Abstract: The invention provides a catalyst; a method for making the catalyst and a method for using the catalyst to promote the selective oxidation of hydrogen sulfide into elemental sulfur. The catalyst may be prepared by contacting a catalyst support, such as silica, with a solution containing ammonium metal salts, such as ammonium iron citrate and ammonium zinc citrate, and an amount of chloride (e.g., ammonium chloride) that is between about 0.1 and about 20 weight percent of the metal ions in the solution, to produce a support material impregnated with ammonium metal citrate salts and ammonium chloride. This impregnated catalyst support is then dried and calcined to produce a catalyst, such as iron and zinc oxide mixture supported on silica. It has been found that by adding chloride to the impregnated catalyst support prior to calcination and drying, that the sintering of the metal oxides can be controlled and the formation of a mixed metal oxide is promoted.

Abstract: An orientationless squib connector assembly (10) for automotive air bag assemblies is disclosed. A single initiator pin (24) is provided axially aligned within a squib socket (12). An annular ground plate (28) surrounds the initiator pin (24) near the base of the socket. An associated connector includes a first, axially located terminal for electrical contact with the initiator pin and a second terminal comprising a depending beam radially aligned with the first terminal for electrically contacting the ground plate at any rotational orientation of the connector with respect to the socket. Eliminating a required rotational orientation of the connector simplifies its manufacture and assembly and its incorporation into a vehicle. Preferably, the entering wires are also axially aligned with the first and second terminals.

Abstract: A personal identification system for use in security and various other types of pattern matching applications provides accurate recognition of a known person. This system uses a large quantity of course but inexpensive sensors to create a profile of a person seeking to enter the controlled space or to take other action. These sensors measure different statistically independent characteristics of the person, such as height, weight, stride, voice timbre, and time to perform various functions. The measurements so obtained may individually be of very low resolution. They are used to search a data base of patterns related to admissible individuals. Active agent methods are used to support learning and adaptation of the sensor set to address sensor drift and individual characteristic changes over time. A combination of many parameters will identify a person with very low probability of both false negative and false positive errors.

Abstract: Quality of Service (“QoS”) variables for predetermined protocol Type data units are stored in a cache memory. For data units that are associated with a flow, thirteen bytes selected out of the Internet Protocol (“IP”) header are employed as at least a portion of a key to perform a cache lookup to obtain at least one Quality of Service variable from the cache. Both routing and QoS information may be stored in the cache for retrieval upon a single lookup operation.

Abstract: A reamer with adjustable expansion/contraction and a bore finishing machine comprising the reamer. The reamer has a rotation shaft that is externally operable and a grinding section. The grinding section is cylindrically shaped, and has a plurality of axially-extending slits in its peripheral wall and a tapered inner surface. The rotation shaft is connected via threaded sections to a sliding shaft, which is in turn connected to a diameter expansion member consisting of a tapered cone fitted into the tapered inner surface of the grinding section. When the rotation shaft is operated to rotate, the rotational motion is converted into linear motion of the slide shaft due to a guide pin and a guide hole. The linear motion moves the diameter expansion member back and forth inside the grinding section, thereby contracting/expanding the outer diameter of the grinding section mechanically and precisely. The bore finishing machine has a hollow main rotation spindle, and a rotation spindle inside the same.

