllable classes considerably, covering some 200,000 classes. The main advantages of the regulators of the invention are simplicity, robustness, and high performance.

Abstract: A ceramic heater element and a glow plug incorporating the novel heater element. The heater element has a base portion and a heater portion. Conductive, insulative and resistive layers extend through both the base and heater portions. An outer conductive layer is applied to the outside of the base portion to provide a highly conductive return path. This tends to limit the heating of the resistive layer in the base portion and results in better and more reliable heat concentration in the heater portion. The heater element can be assembled to form a glow plug for a diesel engine.

Abstract: A semi-solid metal forming process using a cast billet and having the following steps: 1. heating the cast billet to a temperature above its recrystallization temperature and below its solidus temperature; 2. extruding the cast billet into an extruded column; 3. cutting the extruded column into at least one billet; 4. heating the billet from step 3 to a semi-solid state; and 5. squeezing the billet from step 4 into a cavity in a metal forming die set to form a part.

Abstract: A training pillow to assist in teaching a person not to sleep face-down has base a portion for supporting the back of the head when lying face-up on a sleeping surface and two side portions which project substantially diagonally from the base portion and away from the sleeping surface. The pillow can make it awkward and/or uncomfortable for the person to sleep face-down and thereby arousing the person into a conscious state to remind the person not to sleep face-down. Additionally, flipping the pillow over will present an awkward and/or uncomfortable sleeping surface. However, when a person rolls to the side, the corresponding side of the person's head causes the appropriate side portion to move into contact with the sleeping surface, while the base portion and the opposite side portion are lifted away from the sleeping surface.

Abstract: Telecommunications networks require a variety of tests to monitor their proper operations. Performance monitoring (and fault detection) of the physical layer of a transmission system is one of them and is usually accomplished by using a bit error rate test (BERT). The BERT of the invention uses modified ATM idle cells to conduct one-way, bidirectional and loopback BERT. ATM idle cells are loaded with BERT data at the transmit end and recovered at the receive end. The BERT data are processed according to the different data rates of the ATM transmission system. Performance parameters are derived from the received BERT data. The disclosure describes a method as well as a system for performing such a test.

Abstract: It is an object of the invention to provide a peak detector with improved precision for low amplitude AC signals for a broad range of input frequencies.

Abstract: Techniques of service-rate controls in ATM switches are described, and apparatus for their implementation are devised. The techniques fall in two categories: frequency domain controls, and time-domain controls. The regulators control the service rate on a per-class basis or on a per-connection basis. Some class regulators operate at very high speeds of the order of several gigabits per second and cover a medium number of classes, 32 for example. Other regulators operate at high speeds of the order of several-hundred megabits per second, and cover a very large number of classes, e.g., 10000. A compound regulator which combines both types of regulators is also described. The compound regulators extend the range of controllable classes considerably, covering some 200,000 classes. The main advantages of the regulators of the invention are simplicity, robustness, and high performance.

Abstract: A double balanced mixer consisting of two complementary solid state switches, with a high reverse-bias voltage provided by isolating the sides of the complementary solid state switches receiving the carrier signal from one another, and connecting the other sides together. If the solid state switches are designed to couple the input signal to the output signal in response to the carrier signal having an amplitude of zero volts, then a solid state switch in forward-bias will have a potential of zero volts on both sides of it. While this solid state switch is in forward-bias, the second solid state switch will be receiving the complementary carrier signal on one side, which is a high positive voltage, and zero volts on the side connected to the first solid state switch. The second solid state switch will therefore see a reverse-bias potential difference equal to the potential difference between the positive voltage of the complementary carrier signal and zero volts.

Abstract: A low frequency electromagnetic field shielding panel having a first domain refined steel sheet with an easy direction parallel to a first axis and a second domain refined steel sheet substantially overlying the first sheet and having an easy direction generally orthogonal to the easy direction of the first sheet. The EMF shielding panels are interspersed between an EMF source and a critical volume rather than encapsulating the source or the critical volume.

Abstract: A bus for high signal quality interconnections, comprising means for producing at least one common mode reflection, often for differential transmission line interconnections. Also, a bus for high signal quality interconnections further comprising means for under-damping the signal and/or reducing the common mode noise. In both cases the means are at least one impedance termination. To produce common mode reflections, there are non-contact couplers terminated by short and open circuits, which cause the reflections from via connectors and other like impedance discontinuities to be re-reflected in common mode so that they are rejected by a differential receiver. To produce under-damping of the signal and/or a reduction of the common mode noise, capacitive terminations are used. The under-damping of the signal sharpens in the falling edge of the coupler pulses.

Abstract: In ATM networks, digital data in ATM cells are sent to a destination node over a connection made up of more than one transmission link in round robin fashion. This is called inverse multiplexing. Suitable transmission links are selected among a plurality of provisionable transmission links according to some selection criteria. According to some embodiments of the invention, the selection criteria are minimum delay and maximum bandwidth.

Abstract: In current voice telephony, CATV, and wireless networks, traffic is channelized for both access and transport. This channelization is wasteful of resources where multiple services have varying demands for bandwidth and holding times, or a service generates traffic that is bursty in nature. The invention solves these problems by providing flexible and adaptable multi-service access to the networks. Customer requirements are checked by monitoring traffic on a local access at a connection request and/or during the established connection, and the local access is configured according to the transmission requirements. The local access can also be configured in response to the network information. In further realizations, either or both the CPE connector and access module include common bus architecture which forms a backbone LAN for handling a multiplicity of CPEs and/or networks.

Abstract: An ATM network carries several categories of services, each having its own traffic characteristics and performance requirements. The ABR (available bit rate) service category is the only existing one suited for high-reliability data communications, such as file transfer, LAN emulation, etc. The invention relates to the control of ABR traffic flow in an ATM network, to quickly utilize the bandwidth left unused by higher priority service categories while minimizing ABR cell loss, and maintaining fairness among ABR connections. On each ABR connection, the source end system periodically sends RM (resource management) cells to the corresponding destination end system which loops them back to the source. The ATM network may instruct the ABR sources of the exact rates it can support by modifying a certain field in the RM cells. The invention relates to techniques of deriving the proper explicit cell rate for each ABR connection which can grow to a fair level even under special conditions.

Abstract: The frame transfer priority (hereinafter called) FTP capability definition distinguishes between FTP indices and classes. Several FTP indices may be mapped into one or more FTP classes by a network and different networks may map differently FTP indices to classes. When a frame relay SVC traverses multiple networks it may not be clear what is the exact FTP it is assigned. The concept of frame transfer normalized priority (hereinafter called FTnP) overcomes this disadvantage. The FTnP is a precise and uniform measure of the FTP assigned to a frame relay SVC or PVC.

Abstract: A touch pad such as a keypad or a touch screen is mounted with at least one vibrator to produce a tactile feedback sensed by the user as the pad is touched with a finger or a pointer. The vibrator is controlled by a processor such that it will vibrate for a predetermined length of time in the range of 50 to 1000 ms and at a predetermined amplitude. The vibrator is also selected to vibrate at a frequency between 100 and 5000 hz. The touch screen may be any of the analog resitive, infrared, accoustic, capacitive or electromagnetic inductive type operated devices.