Abstract: A dry cleaning process and system for cleaning articles disposed in a cleaning chamber having a rotatable member therein, using carbon dioxide (CO2) from a storage tank. The process includes causing a pressure differential between the storage tank and the cleaning chamber, filling the cleaning chamber with a predetermined amount of liquid CO2 enabling flow of liquid CO2 from the storage tank to the cleaning chamber in response to the pressure differential, and rotating the rotatable member.

Abstract: A suction device for a double-point coating system is used to remove excess powder (3′) from a double-coated fabric web (1). The suction device has a powder-suction element (4) to remove excess powder, a fabric-web-suction unit to align the fabric web and at least one beater roller (8, 9) to loosen excess powder. The fabric web suction unit has at least one suction roller (5, 6, 7) that can rotate to convey the fabric web (1) and support it. That way, the fabric webs can be transported tension-free, which largely prevents adhesion of individual dots of paste and clogging of the textile.

Abstract: A force compensating apparatus is for use in a wafer-handling machine. The wafer-handling machine includes a rotatable rim adapted to be concentric with and external to a wafer, and a plurality of wafer-supporting fingers disposed about the rim. Each finger is supported by a floating arm, part of a support mechanism utilizing first and second fixed arms bracketing the floating arm where the fixed arms attach the support to the rim. Each the finger is preloaded with sufficient force to support the wafer among the plurality of fingers and each the finger is generally positioned in a radial plane with the rim.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for identifying an applicant as a member of a group without explicitly listing all possible applicants. A test is defined which specifies the criteria for group membership. The test definition and an optional group identifier code are supplied to a criterion generator. The criterion generator generates an authenticated message based, at least in part, upon said test definition. The authenticated message is delivered to one or more criterion evaluators that verify the authenticated message. In one embodiment, once the authenticated message has been verified, the applicant for access to a resource presents a credential to the criterion evaluator. If the credential satisfies the test definition, the applicant is granted access to the specified resource and denied access if the credential does not satisfy the test definition.

Abstract: A web inspection system for analysis of a moving web of material records and stores continuous sequences of the web. The web inspection system includes a camera for recording the continuous sequence of the web, an encoder for synchronizing movements of the web with the video image being recorded, and an Image Processing System (IPS) including a real time video disk for storing the image of the web and for displaying the continuous sequence web image on a video display. The IPS is also utilized for detecting faults or features and for categorizing the faults or features detected. The entire web is recorded and the image can be viewed either interactively while the image is being recorded or at a later time. The recorded image of the web can be played back at a slower speed to allow for a more detailed inspection of the web. The sequence image can be analyzed to build a defect image database. The web inspection system can also be utilized for sorting and displaying defect information.

Abstract: A micromechanical tuning fork gyroscope has an input axis out of the plane of the structure. In one embodiment, capacitor plates are provided in parallel strips beneath two apertured, planar proof masses suspended from a substrate by a support structure. The proof masses are paired and set in opposed vibrational motion by an electrostatic comb drive. In response to an input angular rate about the out-of-plane input axis, the proof masses translate with respect to the striped capacitors, thereby varying the capacitance between the capacitor strips and the proof masses as a function of the input rate. In another embodiment, proof mass combs of a comb drive are meshed between fixed drive combs which are electrically excited in pairs 180° out of phase.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for enabling the combination of multiple streams of data cells into a single thread. By enabling plural input ports of an intermediate device to access a single parallel output port of the device, plural network switch elements share a single thread through a switch fabric. For instance, the method and apparatus permit interleaving the relatively low bandwidth cell outputs of two ATM network switch central control processors onto a single thread routed through an interconnected switch fabric. Certain of these cells are received from the switch fabric at a parallel input of the intermediate device, then routed to one of plural serial output ports. Pacing of cells provided to the plural serial input ports prevents exceeding the shared thread bandwidth.

Abstract: A rotor disk (20) is arranged between two stator disks (30, 40; 130, 140), the disks being made in thermostructural composite material at least for the wear parts. A first supporting structure (50, 150) has a bell shape with a bottom part (52) whereon rests the first stator disk (30, 130) and part of the skirt (70, 170) linked to the bottom part (52) and encloses the disks (20, 30, 40), the bell-shaped structure having cooling means (170, 174) for evacuating the heat generated by the mutual friction of the disks. A second supporting structure (80, 180) has a part in the shape of an annular support plate whereon rests the second stator disk (40, 140); and the bell-shaped structure bottom part (52) and the support plate (80, 180) are provided with cotters (60) or radial ribs (84) co-operating with the corresponding radial housings (36) formed in the outer surfaces (33, 44) of the stator disks (30, 40; 130, 140) to block the latter in rotation relative to the supporting structures (50, 150; 80, 180).

