Abstract: A non-circular wheel assembly for vehicles. The wheel assembly includes a wheel body having a first radius and a second radius, measured from a center of rotation of the wheel body. The wheel assembly includes a compensation mechanism compensating for changing height values of the center of rotation with respect to an external contact surface of the wheel during rotation. The compensation mechanism includes a linear support member with a first connector mounting a vehicle frame to the wheel body. A second connector adjustably connects the compensation mechanism to the wheel body and is positioned at the center of rotation but apart from the first connector. The compensation mechanism includes a linear position assembly adjusting positions of the second connector relative to the first connector during rotation, which allows a distance between the first connector and the outer contact surface to remain constant to provide a single ride height.

Abstract: A transition mode power converter having an active snubber the operation of which is controlled using an auxiliary winding on the transformer of the power converter. In one embodiment, the power converter includes a transformer having a primary winding connected to a voltage source, a primary switch, an auxiliary switch, a capacitor, and an auxiliary winding on the transformer. The primary switch includes a first terminal connected to the primary winding of the transformer and a second terminal connected to a common node. The auxiliary switch includes a first terminal connected to the voltage source and to the primary winding. The capacitor is connected between a second terminal of the auxiliary switch and the first terminal of the primary switch. The auxiliary winding of the transformer is connected to a third terminal of the auxiliary switch and controls operation of the auxiliary switch via the third terminal.

Abstract: A medical liquid filling system and associated methods are provided, the system comprising a disposable and a drive system. The disposable includes a tubular member and a piston slidably disposed within the tubular member for retraction and advancement within at least a first portion of the tubular member. The disposable may include a seal member for sealing the first portion of the tubular member and may be interconnected to the piston for co-movement therewith. The drive system may include a piston drive member selectively interconnectable to the piston for driven advancement and retraction of the piston within the tubular member. The drive system may be interconnected to a controller, which may be operable to automate or semi-automate various filling operations. A user interface may be interconnected to the controller for providing input of various system operation parameters, which may be communicated to the controller to facilitate automated or semi-automated operation of the filling system.

Abstract: Systems and methods related to game consoles, game software and games for play on a game console having a touch screen interface. A card having a pattern defined therein is overlaid on the touch screen. The defined pattern is used to activate portions of the touch screen by guiding user interaction with a touch pad or touch screen. The activated portions of the touch pad or touch screen launch responsive activity in a computer program implemented on the game console.

Abstract: A resource allocation method and system for efficiently allocating compute resources. The method includes providing a workload manager and installing a workload in the computer system. During the installing, a service level goal for the workload is provided to the workload manager, and the workload manager assigns a first resource allocation for the compute resources to the workload. Then, a service level being achieved for the workload is determined in the compute resources. Based on results of the comparing, the workload manager reallocates the compute resource with the workload manager including assigning a second resource allocation for the compute resources to the workload. The workload may be made up of one or more applications running on the compute resources over multiple OS instances. The installing of the workload includes the application interfacing with the workload manager to provide the service level goal during installation.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a system and method for non-invasively attaching components to railroad track rails. More specifically, an anchor is provided that securely fastens to the track rail in a non-invasive manner for holding one or more signal lines to a surface of the track rail. In one embodiment, the non-invasive anchor utilizes a compressive force to clamp to a flange portion of the track rail. In this regard, first and second body members of the anchor may be advanced toward the toward opposing surfaces of track rail to compress the component between a portion of the anchor and a surface of the track rail. In one embodiment, a pawl prevents the withdrawal of these body members from one another such that the compressive force may be maintained once the anchor is applied to the track rail.

