Abstract: An apparatus for assisting in the removal or waste or excess ink and a method for disposal of ink from electrophotographic printers comprises providing electrophotographic ink from a source, combining the ink with an absorbable material in a container to form a solid within the container, and closing the container so that the container with the solid inside may be disposed of without ink flowing from the container.

Abstract: A wagering game has a dealer compete against a player. The at least one player and the dealer receive a single card. The at least one player takes at least one mandatory hit card. If the at least one mandatory hit card has the specific relationship in rank to the single card, or if the at least one mandatory hit card allows the at least one player to continue the game, the player having the option of taking another hit card. When the player has elected to take no more hits or has taken a maximum number of hits, but has not taken a card that busts, the dealer taking at least one mandatory hit card the dealer taking hits until the dealer busts, until the dealer receives a predetermined maximum number of cards, or until the dealer has received a total number of cards that exceeds the total number of cards in all players' hands in the game.

Abstract: An apparatus for oxidizing volatile organic compounds from an electrographic printer may comprising a) a printer system that vents a gas stream containing volatile organic compounds to a first inlet; b) a first mast transfer element transmitting the gas stream to a catalytic treatment system, c) The catalytic treatment system comprising separate contact sections for an unsupported catalyst and a supported catalyst; a diverter system that can direct the gas stream along paths selected from the group consisting of to the unsupported catalyst only, to the supported catalyst only, first the unsupported catalyst and then the supported catalyst, and the supported catalyst and then the unsupported catalyst.

Abstract: A combination card game allows players to play 3 distinct games using one hand of cards. In a preferred embodiment, players place wagers on an Ante spot to play THREE CARD POKER®, a TRIPOLEY® spot to win odds, and a Best 2 Blackjack spot to play blackjack. A player can bet one, two or all three spots. Next, a three card hand is dealt to each player and to the dealer. If, after viewing his cards, a player has made the Ante wager, that player must make the Play wager or forfeit the Ante wager. A player who beats the dealer's three-card poker hand of Queen high is paid 1 to 1.

Abstract: The present invention relates to medical devices that are inserted or implanted into patients and that have antimicrobial coatings that release free radicals into the vicinity of the device. These devices may have coatings that alter their rate of flow release or elution release of an antibacterial agent from a coating on the device upon external stimulation. The coating should therefore be responsive to external control such as by heating, external RF stimulus, sonic control, visible or ultraviolet light exposure and the like. By having control of the release rate, and in some structures without invasion of the patient by mechanical means in addition to the device itself, the release rate can be in response to need at the implant site. The class of compounds to be released are free radical generating or initiating compounds, or compounds that release free radicals upon immersion or stimulation, the free radicals acting as the antimicrobial agent.

Abstract: A method of playing a poker-type wagering game is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: a) placing a mandatory Ante bet to participate in a poker-type card game against a dealer hand; b) placing a mandatory Super Bonus bet on the occurrence of one of a predetermined plurality of winning poker hands; c) a dealer dealing at least two hands of cards to the dealer position and a hand of cards to each player participating in the game; d) and when the dealer's first hand meets or exceeds a predetermined high ranking hand value, discarding the first hand and playing the second hand; e) each player placing an additional mandatory Bet after viewing at least the player's hand of cards to stay in the game; f) resolving each player hand against the dealer hand; g) paying the player on the Ante and Bet if the player's hand ranking exceeds that of the dealer; and h) paying the player on the Super Bonus bet if the player hand is one of a plurality of predetermined winning poker hands.

Abstract: In a vessel containing a filter bed and containing a mixed liquor containing suspended solids, a system disturbs/dislodges a sludge mat that settles on the filter bed. Thus, the system controls the sludge mat on the filter bed that otherwise may blind the filter bed and significantly reduce or stop process liquid flow into and through the filter bed. The system helps maintain effective vessel effluent flowrates with reduced requirements for filter bed backwashing or other filter bed maintenance. The system includes a sludge mat dislodging member that moves along the filter bed surface, preferably on but substantially not inside the filter bed, to disrupt/dislodge the sludge mat and/or prevent formation of the sludge mat. Preferably, the dislodging member is carried inside the vessel on a moving arm or arms that rotate in a plane parallel to the filter bed surface. The preferred sludge mat dislodging member(s) hang from the rotating arm(s) to slide along the top of the filter bed through the sludge mat.

