Abstract: A frame wall (20) incorporating occlusion brackets (26) is provided. The frame wall (20) incorporates a pair of adjacent and substantially parallel framing members (22). Each framing member (22) has a substantially U-shaped cross section and encompasses an interior space (34). A firestop (44) is positioned between the adjacent framing members (22). A first occlusion bracket (26) is used to affixed the firestop (44) to a first one of the framing members (22) and is configured to substantially occlude the interior space (34) of that framing member (22). A second occlusion bracket (26) is used to affix the firestop (44) to a second one of the framing members (22).

Abstract: An untied shoelace warning system with a shoelace receiver and first and second sensors coupled to an indicator that activates when the system senses a shoelace segment, but senses it in an untied condition. The first and second sensors couple the indicator to a battery, and may all be contained within a housing. The first sensor is normally closed, but opens when a shoelace segment rests against it in a tied condition, and closes if the shoelace segment falls off the sensor, activating the indicator by coupling it to the battery. The second sensor is normally open, closing when it detects a shoelace segment. The system activates the indicator when a shoelace segment is not sensed by the first sensor, but is sensed by the second sensor. The system does not activate the indicator when a shoelace segment is not in the system, because neither the first nor the second sensor senses the shoelace. This way, the untied shoelace warning system does not activate the indicator when the shoe is not being worn.

Abstract: A heterojunction bipolar transistor (20) is provided with a silicon (Si) base region (34) that forms a semiconductor junction with a multilayer emitter (38) having a thin gallium arsenide (GaAs) emitter layer (36) proximate the base region (34) and a distal gallium phosphide emitter layer (40). The GaAs emitter layer (36) is sufficiently thin, preferably less than 200 Å, so as to be coherently strained.

Abstract: A TE0&ggr;&dgr; mode dielectric resonator (12) includes a cylindrical dielectric disk (32, 32′, 32″) having top and bottom ends (20, 22) spaced apart by a closed curve wall (24). The dielectric disk has an effective dielectric constant greater than 40. An axially aligned hole (36) is formed through the disk (32) between the top and bottom ends (20, 22). A conductive wall (34, 34″) is formed at or slightly beyond the wall (24) but does not cover the top and bottom ends (20, 22). The hole (36) has a preferred diameter between 0.21 and 0.4 times the diameter of the disk (32, 32′, 32″). The disk may be configured as a heterogeneous composite of dissimilar materials which exhibit increasing dielectric constant at increasing radial distance and increasing Q at decreasing radial distance.

Abstract: A digital communication receiver (10) includes a magnitude-based symbol synchronizer (38) which separates complex phase attributes from magnitude attributes. The phase attributes are processed by a phase processor (78) which identifies clock adjustment opportunities. The magnitude attributes are processed by a magnitude processor (76) that generates a phase error estimate signal (82), which in turn drives a clock generator (24) in a phase locked loop (54) to achieve symbol synchronization in a non-data-directed manner. An additional adjustment feedback loop (114, 128) includes a phase error offset generator (52) and operates in conjunction with the phase locked loop (54) to allow the phase locked loop (54) to achieve lock and a robust operating point in spite of distortion in a received input analog signal (12).

Abstract: A phase-noise compensated digital communication receiver (40, 40', 40") includes a carrier tracking loop (56) which imposes a transport delay on a carrier tracking loop signal (60) before that signal (60) is fed back upon itself. The carrier tracking loop (56) includes a phase rotator (58) that rotates a down-converted digital communication signal (50) by a phase determined by a phase-conveying signal (72). A carrier tracking loop signal is obtained from the carrier tracking loop and delayed in a delay element (82) by a duration that compensates for the transport delay. A phase rotator (84) then rotates the delayed carrier tracking loop signal through a phase value determined by the phase-conveying signal (72) to obtain an open-loop phase signal (86) from which data are extracted. Different embodiments of the receiver (40, 40', 40") are provided to accommodate adaptive equalizer (54) issues.

