Abstract: An ice dam removal system comprises a porous container and a deicing component disposed within the container.

Abstract: An apparatus for compensating for signal distortions in an input digital signal, such as a pseudo video scan line having a television video scan line format and capable of comprising a complete self-contained packet of digital information sufficient to provide an entire video displayable row of video data characters, said signal comprising a plurality of ones and zeroes defining the digital information therein, the pseudo video scan line having associated peak-to-peak signal levels respectively defining the ones and zeroes wherein the signal distortion in the signal comprise the respective peak-to-peak signal levels associated with at least some of the plurality of ones and zeroes differing from the respective peak-to-peak signal levels associated with others of this plurality, the peak-to-peak signal levels resulting from zero-to-one and one-to-zero transitions in the signal, provides a compensated output digital signal from the distorted input digital signal having the same information content wherein the p

Abstract: An interface for enabling continuous high speed row grabbing video display with real time hard copy print out thereof interfaces a hard copy printer with a real time frame grabbing video display terminal for enabling substantially instantaneous provision of a continuous direct video display of a selectable predetermined video frame of information on a video display from continuously receivable information remotely provided over a transmission media while substantially simultaneously providing real time hard copy printing of this selectable information on the printer.

Abstract: A real time frame grabbing video display terminal for substantially instantaneously providing a continuous direct video display of a selectable predetermined video frame of informatin on a video display means for continuously receivable information, such as information consisting of a plurality of pseudo video scan lines containing a complete self-contained packet of digital information sufficient to provide an entire displayable row of video data characters, which information has been remotely provided over a transmission media, includes local microcomputer means for controlling the operation thereof, the microcomputer means being operatively connected to the transmission media for receiving continuously receivable information for providing the direct video display of the selected predetermined frame. A keyboard is operatively connected to the microcomputer for variably selecting the predetermined frame to be displayed.

Abstract: A phase locked loop apparatus for providing a continuous output digital clock signal having first and second states which is continuously phase locked to a reference digital data signal, which digital data signal comprises at least one data transition, utilizes every data transition to continuously correct the clock phase. For pseudo video scan lines, such as utilized for row grabbing, when such scan lines contain a start bit, the phase locked loop makes a single correction each empty or non-data line utilizing the start bit to insure that phase lock exists at the beginning of the first non-empty or digital data containing scan line. The phase locked loop contains a voltage controlled oscillator operating in conjunction with a flip-flop functioning as a phase detector, with the state of the flip-flop being dependent on the phase condition between the digital data signal and the digital clock signal.

Abstract: An improved multichannel CATV type television system includes a real time frame grabbing system for substantially instantaneously providing a selectable continuous video displayable frame of video information to a video interface, such as a row grabbing terminal, for providing a preselected continuous video displayable frame of the information to at least one of the channels as the video information content thereof from continuously transmittable information. The row grabbing terminal receives this information in the form of a plurality of pseudo video scan lines and processes the composite pseudo video scan lines for providing a video displayable row from each of the pseudo video scan line signals pertaining to the preselected frame for providing a selected continuous video displayable frame of dedicated information to a given channel.

Abstract: An improved real time frame grabbing system for substantially instantaneously providing a continuous video display of a selectable predetermined video frame of information on a video display means from continuously transmittable video information comprises a plurality of means for transmitting the video information as a plurality of pseudo video scan lines with means being provided for selectively combining and interleaving corresponding identical out of phase digital information content containing pseudo video scan line portions of the plurality of transmission means corresponding pseudo video scan lines to provide an in phase composite combined interleaved pseudo video scan line to the video display means.

Abstract: An information retrieval system capable of capturing packets or rows of video displayable data and/or control program instructions continuously transmitted in a common predetermined format, such as pseudo video scan lines, over a common predetermined video signal transmission media, such as television signal distribution means, captures these packets from a continuously transmitting remote data base comprising a plurality of different control programs and different data rows in order to provide a selected purpose variable function terminal with information display as well as particular type of processing thereof can individually be substantially simultaneously varied for each terminal of a plurality of terminals in the system.

Abstract: A real time frame grabbing system for substantially instantaneously providing a continuous video display of a selectably predetermined video frame of information on a video display means from continuously transmittable video information which is transmitted as a plurality of pseudo video scan lines wherein the selected frame being grabbed is updateable on a displayable-row-by-displayable-row basis. Each of the pseudo video scan lines has a television scan line format and comprises a complete self-contained packet of digital information sufficient to provide an entire displayable row of video data characters, the pseudo video scan line having an associated transmission time equivalent to that of a television video scan line. The packet of digital information comprises at least address information for a displayable row and data information for the displayable characters in the row.

Abstract: A common channel video communication system for providing a piggy back transmission television field comprising a plurality of television video scan lines over the common channel. The television field is comprised of both at least one video displayable row of video data characters contained in a pseudo video scan line occupying one of the plurality of television video scan lines and normal television video displayable information occupying the balance of the plurality of the television video scan lines. The common channel provided piggy back transmission television fields enable the provision of conventional television as well as real time updateable row grabbed information.

Abstract: A real time frame grabbing system for substantially instantaneously providing a continuous video display of a selectably predetermined video frame of information on a video display means from continuously transmittable video information which is transmitted as a plurality of pseudo video scan lines wherein the selected frame being grabbed is updateable on a displayable-row-by-displayable-row basis. Each of the pseudo video scan lines has a television scan line format and comprises a complete self-contained packet of digital information sufficient to provide an entire displayable row of video data characters, the pseudo video scan line having an associated transmission time equivalent to that of a television video scan line. The packet of digital information comprises at least address information for a displayable row and data information for the displayable characters in the row.