Abstract: A printer cartridge for electrographic printing (dry or liquid) is provided with two chambers connected by a developer transportation system that traverses a development zone in a first direction. As the toner (developer) from a first of the two compartments is fed through the development zone, excess or unused toner is transported by the developer transportation system into a second of the two compartments. When the first compartment has exhausted its supply of toner, there will be sufficient toner captured in the second compartment to allow for printing capability to be maintained in the system, without any replenishment. The direction of flow of developer during printing is reversed from the second compartment to the first compartment, passing through the development zone.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for evaluating the scattering properties of a transparency image comprises projecting radiation through the transparency image to form a transmitted beam of radiation; splitting the transmitted beam of radiation into at least two distinct beams of radiation, a first distinct beam and a second distinct beam; measuring a first amount of energy in the first distinct beam that corresponds to non-scattered light; measuring a second amount of energy in the second distinct beam that corresponds to scattered light; and comparing the first amount of energy to the second amount of energy to determine the proportion of the transmitted beam of radiation that is not scattered.

Abstract: A poker-type card game comprises at least one player making at least one ante wager in the poker-type game at least against a dealer's hand. The player receives a first number of cards and the dealer receives a second number of cards that is at least one card more then the number of cards received by the player. A set of community cards is provided that are used by the dealer and the player. One of the dealer's cards is exposed to the table to provide an exposed dealer card. The dealer is compelled to discard the exposed dealer's card if the rank of the exposed dealer's card is within a first range of values and the dealer is compelled to discard an unexposed dealer's card if the exposed dealer's card is within a second range of values. After resolving the status of the dealer's hand, the player may be allowed to amend the initial one ante wager.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and method for moving playing cards from a first group of cards into a second group of cards, wherein the second group of cards is randomly arranged or shuffled. The apparatus comprises a card receiver for receiving the first group of cards, a single stack of card-receiving compartments generally adjacent to the card receiver, the stack generally vertically movable, an elevator for moving the stack, a card-moving mechanism between the card receiver and the stack for moving cards one at a time into a selected one of the compartments, another card moving mechanism for moving cards from one of the compartments to a second card receiver and a microprocessor that controls the card-moving mechanisms and the elevator. A count of cards within specified areas of the card handling system is maintained and card handling is halted and all cards counted by adding a count of all cards not within the specified areas to the total of cards counted within the specified areas.

Abstract: A method and apparatus determines an identity of at least each card in a card hand at a casino table card game. The method is performed automatically by a computer-based system that reads the rank and suit of each card that leaves a dealing shoe and then uses a smart discard tray that reads the discards as they are taken from the table. It is optional and preferred to provide a signal to the computer of the presence of at least one card in the dealer's hand. Additional cards are dealt to hands. Exhausted hands are removed from the table and placed into a discard rack. Each card in each exhausted hand is read when placed in the discard rack to determine rank and suit of each placed card, and the computer reconciles cards placed in the discard rack with cards that left the dealing shoe.

Abstract: A process improves the quality of recombined curd, milled cheese curds and/or cheese components by reducing voids and apparent lines of fracture in the recombined cheese, without the necessity of adding such volumes or types of materials into the product as would affect other aspects of quality such as taste. The process comprises combining segments of curds or cheese with a selected quantity of transglutaminase that coats surfaces of curd or cheese segments to be combined. The curds may be milled cheese curds, and may be taken directly off-line in the manufacturing process 9 with or without cooling), and then combined with the transglutaminase, then fed into a form. The segments with the transglutaminase are stored at a temperature (and pressure) and for a time sufficient to fuse, bond, lessen, repair or reverse the apparent lines and voids between interfaces where the segments are in contact with each other.