Abstract: Electrodes for stimulating living tissue such as vaginal, anal, clitoral, penile, and scrotal tissue are shown. Electrical stimulation to such areas is intended to induce excitation and orgasm in either females or males, particularly where frigidity or impotence is a problem. Four embodiments of the electrode apparatus include a flexible tube shaped base and an electrode either in the form of a loop or a stem coupled to the base. The electrode is formed from one of an electrically-conductive solid cord, an electrically-conductive tube, and an insulated conductor cable. An electrical contact at one end of the electrode allows the electrode to be connected to an electrical source. Auxiliary members such as conductive beads, conductive endpieces, conductive or nonconductive tube shaped coverings, and vibrators are added to any of the electrode apparatuses to impart specific stimuli in specific regions of the user's anatomy.

Abstract: A node controller (30) within a data communication network (22) provides network access for a digital data stream (32). A processor (42) partitions the digital data stream (32) into a constant data rate component (44) having a predictable data rate and a data packet component (46) having an unpredictable data rate. The constant data rate component (44) is then transferred over a first portion (74) of a network data stream (26) reserved for a circuit transmission protocol, and the data packet component (46) is packetized and transferred over a second portion (76) of the network data stream (26) reserved for a packet transmission protocol.

Abstract: A ZIF PGA socket tool (42) for releasably coupling a pin grid array (PGA) chip (22) with a "latch-less" zero insertion force (ZIF) socket (20) includes a housing (44), a sled (46), and an actuator (48). The housing (44) is configured to be placed in fixed relation to the ZIF socket (20). The sled (46) includes rails (84) that slidably couple with corresponding grooves (82) in the housing (44). The sled (46) further includes a shoulder (98) configured to abut an edge (40) of the PGA chip (22). The actuator (48) includes a pin (122) that is received by a slotted opening (118) in the sled (46). The pin (122) and the slotted opening (118) form a cooperative relationship such that rotational movement of the actuator (48) produces rectilinear movement of the sled (46) so that the shoulder (98) of the sled (46) imparts a pushing force on the edge (40) of the PGA chip (22).

Abstract: A static RAM memory cell (30) uses cross-coupled enhancement mode, N-channel MOS drive transistors (36) to form a bistable flip-flop. A load circuit (34) couples between I/O ports (40) of the drive transistors (36) and Vcc. For each drive transistor (36), the load circuit includes a depletion mode, N-channel MOS load transistor (54) and a forward biased tunnel diode (32). The drain and gate of the load transistor (54) couple across the anode and cathode of the tunnel diode (32) so that the forward voltage (V.sub.f) of the tunnel diode (32) controls the V.sub.gs transfer curve (56) of the load transistor.

Abstract: A constrained-envelope digital-communications transmitter circuit (22) in which a binary data source (32) provides an input signal stream (34), a phase mapper (44) maps the input signal stream (34) into a quadrature phase-point signal stream (50) having a predetermined number of symbols per unit baud interval (64) and defining a phase point (54) in a phase-point constellation (46), a pulse-spreading filter (76) filters the phase-point signal stream (50) into a filtered signal stream (74), a constrained-envelope generator (106) generates a constrained-bandwidth error signal stream (108) from the filtered signal stream (74), a delay element (138) delays the filtered signal stream (74) into a delayed signal stream (140) synchronized with the constrained-bandwidth error signal stream (108), a complex summing circuit (110) sums the delayed signal stream (140) and the constrained-bandwidth error signal stream (108) into a constrained-envelope signal stream (112), and a substantially linear amplifier (146) amplifies

Abstract: A digital communication system (20) communicates using a polar amplitude phase shift keyed (P-APSK) phase point constellation (70, 70', 70"). Pragmatic encoding is accommodated using the constellation (70, 70', 70") to simultaneously communicate both encoded and uncoded information bits (69, 51). The constellation (70, 70', 70") has an even number of phase point rings (74) and equal numbers of phase points (72) in ring pairs (75, 76, 77). Encoded information bits (69) specify secondary modulation and uncoded information bits (51) specify primary modulation. The constellation (70, 70', 70") is configured so secondary sub-constellations (78) include four phase points (72) arranged so that two of the four phase points (72) exhibit two phase angles at one magnitude and the other two of the four phase points (72) exhibit phase angles that are at another magnitude. The difference between the phase angles at different magnitudes within a secondary sub-constellation (78) is constant.

