Abstract: Disclosed is a customizable in-ground stand that retains its position in response to off-center, leaning, and/or top-heavy forces imposed onto it by a retained object. The stand includes an elongated tube. The stand includes an interchangeable retention ring with a downward extension that attaches to a top of the elongated tube, and with a length of tube that extends laterally in front of the elongated tube as an incomplete ring from the downward extension. The stand further includes an interchangeable base with a rod that attaches to a bottom of the elongated tube, and with support members that extend outwards from each side of the rod. Each of the support members has a vertical triangular plate that extends perpendicularly from the rod and that narrows to a particular point towards a bottom of the rod, and a lip that extends perpendicularly over each vertical triangular plate.

Abstract: There is provided a system and method for generating predictions. The predictions are generated using a model configured to associate text with at least one action associated with at least one of a plurality of applications.

Abstract: A system and method for determining an absolute position of an object in an area is presented. The system includes a server having a processor, and a plurality of camera nodes coupled to the server. Each node includes a camera that acquires images of the object and area. The server receives image data from a camera, detects the object within an approximate location by image analysis techniques, and determines a relative position of the object in pixel coordinates. The processor then detects stationary markers proximate to the relative location of the object, determines an absolute position of the detected markers relative to known markers to define an absolute position of the marker, and determines an absolute location of the object in relation to the absolute location of the detected marker. This absolute position of the object is provided to an official to accurately locate the object in the area.

Abstract: In representative embodiments, a digital assistant is extended by service activities. A service activity executes as a service as part of the digital assistant. A service activity specifies a set of user data to be provided when invoked, at least one insight used to invoke the service activity in a proactive way and at least one intent used to invoke the service activity in a reactive way, and executable code that is executed when the service activity is invoked. A development environment provides templates to ease development of service activities. Service activities in development can be deployed alongside production services with access to service activities in development restricted to a set of authorized users.

Abstract: A communication system includes remote units, a UTC or GPS reference timing source, and a controller. The controller includes one or more modems and is connected to an external network, at least one of the modems being a baseband modem and being configured to pass first data corresponding to the information. The controller is separated from the remote units by an intermediate network over which second data corresponding to the information is transmitted in frames between the controller and the remote units. The second data includes baseband data. A controller clock is synchronized with the reference timing source and provides timing information to the controller. A remote unit clock is synchronized with the controller clock and provides timing information to a remote unit, the controller and the remote unit being configured to transmit time stamp messages to synchronize the controller clock and the remote unit clock.

Abstract: An apparatus is used for cleaning and drying applicator tools, such as brushes, cosmetic applicators, or cosmetic tools. The apparatus according to various embodiments includes an applicator tool holder configured to hold multiple applicators of various sizes with the applicator heads facing down. The applicator tool cleaning apparatus has a cleaning chamber that can dispense liquid to saturate the applicator heads and contact the applicator heads with a textured surface to dislodge collected materials on the applicator heads and a drying chamber where drying mechanisms blow air or dissipate heat at the applicator heads until dried. The applicator tool holder may be moved vertically between the cleaning chamber and the drying chamber via a motor and drive mechanism. Alternatively, the applicator tool holder may be flipped such that the applicator heads are facing upwards and aligned with the drying mechanisms.

Abstract: A seatbelt retractor for a seat belt device in a vehicle. The retractor including a frame and a spool. The spool is configured to be fixed to one end of a webbing which is wound around the spool. A pretensioner device configured to rotate the spool in response to an excessive acceleration of the vehicle. The pretensioner device comprises a power transmission element carried in a pretensioner tube that is driven by a piston located in the pretensioner tube. The pretensioner device includes a gas generator for driving the piston into the power transmission element. The pretensioner device includes a seal system that includes a stopper tube located in a downstream end of the pretensioner tube to create a stop location for the piston to prevent operating gas from exiting the end of the pretensioner tube.

Abstract: An apparatus and methods are provided for a tapered implant for treating osteochondral/subchondral defects. The tapered implant comprises a top portion that includes a shape that approximates an osteochondral/subchondral surface to be replaced. A bottom portion of the tapered implant is configured to be implanted into a hole drilled in bone. A cylindrical sidewall of the tapered implant has a diameter that generally decreases from a first diameter of the top portion to a second diameter of the bottom portion. The tapered implant comprises any homogenous synthetic or natural material suitable for implantation into bone, including any of collagen, human or animal allograft, silicone, bioglass, peek, polyethylene, titanium, and cobalt chrome, and any combination thereof.

Abstract: A connector assembly can be easily and certainly attached to a surface of a substrate while having a simple configuration, and high airtightness is certainly maintained to improve reliability. The connector assembly includes: a connector including a connector body and a terminal attached to the connector body; and a protective member including a wall extending in a longitudinal direction or a width direction of the connector body and an accommodation unit in which at least a part of four sides of a periphery is defined by the wall, the protective member being attached to the surface of the substrate with the connector accommodated in the accommodation unit. The protective member includes a protective member body made of an insulating material and a protective metal fitting made of a conductive metal integrally formed with the protective member body, and the protective member is placed on the surface of the substrate while coupled to the connector with the connector accommodated in the accommodation unit.