Abstract: A microelectric flow sensor including a deformable mechanical element is disclosed. The sensor includes a beam element mounted to a substrate. The beam element is anchored to the substrate on a first end, and deformed to a position normal to the surface of the substrate. An electrode is positioned on the substrate below a portion of the beam, such that when the beam is deflected, an electrical connection is established between the beam and the electrode. An alternate flow sensor includes a sensing beam surrounded by at least two cantilever beams which act as switches. The sensing beam is defined with two mechanically weak points which allow the sensing beam to be mechanically deformed to a new position approximately perpendicular to the cantilever beams and the top surface of the substrate. The substrate also includes electrodes which are positioned underneath the ends of the cantilever beams.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for rapidly detecting the source of an interrupt. A multi-bit interrupt state register is provided which registers the occurrence of an interrupt in response to an interrupt event. The outputs of the interrupt state register are coupled to an interrupt vector register which is memory mapped and directly accessible to a processor via load and store instructions. The interrupt vector register is continuously updated to reflect the current state of the interrupt state register. The processor may read the interrupt vector register with low latency, store the contents of the interrupt vector register in a general purpose register within the processor, and determine the source of interrupts via bit test instructions performed on the general purpose register. The bits interrupt state register may be cleared by the processor by upon the issuance of a memory mapped write command to a clear register.

Abstract: A head-mountable image display system provides an image to a user's eye separate from ambient light. The system includes an optical relay having an optical pathway to receive light from a display element. The optical relay also permits passage of ambient light toward the user's eye. An eyepiece assembly is disposed to redirect light on the optical pathway to the user's eye. The system is highly compact, allowing the integration of the display system with eyeglasses, a face mask, such as a diver's mask, a head set, or the like.

Abstract: The invention concerns an acoustic igniter for igniting a mixture of rocket fuels in a liquid propellant rocket engine combustion chamber comprising a cylindrical precombustion chamber (101) including a cylindrical wall (111) and first and second end walls (112, 113), a rocket fuel injection nozzle (103) emerging into the precombustion chamber (101) through the first end wall (112) via an orifice of diameter dn, a rocket fuel injector (104) arranged inside said nozzle (103) along the axis thereof, at least an outlet orifice (102) of minimum diameter df provided in the cylindrical wall (111), an acoustic resonator (105) defining a cavity opening into the precombustion chamber (101) opposite the nozzle (103), through the second end wall (113), via an orifice (151) of diameter dr. The acoustic resonator (105) is enclosed by a housing (106) which defines around the acoustic resonator (105) a closed auxiliary chamber (160) which communicates only with the precombustion chamber (101) by at least one conduit (107).

Abstract: A programmable, moving display to be worn on a lapel or shirt pocket for promotional message reinforcement. The display includes a wearable display portion with a clip for attachment to a shirt pocket or coat lapel. A concealable battery portion is preferably connected to the display portion via an unobtrusive thin cable. Moving alphanumeric messages are programmed by manipulation of five buttons, allowing a user to scroll forward through an alphanumeric character table, scroll backward through that table, enter a chosen character at a display position and subsequently advance to a neighboring display position, delete characters, and modify the rate at which the characters are scrolled across the display. The messages can also be programmed externally using a personal computer connected to a data input port on the display portion.

Abstract: A torsional micro-mechanical mirror system includes a mirror assembly rotatably supported by a torsional mirror support assembly for rotational movement over and within a cavity in a base. The cavity is sized sufficiently to allow unimpeded rotation of the mirror assembly. The mirror assembly includes a support structure for supporting a reflective layer. The support structure is coplanar with and formed from the same wafer as the base. The torsional mirror support assembly includes at least one torsion spring formed of an electroplated metal. An actuator assembly is operative to apply a driving force to torsionally drive the torsional mirror support assembly, whereby torsional motion of the torsional mirror support assembly causes rotational motion of the mirror assembly. In another embodiment, a magnetic actuator assembly is provided to drive the mirror assembly.

Abstract: A bottle with a hanging tool detachably provided. The hanging tool comprises a flat and long connection portion extending sideways from the neck portion and having a length shorter than an outer diameter of the bottom of the bottle, and a separately molded wide annular handle portion. The connection portion is provided at its intermediate portion with a narrow portion crossing the connection portion transversely to reduce a thickness thereof, thereby making the connection portion vertically bendable at the narrow portion, a free end of the connection portion and the handle portion are formed at their predetermined locations with joint portions comprising a pair of engagement means, and the handle portion is detachable attached to the connection portion. Thereby an injection mold for molding a preform can be simple in structure and is suppressed from being enlarged.