Abstract: A system for temporarily storing and dequeuing received data units including searching a prioritized queue list for a highest priority queue having a head entry associated with a received data unit which is part of the guaranteed bandwidth of the connection on which it was received, and for which there are sufficient transmission credits available, based on a flow control mode associated with the data unit. If no such guaranteed bandwidth data unit is found, the system dequeues a highest priority queue having a head entry associated with an available bandwidth data unit, for which there are sufficient transmission credits available to begin transmission based on a flow control mode associated with the data unit. If no such available bandwidth data unit is found, then no data unit is dequeued during that traversal of the queue list.

Abstract: A shape formed multi-laminate transducer which conforms to nonlinear dependent shaped geometries and the shape forming process for producing the nonlinear dependent shaped multilaminate transducer is presented. The shape forming process includes the cutting of the tape cast material to a predetermined two-dimensional shape and then pressing the cut material to form the desired three-dimensional nonlinear dependent shape. After shape forming, the sample is sintered, metalized, poled, and made into an acoustical device such as a transducer. The production of such a device by using tape cast material allows designers to easily vary the shape of the product as well as to be able to vary the properties within simply by exploiting the lamination method associated with tape casting. As such, a designer is able to design and manufacture a transducer optimized to meet the requirements of a particular application.

Abstract: A helical turbine assembly capable of providing high speed unidirectional rotation under a multidirectional ultra low-head fluid flow is disclosed. The assembly comprises an array of helical turbine units or modules arranged, vertically or horizontally, to harness, for example, water or wind power. Each turbine unit or module comprises a plurality of helical blades having an airfoil profile. The modules for wind power may be mounted to rotatable shafts supported by lightweight structures anchored by guy wires to the ground. The helical turbine can also provide ship propulsion by utilizing the power of ocean waves. In a further embodiment, a cylindrical distributor is provided in the helical turbine to channel the fluid flow to the blades of the turbine, thereby increasing efficiency and power output. The helical turbine with distributor may be used to lift or lower a body either being submerged into a fast stream or dragged in the fluid.

Abstract: A sub sensor for measuring a small area is integrally incorporated in a main sensor for measuring a large area and a part in the vicinity of the edge of a wafer is measured by the sub sensor, while a center of a wafer is measured by the main sensor.

Abstract: Self-contained, modular building systems that create temporary structures consisting of various panels that fold compactly for shipping, but that deploy into complete building segments, such that a large surface area of panels sufficient to provide a structure of superior size as compared with like known modular structures may be efficiently stored and conveniently deployed.

Abstract: A bus and associated logic employ a master/slave communication protocol and unidirectional point-to-point connections. Unidirectional address lines carry address signals from a bus master to bus slaves. One set of unidirectional data lines carry data from the master to the slaves, and another set carries data from the slaves to the master. The master initiates a bus transaction by asserting a request signal and placing an address on the address lines. A slave device responds by returning an acknowledge signal. The master maintains the address and the request on the bus until one clock cycle after receiving the acknowledge signal. For a read, the data is returned in the cycle following the acknowledge signal. For a write, the master places the write data on the outgoing data lines and maintains the data value on the bus until one cycle after the acknowledge signal. Additionally, the master deasserts the request signal for at least one cycle between bus transactions.

Abstract: A pump system and method for controlling and monitoring the aspiration of a liquid and the subsequent dispense of the liquid. As a pump is operated to either aspirate or dispense a liquid, a processor circuit receives input from a liquid air detector to sample the detected conditions in relation to the operation of the pump. In one embodiment, the pump employs a stepper motor, and the processor records information regarding the detected contents of the pathway at intervals correlating to the motor activity. A profile of detector output versus motor intervals is thus created from the point an aspiration cycle is commenced at least until a fluid-to-air boundary is detected, or from the point a dispense cycle is commenced, through an air-to-fluid boundary. Each profile is then compared against a standardized profile to determine if the detected transition occurred at a desired point in the profile.