Abstract: An electrophotographic imaging apparatus having a first toner accepting layer and an intermediate transfer member. The first toner accepting layer is positioned in electrical contact with a) a charge provider, b) an irradiation source that activates photoconductivity in the first toner accepting layer, and b) at least one toner applicator, so that a first toner image can be formed on the first toner accepting layer. The first toner layer is movable, after interaction with a), b) and c), into contact with the intermediate transfer layer from which the first toner image can be transferred to an image bearing member. The intermediate transfer member comprises a non-conductive flexible film layer, a layer of an electrically conductive material affixed to a first surface of the non-conductive flexible film layer and segmented into electrically isolated regions or zones, and the electrically conductive material layer has an electrically resistive polymeric coating thereon.

Abstract: A liquid ink comprises (a) a carrier liquid having a Kauri-Butanol number less than 30; (b) a graft copolymer comprising a (co)polymeric steric stabilizer covalently bonded to a thermoplastic (co)polymeric core that is insoluble in the carrier liquid; and (c) a colorant, wherein the steric stabilizer comprises units derived from 3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexyl methacrylate, and the thermoplastic (co)polymeric core comprising units derived from at least a polymerizable monomer selected from the group consisting of (meth)acrylates having aliphatic amino radicals, nitrogen-containing heterocyclic vinyl monomers, N-vinyl substituted ring-like amide monomers, aromatic substituted ethylene monomers containing amino radicals, and nitrogen-containing vinylether monomers. The organosol provides improved liquid electrophotographic and electrographic ink compositions with improved dispersion stability, chargeability, and blocking resistance so that improved print quality or ink transfer performance are obtained.

Abstract: The present invention comprises an improved method for refining cellulose that produces a highly refined cellulosic material. The method comprises soaking raw material from primarily parenchymal cell wall structures in an aqueous solution which need not contain an agent to modify the fiber (e.g., a mild alkalizing or alkaline agent and/or solution) using reduced temperatures and pressures, and refining the material with a plate refiner so that a waste water stream is reduced in volume. The mass is dried to produce the HRC fiber. The HRC fiber displays a water retention capacity of about 25 to at least about 56 g H2O/g dry HRC and retains moisture under conditions that are ordinarily used to remove moisture from materials. The highly refined fiber product can also provide excellent thickening properties and can be used in a wide variety of materials, including edible materials.

Abstract: Latent charge images are provided on a photoconductor element having a photoconductive layer with a conductive stripe. This process is performed by charging the photoconductive layer with a charge having a particular vector to form a uniform charge on the photoconductive layer; and subsequently charging the conductive stripe with a charge having a vector that is opposite the vector of the charge on the photoconductive layer to lower the charge content in the photoconductive layer. The first charge may be provided by a first corona charging device and the subsequent charge may be applied by a second corona discharge device focused on a conductive stripe.

Abstract: A method measures the conductivity (?) of a liquid or paste electrophotographic toner by providing two parallel plane conductive plates with a uniform separation (d) between the plates to form a space between the plates; filling the space between the plates with liquid or paste electrophotographic toner; applying an alternating current voltage of at least 100V between the plates across the liquid or paste toner; measuring as data the current passing through an external component into the plates; adjusting the data to remove current contributions attributable to impurity ions; sending adjusted data to a processor; and determining the conductivity from the adjusted data.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and method for moving playing cards from a first group of cards into plural hands of cards, wherein each of the hands contains a random arrangement of cards. The apparatus comprises a card receiver for receiving the first group of cards, a single stack of card-receiving compartments generally adjacent to the card receiver, the stack generally vertically movable, an elevator for moving the stack, a card-moving mechanism between the card receiver and the stack, and a microprocessor that controls the card-moving mechanism and the elevator so that an individual card is moved into an identified compartment. The number of compartments receiving cards and the number of cards moved to each compartment may be selected.