Abstract: A MEMS micro-capacitor having a variable capacity is disclosed. The MEMS micro-capacitor has at least one fixed electrode (3) positioned on one surface of a substrate (1); bending means with respect to the surface of the substrate including at least one moveable electrode (5) located opposite the fixed electrode (3); a layer of solid dielectric material interposed between the fixed electrode and the moveable electrode; and means (5, 6 and 7) for applying a bending force to the bending means. The bending force is intended to move the moveable electrode (5) with respect to the fixed electrode (3) in order to obtain, between these electrodes, a capacity that varies according to the applied bending force. The bending means are designed to clamp the layer of dielectric material between the moveable electrode and the fixed electrode so as to obtain a variable surface of the clamped layer of dielectric material.

Abstract: This invention relates to a system for controlling several actuators (Al1, . . . , Anr), comprising at least two computers (L1, L2, . . . , Lk) and at least two means (C1, C2, . . . , Cn) of controlling at least one actuator, each control module being capable of controlling at least one actuator through at least one first connection (16) and being capable of receiving information about this at least one actuator through at least one second connection (15), in which each control module is connected to at least two computers through at least two first communication buses (11, 12, 13).

Abstract: A network management system has a bus and a system controller connected to the bus. The bus has a plurality of fixed ports, where each of the ports is capable of connecting a router card to the system controller. A method of sending a file from the system controller to a router card includes receiving a request packet from the router card where the request packet includes a file type and the port address, identifying the file from the file type and the port address, and sending the file to the router card. The system controller has a memory storing the location of files associated with each of the port addresses, a request receiver for receiving a request for a file of a file type from a router card, an identifier for identifying a file, and a sender for sending the identified file to the router card.

Abstract: A self guiding cover assembly for a vacuum electron device (VED) enclosure has a cover, a pair of guide plates, and a pair of guide elements. The cover has a top, a sidewall, an inside and an outside, and at least one electrical connector disposed on the inside of the cover for mating with an electrical connector on a VED. The pair of guide plates is disposed on opposite sides of the outside of the sidewall of the cover. The guide plates each have a track. The guide elements are mounted on the enclosure on opposite sides of the cover. The pair of guide elements each mates with the track to guide the cover as it is lifted from the enclosure. The cover further comprises a breach lock mechanism for seating the VED into the VED enclosure having the cover and a base. The breach lock mechanism has guide elements mounted on the cover. A sleeve is mounted on the base and removably receives the cover with the VED. The sleeve rotates about the cover. The sleeve has tracks for mating with the guide elements.

Abstract: Given a component comprising at least one active area formed on a substrate and designed to be coupled to a light guide, a support is used, at least one hole is formed in the support starting from one face of this support, this hole being designed to receive one end of the guide, the substrate is fixed to the other face of the support by forming the hole facing the active area if the active area has already been formed, and otherwise it is formed on the substrate facing the hole and the end of the guide is placed in the hole. The optical system is obtained by optically coupling two devices thus obtained.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process of assembly of at least two silicon substrates. The method comprises: a step of placing in contact a first silicon substrate (9) with a second silicon substrate (10), the first and second substrates (9, 10) being substantially non-transparent for a wavelength ? of laser radiation (R), and a step of illuminating the first silicon substrate (9) with a laser beam of wavelength ? to create a fusion path (21), along the laser beam axis (A1-A2), in the thickness of the first substrate (9) and in all or part of the thickness of the second substrate (10). The invention is applied to the sealing of cavities and of mechanical or electrical joints situated at the interface of two silicon substrates.

Abstract: A modular system for a golf club bag shoulder strap arrangement has been discovered and is presented here. It includes sub-elements of four primary types. A single point fastener end, a two-to-one ‘V’ connector, a main padded strap, and a connection loop. Each of these elements couples in a special manner to appropriate cooperating sub-elements and may be easily decoupled for replacement, repair, resizing, et cetera. The coupling-decoupling function is indented to be quick, temporary, and replaceable in nature. Thus, these dual straps are provided with functionality not found in similar and competing systems.

Abstract: The present invention proposes an ultrasonic flow meter, comprising a conduit for measurement in which a liquid flows therein, and a pair of measurement sections which are provided in said conduit for measurement and are spaced apart by a certain interval along its longitudinal direction, and which obtains the flow velocity of said flowing liquid from the difference in the propagation time periods of ultrasonic in the two opposite directions between these measurement sections, and thereby measures the flow rate thereof; wherein a pair of fixing portions are provided which respectively support said conduit for measurement at the exterior side and also at the interior side in the longitudinal direction of said measurement sections.

Abstract: A method of operating a multi-dimensional database is disclosed. In this method, a multi-dimensional portion of the data is transferred to a multi-dimensional database. A relational portion of the cube is kept in the relational database. When data from the relational portion needs to be accessed, the system produces the SQL queries to obtain data from the relational database.

Abstract: A dynamic break loop capable closed loop network having a plurality of switches and links. Each switch has two uplink ports that each have a set of dynamic break loop logic functions that may be enabled or disabled. The dynamic functions include inserting an ID number of a source switch into each frame that is transmitted from the switch, enabling a transmit function of each uplink port to monitor the ID number of each frame, and enabling a receive function of each uplink port to monitor the ID number of each frame. If the ID number is not equal to a filter ID number, then the frame will pass unchanged. If the ID number is equal to the filter ID number, then the frame will be cut off and will not be allowed to pass. The dynamic functions create a dynamic break for each switch in the network. The result is a closed loop network that operates dynamically as a plurality of open loop networks.