Abstract: A system for allocating resources at network elements along a path through a communications network. Resources are allocated at a network element along the path in response to a connection request message. The delay budget is the minimum of a calculated cell transfer delay and a calculated cell delay variation. The calculated cell transfer delay is determined by finding a difference between a target end to end cell delay and an accumulated cell delay, and then dividing that difference by a number of network elements remaining in the path between the network element and the end of the path. To determine the calculated cell delay variation, the network element first finds a difference between the Max CDV QoS parameter and the sum of the accumulated cell delay variation and the switching delay for the network element. The calculated cell delay variation is then equal to that difference divided by the number of network elements remaining in the path between the network element and the end of the path.

Abstract: A three point alignment feature facilitates alignment of an integrated circuit chip relative to a socket that is mounted on a printed circuit board 14. The socket includes four walls that define a rectangle in which the integrated circuit chip is mounted. A first contact point 28 extends inward from a first one 22 of the walls. Second and third contact points 30, 32 extend inward from a second one 20 of the walls. A first force is applied against the integrated circuit chip from a third one 18 of the walls. Second and third forces are applied against the integrated circuit chip from a fourth one 16 of the walls. Hence, the integrated circuit chip is aligned in a corner defined by the first and second walls, and is oriented by the three contact points. Spring members 34, 36, 38, 40 may be employed to provide the first, second and third forces. Another alignment feature including two posts 52, 54 on the socket is employed to facilitate alignment of the socket with respect to the printed circuit board.

Abstract: An encoder/decoder is disclosed which is operative to convert an 8 bit value to a ten bit serial run length limited code for transmission over a serial data link. The encoding technique maintains DC balance within 2 bits over a single ten bit word and compensates for DC imbalance by inverting selected words in the transmission sequence to correct for a DC imbalance resulting from the transmission of a prior unbalanced word. One or more encoding lookup tables are employed at the encoder to map each byte into a ten bit run length limited code for serialization and transmission over the serial data link. A second decoding lookup table is employed at the decoder to map the received 10 bit run length limited code into the original 8 bit value.

Abstract: Flow shaping is executed at each ATM device in a virtual circuit formed in an ATM network. More particularly, the flow of data units through the virtual circuit is controlled at each ATM switch such that the variable transmission delay remains substantially constant from hop to hop. Flow shaping at each device causes variable transmission delay to remain substantially constant throughout the virtual circuit, thereby allowing formation of an ATM virtual circuit having an arbitrarily large number of ATM switch “hops” without constraints imposed by required playout buffer size. Further, the invention minimizes end-to-end delay.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to an apparatus and method for efficiently transferring asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) cells across a backplane in a network switch. The present invention is realized through an electrical apparatus that converts parallel data that is received on parallel data input ports to serial data that is transmitted on serial data output ports. The parallel data that is received on each parallel data input port is divided and transmitted from a corresponding pair of serial data output ports. The electrical apparatus also converts serial data that is received on serial data input ports to parallel data that is transmitted on parallel data output ports. The serial data that is received on a corresponding pair of serial data input ports is combined and transmitted from a parallel data output port.

Abstract: Network routing apparatus employs multi-level tree data structures in a centralized routing table and in distributed forwarding tables. Each level of each structure is associated with a different field of a network address appearing in received packets. Pointers in each structure are used to identify either an address of a next hop network, or a next-level tree to be examined for a next-hop address. An uncompressed tree routing table uses directly addressed trees in order to simplify the storage and retrieval of pointers, and the next-tree pointers directly identify next trees. Compressed tree forwarding tables are generated from the uncompressed routing table by reducing the number of pointers stored at one or more levels to substantially the number of unique next hop addresses associated with network addresses at that level. A single mapping table maps pointer values at one level to the locations of trees at the next level in the compressed trees.