Abstract: A method of forming a porous silica film includes the following steps: a) providing a substrate; b) coating, on a surface of the substrate, a layer of charged polyelectrolyte; and c) applying an aged silica-bearing non-colloidal solution to the coated surface of the substrate to adsorb porous silica thereon. The adsorption cycle of steps (b) and (c) is repeated a number of times to control film thickness. The age and concentration of the silica-bearing solution are selected to control the porosity and the index of refraction of the porous silica film.

Abstract: The invention is a method and system for print stream determination. The system's method begins with the initiation of a print stream processing application to which a print stream is directed. A print job is determined from a set of characteristics resident in the print stream. The print processing application will determine the optimal use of the system's peripheral devices for performing the job. The optimal use is determined by comparing each of the job's characteristics with each of the characteristics of the potential device driver. The comparison begins with determination of a value for each of the job characteristics wherein the value is representative of a desired result. A value for each of the device driver characteristics is determined wherein the value is representative of a potential result. Each of the desired results is compared to each corresponding potential result. If no corresponding potential result can be established, then an alternative peripheral device is sought.

Abstract: Information stored at a resource remotely located across a network is automatically imported according to pre-defined selection criteria, formatted in a form usable by a local processing resource, stored in the formatted form, and provided to the local processing resource for use by it. In one embodiment, a mailing list manager has an import module coupled to a browser. The import module receives a set of user-defined information selection criteria. The import module commands the browser to establish a network connection to a remote network resource containing desired information. When the connection is established, the browser requests information from the remote network resource according to the selection criteria. Information received from the network resource is stripped of unnecessary information, formatted for use by the mailing list manager and stored in a database maintained by the mailing list manager.

Abstract: A portable FM stereo RF transmitter having an audio plug extending therefrom directly or via a cable and which mates with the earphone or output jack of an audio source such as a portable battery operated CD or tape player and having no external antenna. The portable RF transmitter modulates audio signals from the audio source onto an FM carrier and transmits them to an FM receiver mounted on a headset worn by a user. The RF transmitter uses its own ground circuit and the ground circuit of the audio source as two elements of a short dipole. The two ground circuits are electrically isolated at RF by an RF choke but connected together at audio frequencies by the low impedance of the choke at audio. The choke's leakage inductance also reduces the capacitive reactance of the dipole antenna for better power dissipation. A transformer coupling the RF output to the dipole transforms the impedance of the dipole to a value closer to the output impedance of the RF transmitter.

Abstract: The invention is a method of establishing, and a structure for, a print stream job ticket. The method begins with receiving a unique job message identifier from a server client, where the identifier is representative of a particular print processing job. Once the identifier is received, the method locates a job ticket template database then attempts to match the received identifier with a template located in the database. The matching step is accomplished by plotting each element of the identifier to determine a set of elements to be mapped against a corresponding template. The identifier is then mapped against each one of the templates to determine a match based upon a set of matching rules. If a match exists, the matched template is selected to establish a new job ticket.

Abstract: The invention is a method and system for determining a weight for use in a shipping application and for the establishment of a trainable weights database and a weight database training object. The method begins with establishing a database linked to the shipping application. The weight of a parcel to be shipped is determined by comparing a data entry at the shipping application with a set of data entries resident in the database. The comparison is performed by entering a description of the parcel to the system, and parsing the description to determine whether or not the data includes a known symbology or barcode. If it does, then the method matches the description with a locator function to locate the required weight; otherwise, the description is further parsed into match fields.

Abstract: A method and device for reducing the maximum torque to rollers mounted on a drive shaft of a drive roller assembly. By using a plurality of slip clutches, each for engaging an individual roller to the drive shaft and setting a maximum torque for the individual rollers, each roller is coupled to the drive shaft when the tangential force exerted on the roller does not exceed the maximum torque, and each roller is mechanically decoupled from the drive shaft when the tangential force exerted on the roller exceeds the maximum torque. Because each roller has a separate slip clutch, each roller can be mechanically decoupled from the drive shaft without affecting the other rollers coupled to the drive shaft.