Abstract: An optical illusion device such as a drinking glass/cup for providing a multi-dimensional visual display. The device includes a body with tubular sidewalls extending from an opening at a first end to an opening at a second end. A base assembly is provided at the second end. The base assembly includes a top wall, a bottom wall, and a sidewall that together form or define an inner chamber. A visual display assembly is provided with a mirror element with a convex reflective surface or mirror positioned within the chamber with the reflective surface facing the top wall of the base assembly. A primary image element is provided proximate to the reflective surface such that the primary image and mirror element can be observed via the opening in the body. A framing element is included proximate to the top wall of the base assembly including background images facing the reflective surface.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices are described for determining resource allocation in a resident care facility, like a nursing home facility. Embodiments of the invention provide assessment questions to an assessor via a computer interface. The assessment questions may be based on a base assessment model having questions relating to a number of resident care areas. Responses to the assessment questions may be received, some relating to answers provided to the assessor by respondents (e.g., residents or staff of the resident care facility). The responses may be processed to generate an assessment dataset, which may then be used to generate quality scores for the various resident care areas. The quality scores may indicate likelihoods of citation in the resident care areas as a function of data derived from the base assessment model. The quality scores and/or assessment results may then be graphically displayed and used to formulate a resource allocation determination.

Abstract: OCDMA systems provide for storage and retrieval of OCDMA data while maintaining OCDMA encoding. One system includes an optical splitter that receives an OCDMA data stream having a multiple wavelengths of light. A plurality of tunable light filters is optically interconnected with the optical splitter. A controller tunes the tunable light filters such that they switch wavelengths of the OCDMA data stream over time. A plurality of light detectors is respectively coupled to the tunable light filters to convert the filtered optical data streams from the tunable light filters to electronic data streams. Each generated electronic data stream is stored with a corresponding storage volume. Retrieval of the OCDMA data is performed by reversing the wavelength switching used to store the OCDMA data stream. The electronic data streams are thereby converted to optical data streams using tunable light generators and subsequently converted into the OCDMA data stream with an optical coupler.

Abstract: Transformers having bobbins that are constructed in such a way that pre-formed secondary windings (e.g., resembling springs) may be slipped onto the bobbins after a primary winding has been wound onto the bobbin. Additionally, the secondary windings may also serve as a self-leading device. That is, they may not require terminations on pins of the bobbin, which may reduce cost and complexity. The secondary windings may have circular or non-circular (e.g., flat) cross-sections. The transformer winding techniques provided herein may reduce the number of components, and may promote smaller input filters and/or less filtering stages at a fraction of the cost of conventional transformers.

Abstract: A guidable, or steerable, or deflectable catheter is provided that includes a proximal portion and a distal portion for insertion into a body cavity. A selectively deflectable segment having an anisotropic bending stiffness for deflection in individual planes is incorporated into the distal portion of the catheter shaft. Upon actuation of pull wires, the distal deflectable segment may be deflected to move/sweep the distal catheter tip through a sweeping plane. The anisotropic bending stiffness of the distal deflectable segment permits in-plane movement of the distal catheter tip in the sweeping plane while resisting any out-of-plane movements. In one arrangement, stiffening elements are selectively disposed within the distal deflectable segment such that the out-of-plane bending stiffness is largely increased and greater than the in-plane bending stiffness for deflection in the sweeping plane.

Abstract: A system and method for treating unmarketable fly ash and improve its properties as an additive for concrete is disclosed. The method includes the steps of creating a gas stream containing ionized air through a plasma reactor and exposing an amount of fly ash containing carbon to the ionized air while in the reactor. The exposure of the carbon to the ionized air promotes the attachment of the ions to the carbon to reduce the adsorption capacity of the carbon.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided, the method and apparatus comprising running a plurality of identical programs on a plurality of identical computers and recording information about at least some state updates done within each of the plurality of the identical programs running on the plurality of the identical computers using a plurality of digests of the at least some state updates. The method and apparatus also comprises comparing the plurality of the digests to determine whether at least one of the plurality of the identical programs running on the plurality of the identical computers has failed.