Abstract: Techniques for providing unified user interfaces among actively paired devices, including determining that first and second devices are actively paired together at a first time based on a determination that the first device is in physical proximity to the second device when the first and second devices are both authenticated for a same user service account; receiving, at the first time, an indication of an actuation of a user interface control associated with a user activity and presented by the first device; and causing, in response to the receipt of the indication and the determination that the first and second devices are actively paired together at the first time, the second device to present a user interface associated with the user activity.

Abstract: The present technology relates to improving computing services in a distributed network of remote computing resources, such as edge nodes in an edge compute network. In an aspect, the technology relates to a method that includes receiving, from a mobile computing device, first location data for the mobile computing device at a first time; receiving, from the mobile computing device, second location data for the mobile computing device at a second time; and based on the first location data and the second location data, determining a direction vector for the mobile computing device. The method also includes, based on the direction vector: identifying an edge node from a plurality of edge nodes corresponding to a predicted location of the mobile computing device; and prior to the mobile computing device being in the predicted location, allocating computing resources for the computing service on the identified edge node.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a container includes injecting a first material into a first mold to form a top portion of a preform. The first material and a second material are injected into the first mold to form a bottom portion of the preform. The preform is disposed in a second mold. The preform is blow molded into a finished container.

Abstract: A vehicle seating assembly includes a frame, a front closeout panel supported on the frame and an articulating flexmat assembly operably coupled with at least one of the front closeout panel and the frame. The articulating flexmat assembly includes an upper flexmat extending from a first side of the frame to a second side of the frame. The upper flexmat includes an upper cable coupled with the upper flexmat and an upper cable regulating motor operably coupled with the upper cable. The articulating flexmat assembly also includes a lower flexmat extending from the first side of the frame to the second side of the frame. The lower flexmat includes a lower cable coupled with the lower flexmat and a lower cable regulating motor operably coupled with the lower cable.

Abstract: A virtual multi-Operating System (OS) environment optimized for running multiple image processing applications on a single computing platform using one or more central processing units (CPUs) and one or more graphic processing units (GPUs). According to an exemplary method of video processing, a first video processing application program is operated using a first operating system of a first processor for a computing device. A second video processing application program is simultaneously operated using a second operating system of a second processor for the computing device. Operation of one of the first processor and second processor is dynamically suspended to transfer operation of one of the video processing application programs to the remaining processor.

Abstract: An aspect of implementing amortized execution of updates for a hash table includes aggregating, within a data structure, updates to be executed for the hash table. The aggregated updates are distributed across a plurality of chunks in the data structure. An aspect also includes sorting, within each of the chunks, the updates according to respective bucket index values associated with the updates, and iteratively executing the sorted updates across each of the chunks in the data structure.

Abstract: Example speech enhancement systems include a spatio-temporal residual network configured to receive video data containing a target speaker and extract visual features from the video data, an autoencoder configured to receive input of an audio spectrogram and extract audio features from the audio spectrogram, and a squeeze-excitation fusion block configured to receive input of visual features from a layer of the spatio-temporal residual network and input of audio features from a layer of the autoencoder, and to provide an output to the decoder of the autoencoder. The decoder is configured to output a mask configured based upon the fusion of audio features and visual features by the squeeze-excitation fusion block, and the instructions are executable to apply the mask to the audio spectrogram to generate an enhanced magnitude spectrogram, and to reconstruct an enhanced waveform from the enhanced magnitude spectrogram.

Abstract: An hooded sun shield is disclosed. The hooded sun shield includes a head piece including an opening, side vents and a plurality of fasteners, and a mask piece attachably coupled to the head piece via the plurality of fasteners over the opening, including a first layer and a second layer formed over the first layer, wherein the first layer and second layer form a horizontal vent in the mask piece. The dimensions of mask piece are greater than the dimensions of the opening of the hood piece, which creates vertical slits, facilitating the flow of breath and the movement of air through mask piece.

Abstract: A heat transfer system for cooking a food product is provided. The heat transfer system includes an enclosure, heat sources within the enclosure operate to output heat for a cooking process, at least one conveyor positioned relative to the cooking heat elements, and a warming assembly. The warming assembly is configured to receive at least one pan configured to store cooked food product. The warming assembly defines an controlled environment about the at least one pan. A blocking element defines an opening through the enclosure into the controlled environment of the warming assembly.

Abstract: A method executed by a computing device includes determining to enhance a legacy asset base, determining an asset selection approach, and selecting a first augmenting asset to produce a first selected augmenting asset of selected augmenting assets. The method further includes splitting the first selected augmenting asset by reassigning a future time-estimated benefit payment of the first selected augmenting asset to a benefit entity and reassigning a first series of time-certain obligated payments of the first selected augmenting asset to a sponsor entity, such that a beneficial valuation elevation is created where a sum of a benefit net present value and a liability net present value is greater than a fair market value of the selected augmenting assets. The method further includes assigning a portion of the benefit entity to a legacy asset base to leverage the beneficial valuation elevation over direct utilization of the selected augmenting assets.

Abstract: A system and method for selecting a target device out of a larger group of candidate devices for rendering a response from a virtual assistant to an end-user is disclosed. The system determines that a same trigger phrase included in an utterance has been received by multiple devices that are in proximity to one another at around the same time. These candidate devices can collect attention data, such as user gaze toward a device, to select the device that was most likely the intended recipient of the utterance. The system is configured to control the virtual assistant to render a response solely via the selected device.