Abstract: A system and corresponding method for use when an application prints a document and a corresponding envelope is printed by an independent process, unknown to the application, using soft fonts (dynamic fonts). The system allows creation of a mail piece, which generally consists of document pages and an envelope; the pages to be printed according to data and layout specified in a pages file and using a pages font as indicated in the pages file; and the envelope to be printed with address information extracted from the pages file according to instructions specified in an envelope template file. The instructions of the envelope template file include a layout and a dynamic envelope font, such as a true type font. The system includes a printer driver, responsive to a call to prepare to start printing the pages of the mail piece and in turn for obtaining from the envelope template file the envelope font.

Abstract: The invention is a method for creating a print job object, in an object oriented development environment of a print stream processing system. The object creation function within the system is named which registers a class within the function and instantiates the class. The instantiation establishes a programming interface to the print job object which allows the establishment of the print job object properties. The object's programming interface creates a portal through which a set of object methods can be placed within the print job object. The methods include action instructions which further include: display instructions; storage instructions; and, printing instructions. Additionally device selection functionality, text formatting functionality which further includes text templates for the matching of the print stream to a set of desired document finishing schemes, and a set of print job data tables can be placed within the print job object by utilizing the programming interface.

Abstract: The invention is a low-cost stepper motor drive system comprising a microstepping motor and a logic circuit. The logic circuit includes two integrated circuits for controlling one or more phases of the microstepping motor. Each one of the integrated circuits is a motor driver capable of producing up to sixteen microsteps per full step. Further, each one of the integrated circuits takes a set of analog/digital bits and a phase bit as input. Additionally, within the logic circuit, there is included a microcontroller for controlling the microstepping motor. The microcontroller comprises six control bits, which direct the controller in outputting a set of step sequences to the integrated circuits.

Abstract: The invention is a method and system for inputting the weight of a parcel into a web-based shipping application of a data processing system. The data processing system comprises a web site for a provider server and a client node in communication with the provider server. The web site further comprises web pages and script functionality for linking with a scale driver resident in a weighing scale located at the client node. The weighing scale comprises a scale server resident ultimately at the client node, but callable by the client node under control of the script functionality for allowing the script at the client node to link with the weighing scale by utilizing the scale driver. The method begins with the calling of the web site, from the client node, by utilizing a communications link which includes a browser for accessing the web site. The client node requests that a scale activation routine be activated.

Abstract: The invention is a method and system for determining an address from a print stream. Address determination begins by initiating the print stream at a remote application. The print stream is transmitted through a graphical driver interface to a virtual driver where a system operator can select a data interface mode such as an eavesdrop mode and an intercept mode. The eavesdrop mode allows the virtual driver to pass the print stream through to the output device while producing a duplicate copy of the print stream for transmission to a server which is linked to an address parsing module for parsing the print stream. The intercept mode allows the virtual driver to pass the print stream directly to the server for parsing the print stream. The server will in turn pass the print stream to an output device such as a printer or monitor over transmission means. Parsing of the print stream to obtain address data is performed in accordance with instructions resident in the module.

Abstract: A method and system for folding a sheet having a certain length into a folded piece of a fold type having a first edge and a second edge, wherein the sheet length and the fold type are simultaneously selectable. The sheet can be folded once or twice into the folded piece. After the sheet is folded into the folded piece, the folded piece moves in a direction with a first edge leading the second edge. The method and system further include a step and a mechanism to control the moving direction of the folded piece such that the folded piece can be caused to move with the first edge trailing the second edge or allowed to continue to move with the first edge leading the second edge when the folded piece exits the system.

Abstract: The invention is a method and system of assigning and updating rates within an electronic scale, wherein the rates are based upon class service and discount level. A set of classes of service available for a particular carrier is established. Each one of the classes comprises one or more discount levels. The classes are embedded into the memory of an electronic scale and a set of data comprising the classes is made available to the system. Updating of the data in the embedded set of classes, is accomplished by defining the update data and the one or more discount levels which are available in each class. A system user limits the classes for which they want access and the carrier and/or service choices are encoded; the encoding determining a unique number that is indicative of the parameters selected by a system user for a particular system. The unique number comprises: a carrier token; a class token; and a set of discount level bytes representative of the available discount within the class.