Abstract: A system for identifying the location of an individual at a transmission source who has initiated a message relating to an emergency. The system includes means for determining the specific location of the message initiator.

Abstract: A vegetation cutter to be mounted on a support vehicle for transport and deployment, has a housing with a rotating blade therein. The housing has a roller mounted for rotation forming the bottom edge of a side of the housing. The roller supports the cutter, allowing the cutter to slide along the ground when moved in a forward direction. When the support vehicle changes direction, the roller rotates, reducing the required force for turning the vehicle and cutter.

Abstract: Safety apparatus to reduce injury to occupants of a convertible in the event of its rollover. The apparatus utilizes opposed curved bars slideably stored within mating, hollow, arcuate receptacles attached to the vehicle with one end open upward across and adjacent to the top rear of an occupant's seat. The bars each have springs arranged to deploy one end of the bar upward and outward from the top of a receptacle. A trigger mechanism secures the bars within the receptacles against the force of the spring. The trigger is arranged to release both springs in the event of impact, thus permitting the bars to be deployed outward opposite the top of the vehicle. When deployed in this manner, locks secure the bars in the deployed position.

Abstract: A safety apparatus for a tool driven by a motor removes motor power under certain circumstances. The tool includes a housing moveable over a ground surface for mounting the tool, and a ground-engaging member moveable relative to the housing and disposed to follow the ground surface as the housing moves over same. The apparatus further includes a sensor for measuring the relative position of the housing relative to the ground engaging member. Motor control apparatus selectively stops the motor upon the ground-engaging member and the housing reaching a predetermined relative position.

Abstract: A contact test set for use in testing integrated circuits. The set includes a housing having oppositely-facing surfaces and one or more slots extending through the housing between the surfaces. A first surface, during use of the test set, is approached by an integrated circuit to be tested, and a second surface is proximate the load board at a test site. A contact is received in a slot, each contact having a first end engagable by a lead of the integrated circuit device. A second end of each contact is in engagement with a corresponding terminal. Each contact is movable between a first orientation, unengaged by a corresponding lead of an IC and a second orientation in which the IC is engaged by the corresponding lead of an IC and urged into its slot. An elastomer biases the contact to its first orientation. The contact, when moved between its first and second orientations, does not slide across a terminal of the load board.

Abstract: The invention concerns a retractable roof consisting of at least two elements (1, 2) for a vehicle comprising a passenger compartment (7) and a rear deck (6), said roof including a front element (2) and a rear element (1) mobile between a first position wherein they cover the passenger compartment (7) and a second position wherein they are superimposed horizontally in the rear deck (6), the displacement of the rear element (1) towards the rear deck (6) being driven by at least an arm articulated (5) at one first of its ends to the chassis, and the front element (2) being linked to the rear element (1) via two levers (13, 14) articulated each at one first (15, 16) of its ends to said front element.

Abstract: A computer implemented management domain for controlling the production of low volume advanced technology articles of manufacture is provided. The management domain includes an information library, an integrated manufacturing intelligence, and an interrogation network which includes a plurality of analyzers. The information library includes a plurality of databases, each of which include objects of an object schema. Objects of the object schema of any one database are linked or linkable to dependent objects of objects of an object schema of another of the databases. The integrated manufacturing intelligence includes a plurality of processors for processing data of the databases. Each analyzer of the plurality of analyzers executable with regard to an advanced technology article of manufacture and/or any object of the objects of said object schema of the databases.

Abstract: A barrel latch safety for a grenade launcher having a barrel slidable upon a receiver via actuation of a barrel latch is provided. The barrel latch safety includes a locking plate and elongate member extending from a portion thereof so as to define a crotch between the elongate member and a side edge of locking plate. The subject safety is adapted to be positioned on their receiver such that a surface adjacent the side edge of the locking plate prohibits barrel latch actuation upon translation of the safety relative to the receiver.

Abstract: The invention relates to a retractable car roof, comprising several rigid roof elements that can be moved between a position in which they cover the passenger compartment of the vehicle and a position in which they are stored in the vehicle's rear luggage compartment. This roof comprises the following: at least one rear central roof element (5) and one front central roof element (6); rear (7) and front (8) lateral roof elements; the rear central roof element articulated to the chassis of the vehicle around a first transverse axle (9) and the front central roof element articulated to the rear central roof element around a second transverse axle (10); the rear lateral elements articulated to the chassis and the front lateral elements articulated to the rear lateral roof elements.

Abstract: A spring-loaded device conceals a recessed sprinkler head. Heat releases the spring and exposes the sprinkler head.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of accommodating an XML document within a data base management system. The XML document is parsed on an element-by-element basis into an acceptable format for use by a data base management system by information contained in an XML mapping tree. Each element may be accompanied by appropriate attributes. The tree may be saved for future use. The XML document may be defined by a Document Type Definition (DTD).