Abstract: A servo writing method is provided for use with unoriented magnetic tape media. A biasing zone is formed, such as between a pair of permanent block or disk magnets, with a strong DC magnetic field that is substantially free of perpendicular components. The method includes feeding the tape through the magnetic biasing zone to form a longitudinal magnetic bias in the magnetic layer of the tape media. The method includes using a write head to write a servo pattern on the tape media after the forming of the longitudinal magnetic bias in the tape media, and the servo pattern produces an output that is substantially symmetric with high amplitudes. In one embodiment, the biasing zone is formed or defined as the gap between first and second magnetic assemblies oriented with a single direction of magnetization, such as in the same direction as the tape travel through the biasing zone.

Abstract: A method and device of synchronizing at least one multimedia peripheral of a portable communication device with a synthetic audio file include storing parameters in the portable communication device. The parameters include a list of preferred instruments. Information is read from the synthetic audio file. The information relates to an instrument corresponding to each track available in the synthetic audio file. A track is selected from among the tracks available in the synthetic audio file based on the list of preferred instruments. At least one synchronization signal is generated from the synthetic audio file using the selected track.

Abstract: A system for generating standardized greenhouse gas emission reduction credits based on mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions at a site resulting from use of renewable carbon as a fuel at the site to produce energy in substitution for previous use of a fossil fuel at the site, includes a computer, at least one database accessible by the computer and containing past site-specific data and subsequent site-specific data regarding the at least one variable impacting emissions of the greenhouse gas generated from the use of the renewable carbon as a fuel for generating energy at the site, a greenhouse gas emissions modeling module, and at least one interface to the computer, for outputting a report of the identified quantity of the standardized greenhouse gas emission reduction credits.

Abstract: A mounting assembly is provided for use in mounting a printed circuit board to a computer chassis. The mounting assembly includes standoffs attached to the chassis wall to extend outward into the chassis. Each standoff includes an elongated body and a neck extending from the body and having a smaller diameter than outer dimensions of the body. Each standoff includes a head extending from the neck. The mounting assembly includes retention assemblies that are mounted to the printed circuit board. Each retention assembly includes a spring-force retention member (such as a single coil of a ring spring) with an inner passageway with an at rest diameter smaller than the head. The printed circuit board is mounted to the chassis wall by pressing the printed circuit board onto the standoff elements, which are clasped by a spring force applied by each of the spring-force retention members on the standoff necks.

Abstract: A Mobile Enterprise Platform utilizes a web based service that synchronizes enterprise data between a plurality of disparate mobile devices and a plurality of backend enterprise resources. The Mobile Enterprise Platform creates a web service synchronization source instance using Hypertext Transfer Protocol (“HTTP”) for each application or database present on a plurality of mobile devices. Corresponding to each of these web service synchronization source instances is a web based synchronization service associated with a specific backend enterprise resource. Each synchronization service is web based and can thus live anywhere on the network or on a dedicated services tie as they need only to supply a small set of operations to offer synchronization capability to a variety of mobile devices.

Abstract: A system and method for testing computing devices is provided. A method for testing computing devices includes providing a suite of test programs on a server for execution by a computing device that is coupled to the server. A test console coupled to the server is used to initiate execution of the tests on the computing device. The server facilitates and coordinates testing between the test console and the computing device. The server provides the test console with results of the tests.

Abstract: Systems and methods that coordinate assignments of aircraft operating within a controlled airspace to ground radios are provided. In one embodiment, such a system includes an air traffic control (ATC) facility (12), a plurality of ground radios (16A-16C), and a network manager (20) communicatively coupled to the air traffic control facility (12) and the ground radios (16A-16C). The air traffic control facility is responsible for controlling aircraft (14A-14I) operating within the airspace (10) and providing ATC information to the network manager (20). The ground radios (16A-16C) are operable to provide communications between the air traffic control facility (12) and the aircraft (14A-14I). The network manager (20) is operable to assign each aircraft (14A-14I) to one of the ground radios (16A-16C) based on network management considerations using the ATC information.