Abstract: A system, method and apparatus for supporting enhanced 911 (E911) emergency services, in a data communications network that includes Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephones. A network system includes a host network communicatively coupled to an E911 database management system, a network access device, and a VoIP telephone communicatively coupled to an input port of the network access device. The network access device is adapted to assign a physical location identifier to an input port, to authenticate the VoIP telephone, wherein the authentication includes receiving a unique device identifier from the VoIP telephone, and to transmit the location identifier and the unique device identifier to the E911 database management system. The E911 database management system is permitted to store the physical location identifier in association with the unique device identifier.

Abstract: A design interface tool for designing force sensations for use with a host computer and force feedback interface device. A force feedback device is connected to a host computer that displays the interface tool. Input from a user is received in the interface to select a type of force sensation to be commanded by a host computer and output by a force feedback interface device. Input, such as parameters, is then received from the user which designs and defines physical characteristics of the selected force sensation. A graphical representation of the characterized force sensation is displayed on the host computer which provides a visual demonstration of a feel of the characterized force sensation so that the user can view an effect of parameters on said force sensation.

Abstract: A method for dynamic ingress to egress tunnel mapping from a first communication network to a second communication network includes receiving a tunneled communication from a subscriber using the first communication network, determining egress tunnel selection criteria for the tunneled communication, selecting one of at least one egress tunnel based on the egress tunnel selection criteria and forwarding the tunneled communication on the selected egress tunnel. The egress tunnel selection criteria indicate the basis for selecting one of the egress tunnels.

Abstract: A computer mouse device for tracking user input and providing tactile feedback. A housing includes a lower portion designed to move over a flat surface, and a casing portion engaged by a palm of a user's hand. A sensor is provided within the housing for tracking the motion of the housing with repect to the flat surface, where motion data from the sensor is transmitted to a host computer for updating the status of a cursor on a graphical display displaying one or more graphical details. The mouse device receives over signal lines a sensory feedback signal from the host computer when the displayed cursor interacts with a graphical detail in response to the motion data. An actuator is included within and coupled to the housing and generates motion of the casing in a direction substantially orthogonal to the flat surface, delivering a tactile sensation to the user's palm in response to the sensory feedback signal received over the signal lines.

Abstract: An apparatus for placing a semiconductor chip as a flipchip on a substrate has a flip device for flipping the semiconductor chip. The flip device is formed as a parallelogram construction which consists of a support bracket, a first and a second swivel arm and a connecting arm. A chip gripper is arranged on the connecting arm. A drive system serves the back and forth movement of the parallelogram construction between a first limit position where the chip gripper accepts the semiconductor chip and a second limit position where the chip gripper places the semiconductor chip on the substrate.

Abstract: Method and apparatus to carry out wideband DOCSIS both upstream and downstream in a point-to-multipoint environment of an HFC system using port trunking concepts. For the downstream, each CMTS has a frame distributor which distributes frames to various transmitters transmitting on downstream channels to be used to transmit downstream data simultaneously to a CM using wideband DOCSIS. The frame distributor adds sequence numbers in some embodiments to guarantee proper order of frames can be restored at the CM, and schedules transmissions according to quality of service considerations to meet guaranteed and committed portions of constant bit rate and variable bit rate flows. The CMTS sends and Extended Channel Enable (ECE) message to wideband capable CMs telling them which downstreams to enable. Each CM has a frame collector to which all frames received on various downstream channels are sent. The frame collector makes sure they are all there, puts them into the proper order and delivers them to a NI.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a software system that tolerates transient errors made up by a processing unit, including: at least two processing units (50, 51) with each one including: a microprocessor (54, 57), a memory (53, 56) protected by a device generating and controlling a code for the detection and correction of errors, a device (55, 58) for monitoring memory accesses, A centralized control device (52) for the processing units and for inputs/outputs, including: macro-synchronization means, data comparison/vote means, correction demand means, decision-making means, means allowing the inputs/outputs to be made. Some links (60, 61) respectively linking each processing unit to the device (52) for controlling the processing units and the inputs/outputs.

Abstract: An architecture for performing communications between a remote computer system and a host server over a “connection establishment” type network (i.e., dial-up) is described. The architecture comprises configuring the remote computer system with a Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) stack. Similarly, an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) service module and a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server are configured on the remote computer system. The PPP stack provides dial-up networking capabilities, while the DHCP server and the ARP service module provide “always connected” type network (i.e., LAN) messaging functionality. The PPP stack, the ARP service module, and the DHCP server are configured as a driver that is installed on the remote computer system. As such, the driver will enable a connection over the “connection establishment” type network that will appear to be an “always connected” type connection to the remote computer system.

Abstract: A framework is provided that enables data mining algorithms to be plugged into it without any change to algorithm software implementations, while still providing all the standard data mining tasks. It may be implemented by the data source provider. It also then allows for the complete separation of data storage and algorithms. When the user initiates a mining session and picks an algorithm for build task or a model for an apply or test task, the framework may become responsible for preparing a set of “prompts” to the user asking him to provide some expression which is specific to the particular kind of data the user is working with.

Abstract: A system and method for interrogating a passive acoustic transponder, producing a transponder signal having characteristic set of signal perturbations in response to an interrogation signal, comprising a signal generator, producing an interrogation signal having a plurality of differing frequencies; a receiver, for receiving the transponder signal; a mixer, for mixing the transponder signal with a signal corresponding to the interrogation signal, to produce a mixed output; an integrator, integrating the mixed output to define an integrated phase-amplitude response of the received transponder signal; and an analyzer, receiving a plurality of integrated phase-amplitude responses corresponding to the plurality of differing frequencies, for determining the characteristic set of signal perturbations of the passive acoustic transponder.