Abstract: A portable automatic misting device (20) uses a misting device assembly (38) to automatically disperses a mist (36). The misting assembly (38) includes a hollow cylinder (40) that forms a liquid reservoir (50) that is in fluid communication with a one-way valve (76) that permits liquid flow into the reservoir (50). The reservoir (50) has fluid communication with a misting nozzle (34) through a hollow plunger rod (28). A plunger (42), a spring (48) and a portion of the hollow plunger rod (28) are located inside the hollow cylinder (40). The spring (48) is biased to move the plunger (42) and the hollow plunger rod (28) to automatically shrink the liquid reservoir (50).

Abstract: A bias compensating remote audience survey system (34) is configured to identify radio stations (162) to which tuners (24) are tuned. The tuners (24) have predetermined signals (26) emitted therefrom. The survey system (34) employs a method (152) of compensating for a station bias, or preference, toward or against one or more of radio stations (162). The method (152) includes measuring durations (62) over which the predetermined signals (26) are received by the survey system (34). The durations (62) are then combined by averaging to form a station average detection length (ADL) value (74) specific to one of the radio stations (162). The station ADL value (74) is compared to a multi-station ADL parameter (86). A sensitivity level (146) for the one radio stations (162) is adjusted in response to the comparison to compensate for station bias.

Abstract: A communication system (11) uses concatenated coding in which an inner code is configured to match the needs of an outer code. The inner code is implemented through a pragmatic trellis coded modulation encoder (18) and decoder (34). A parser (50) of the encoder (18) distributes fewer than one user information bit per unit interval (66) to a convolutional encoder (58) which generates at least two convolutionally encoded bits for each user information bit it processes. Exactly one of the convolutionally encoded bits is phase mapped (56) with at least two user information bits during each unit interval (66). The decoder (34) detects a frame sync pattern (48) inserted into the user information bits to resolve phase ambiguities. Phase estimates are convolutionally decoded (100) to provide decoded data estimates that are then used to selectively rotate the phase estimates prior to routing the phase estimates to a slice detector (118).

Abstract: A firearm bore cleaning agent and method are provided for detaching fouling residue from a bore of a firearm. The fouling residue includes carbon and metal residue, such as copper and lead, and the carbon residue acts to bond the metal residue to the bore. The firearm cleaning agent comprises the combination of a hydrocarbon solvent, such as butyl or amyl lactate, and an electrical neutralizing agent, such as hydrocarbon citrus distillate. The hydrocarbon solvent is configured to detach the metal residue from the bore by dissolving the carbon residue and the electrical neutralizing agent is configured to bond with positive ions of the metal residue to prevent the metal residue from rebonding to the bore.

Abstract: A device (20) for the retrieval of a ferromagnetic object (22) from a remote area is provided. The device (20) contains a retractable tape measure (24) and a magnetic gripping head (26). The tape measure (24) has a blade (30) with a first end (64), an opposing second end (66), a longitudinal axis (68) extending between the first and second ends (64, 66), and a zero hook (32) coupled to the first end (64). The gripping head (26) has a housing with a gripping opening (40) in a face (42) thereof and a coupling opening (62) in another face (70) thereof. The gripping head (26) also has a magnet (38) within the housing (34). The housing (34) and magnet (38) are configured so that a portion of the magnet (38) protrudes through the gripping opening (40) to effect magnetic engagement with the ferromagnetic object (22) during retrieval.