Abstract: The invention relates to a motor vehicle (1) and, mainly a cabriolet-type vehicle, comprising at least one opening (3, 4) in which the opening and closing movements are activated by driving means controlled by a control unit, said opening (3, 4) having at least one inner surface turned towards a part of the vehicle (1) to be covered and at least one edge (10) situated facing an element of the body or a mobile part of said opening when the opening (3, 4) is in its closed position, characterised in that a pressure-sensitive tape, which can emit a signal according to said pressure, is placed on the inner surface next to said edge, said control unit being arranged so as to modify the kinematics of the movement according to the pressure signal measured during said movement.

Abstract: The invention relates to a retractable roof for a vehicle, comprising a rigid front roof element (5) and a rigid rear roof element (4). It comprises a rear roof element at the rear roof thereof, guided by a first sliding rail (8) which is connected to the structure (1) of the vehicle and the front part thereof which is coupled to a second sliding rail (13) cooperating with a manoevring arm (10) which is coupled to the structure of the vehicle and which is actuated by drive means (9); a rigid element (18) connects the rear part of the rear roof element; the rear part of the front roof element is guided by a third sliding rail and the front part is coupled to the arm; means (21-23) are provided to cause the front roof element to slide on the third sliding rail.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for protecting objects that are disposed in the rear trunk of a motor vehicle having a retractable roof. The device comprises a panel that is movable between a lowered position and a raised position, at least one sensor arranged to detect the position of said panel, releasable latches for locking the lid relative to the trunk, and a control unit for releasing said latches. The control unit releases the latches responsive to a command to move the roof or the lid of the trunk, and when the position of the panel as detected by the sensor is compatible with the movement requested. This enables the lid to open selectively from the front backwards or from the rear towards the front of the vehicle.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of utilizing an internet terminal coupled to the world wide web to access an existing proprietary data base management system having a dialog-based request format. The user request is received by a web server from the world wide web and converted into one or more sequenced data base management commands stored as corresponding to the service request. If a particular service request requires access to secured data and/or services, the request may be granted in relationship to a particular user security profile. This security profile is determined through a special field indicative of the internet user transferred in conjunction with the service request.

Abstract: A test assembly for testing electrical performance of microcircuits contained in leadless packages has Kelvin contacts. Slider contacts in a plurality of contact assemblies slide compliantly to accommodate lack of coplanarity in terminals on the package. A resilient elastomeric block may be inserted through interior spaces of the contact assembly and in interfering relation with features of a housing that supports and aligns the contact assemblies, to apply force to the slider contacts to force them against the microcircuit terminals.

Abstract: A system (40) is provided for visible surface determination in furtherance of photorealistic rendering in a computer graphics environment. The system includes a scene database (42) and a processor, visual characteristics of objects of an image frame (44) of a scene of the scene database (42) are delimited as geometric primitive. The processor, for executing an interval analysis, to a user degree of certainty, accurately and deterministically ascertains a visible solution set of an area not exceeding a pixel dimension for a pixel of an array of pixels (50) that form said image frame (44).

Abstract: A non-invasive ocular therapy for vision disorders is provided. First and second electrodes of a direct current source are electrically contacted so as to deliver current to and/or about an area proximal one or more eyes of a subject. A direct electrical current of between about 1-800 microamps, at a resistance assumption of about 500 ohms, is generated between the electrodes for a preselected duration. Preferably, the direct electrical current is generated at a select frequency profile as a function of time, and with a carrier signal of about 10,000-12,000 hertz. Advantageously, the subject therapy is augmented via application of light energy to the eye(s), as well as by the application of infrasonic sound waves directly into eyes.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of enhancing reliability within a cluster lock processing system having a relatively large number of commodity cluster instruction processors which are managed by a cluster lock manager. Because the commodity processors have virtually no system viability features such as memory protection, failure recovery, etc., the cluster/lock processors assume the responsibility for providing these functions. The low cost of the commodity cluster instruction processors makes the system almost linearly scalable. The cluster/locking, caching, and mass storage accessing functions are fully integrated into a single hardware platform which performs the role of the cluster/lock master. Upon failure of this hardware platform, a second redundant hardware platform converts from slave to master role. The logic for the failure detection and role swapping is placed within software, which can run as an application under a commonly available operating system.

Abstract: The invention relates to a convertible roof for a vehicle. More specifically, the invention relates to locking means comprising a traveller which is mounted in a guide rail that is solidly connected to a roof element. The system also comprises: first elastomeric means which are designed to return the aforementioned traveller to an unlocked position; push means which are controlled by the translational movement of a bolt which is mounted to a threaded part of a rod, in order to push the traveller into a locked position against the force of said first elastic means; and at least one locking pin which is mounted to the traveller or the guide rail, such as to co-operate with a complementary locking member when the traveller is in the locked position, said complementary locking member being solidly connected to an adjacent roof element or to the front or rear of the vehicle body.