Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a hydrogen generator that includes: (a) an anode material; (b) a cathode material; and (c) an electrolyte; wherein the electrolyte comprises a metal hydride, at least one stabilizing agent, and a solvent; and wherein hydrogen gas is generated whenever the anode material and the cathode material are electrically connected.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a socket useful to contact an electronic device, the socket including: (a) one or more contactor holder plates including one or more first through holes having a first hole cross sectional area, and one or more second through holes having a second hole cross sectional area; (b) one or more first contactors having a body with a first body cross sectional area disposed in the first through holes; (c) one or more second contactors having a body with a second body cross sectional area disposed in the second through holes; and (d) a heat sink in thermal contact with one or more of the one or more contactor holder plates; wherein a first ratio of the first hole cross sectional area to the first body cross sectional area is different from a second ratio of the second hole cross sectional area to the second body cross sectional area.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a mounting apparatus that includes: (a) a first ring having a first surface and a second surface; (b) a second ring having a first surface and a second surface, which second ring is movable with respect to the first ring; (c) a first flexible diaphragm attached to: (i) the first surface of the first ring along a first-surface-first-ring attachment perimeter that encloses a first effective surface area, and (ii) the first surface of the second ring along a first-surface-second-ring attachment perimeter; and (d) a second flexible diaphragm attached to: (i) the second surface of the first ring along a second-surface-first-ring attachment perimeter that encloses a second effective surface area, and (ii) the second surface of the second ring at a second-surface-second-ring attachment perimeter; wherein: the first and second flexible diaphragms and the first and second rings form a chamber with one or more intake apertures.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide method and apparatus for determining audience affinity and/or aptitude in portions of media works and for developing information that represent measures of the audience affinity and/or aptitude. Further embodiments of present invention provide method and apparatus for utilizing the information to create altered media works and/or to present the altered media works to an audience. One embodiment of the present invention is a method for inferring audience affinity or aptitude with regard to content or properties of portions of a media work which includes: (a) presenting the media work to an audience; (b) obtaining user input regarding presentation rates for the portions of the media work; (c) correlating content or properties of the portion with the presentation rates; and; (d) associating audience affinity or aptitude with the correlated content or properties.

Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention is a method for transmitting a work to a client which includes steps of: (a) saving at least a portion of the work for a first period of time; (b) receiving a request for the work from the client; (c) transmitting a time-scale modified version of the saved portion of the work for a second period of time, wherein the second period of time is substantially equal to a time it takes for the time-scale modified version to synchronize with the work, had the work been transmitted from a start of the first period; and (d) transmitting the work starting at the synchronized point.

Abstract: An embodiment is a method for processing a character stream including: (a) forming, responsive to the character stream, a plurality of parallel property bit streams wherein each of the parallel property bit streams includes bit values of a particular property associated with data values of the character stream; and (b) processing the parallel property bit streams. For example, the method applies to character streams encoded in accordance with fixed-width character encoding schemes, for example, ASCII, or variable length character encoding schemes, for example, UTF-8.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a method for determining whether to perform a phakic intraocular lens implant procedure, which method includes: (a) obtaining an image of an anterior segment of an eye; (b) determining a distance from a crystalline lens to another part of an anterior chamber from the image; and (c) comparing the distance with a predetermined value.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a method for estimating a power requirement of a circuit design that includes steps of: (a) selecting a set of targeted Energy Arcs and/or Power Arcs; (b) creating one or more circuit states using the set of targeted Energy Arcs and/or Power Arcs; (c) back-tracing the one or more circuit states over one or more simulation clock cycles to form a start circuit state and a stimulus segment; (d) simulating the stimulus segment in forward time progression and determining which Event Arcs in Energy Arcs and/or which Condition Arcs in Power Arcs are satisfied at each stimulus clock cycle; and (e) recording data at each stimulus clock cycle that is utilized to estimate the power requirement.

Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention is a method for generating a listener-interest-filtered work for an audio or audio-visual work, which method includes steps of: (a) generating one or more average speed contours for one or more audio or audio-visual works for one or more categories of users; (b) converting the one or more average speed contours to one or more conceptual speed association data structures; and forming a listener-interest-filtered conceptual speed association data structure from the one or more conceptual speed association data structures.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a method for presenting broadcast information that comprises steps of: (a) receiving broadcast information; (b) receiving guidance information relating to presentation of the broadcast information; (c) paying for a capability to alter or override at least a portion of the guidance information; (d) receiving user input to alter or override at least some of the guidance information; (e) analyzing the guidance information, the capability, and the user input to provide one or more presentation rates; and (f) presenting the information at the one or more presentation rates.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a fuel cell component that includes: (a) a membrane structure; (b) a fuel electrode disposed on one side of and in contact with the membrane structure; (c) an oxidizer electrode disposed on a second side of and in contact with the membrane structure; and (d) the fuel electrode comprising a fuel distribution portion and a fuel electrical connection portion, and the oxidizer electrode comprising an oxidizer distribution portion and an oxidizer electrical connection portion; wherein the fuel electrical connection portion is disposed at an angle with respect to the fuel distribution portion and the oxidizer electrical connection portion is disposed at an angle with respect to the oxidizer distribution portion.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a power source for a disk drive to handle an Emergency Power Off event that includes: (a) a storage capacitor; (b) a voltage source that outputs a first voltage that is applied as input to the storage capacitor; (c) a tester, responsive to the first voltage and a reference voltage; and (d) an adjustable voltage source, responsive to the tester output, that outputs a second voltage that is applied as input to the storage capacitor.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus to provide a measure of disk drive head velocity in a disk drive wherein movement is produced by a disk drive motion mechanism that includes a coil, which apparatus includes: (a) a controller that outputs one or more digital signals that are applied as input to a first component, and in response, the first component outputs a reference voltage; (b) a second component, responsive to voltage output across the coil and the reference voltage, outputs a measure of a difference between the coil voltage and the reference voltage; and (c) a third component, responsive to the measure of the difference, outputs a first value if the coil voltage is greater than the reference voltage and a second value if the coil voltage is less than the reference voltage, which third component output is applied as input to the controller; wherein the controller executes a search algorithm that varies the one or more digital signals while observing changes in the third component ou

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a make-break connector for use, for example, with a heat exchanger, which make-break connector includes: (a) two or more connectors; and (b) a make-break mechanism affixed to one of the connectors.

Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention is a method for generating a listener-interest-filtered work for an audio or audio-visual work, which method includes steps of: (a) generating one or more average speed contours for one or more audio or audio-visual works for one or more categories of users; (b) converting the one or more average speed contours to one or more conceptual speed association data structures; and forming a listener-interest-filtered conceptual speed association data structure from the one or more conceptual speed association data structures.

Abstract: A charged particle beam microscope is described, which is equipped with a minicolumn. Various embodiments are disclosed, suitable for various uses. According to one embodiment the minicolumn is situated inside a mini-environment and can be introduced into and withdrawn from the main vacuum chamber. According to other embodiments, the minicolumn is situated inside the main vacuum chamber. According to further embodiments, a turntable stage is used and the minicolumn is attached to an arm movable in the radial direction of the turntable.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a scanner for a beam of scanning optical coherence tomography (“OCT”) radiation that includes: (a) a source of OCT radiation; (b) a scanner; and (c) scanning optics whose image surface has a negative field curvature.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is an optical coherence tomography (“OCT”) application apparatus that performs an OCT application on an object.

Abstract: Method/apparatus for controlling input to an AC induction motor from a power supply that determines a measure of reactive power in two input lines to the motor from the power supply, and uses that measure of reactive power to control an SSR in series between the power supply and the motor. In one arrangement, a voltage difference between the two input lines and a current in one of the lines is used to determine the measure of reactive power.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a visual field tester that includes: (a) a projection screen; (b) a stimulus projection system that projects a light stimulus onto a first side of the projection screen; and (c) a background projection system that projects background light onto the first side of the projection screen; wherein the stimulus projection system includes: (i) a first rotatable disk having an aperture; (ii) a second rotatable disk disposed in the aperture; and (iii) a stimulus radiation projector that includes a stimulus radiation source and a radiation projection lens system that are configured to project the stimulus from the second disk onto the first side of the projection screen.