Abstract: A latch restraint and safety anchorage system for securing a child safety seat in an automotive vehicle behind the vehicle's seat is provided. One or more latch wires are generally mounted to a cross member of the anchorage system comprised of a pair of spatially separated legs joined at one end by a transverse latch bar. Each leg includes a tapered portion and an end portion. The end portion is exposed to allow the legs to be retained by the cross member.

Abstract: A method of forming a plurality of floral sleeves having a uniform design or pattern and printed about a lower end thereof without requiring the waste of significant portions of sheet material is provided. The method includes the step of sealing and severing a pair of web portions along lines defined by coextensive first side edges and coextensive second side edges of decorative portions. In another aspect, the method includes the step of sealing and severing a pair of overlapping web portions provided with a plurality of decorative portions along a plurality of lines which traverse the decorative portions and each of the corresponding undecorative portions to form a plurality of sleeves wherein each sleeve has an upper portion and a lower portion with the lower portion having a decorative portion extending about the exterior circumference of the lower portion of the sleeve while the upper portion is free of any printing contained in the lower portion of an adjacently formed sleeve.

Abstract: A plant package includes a flower pot containing a floral grouping and a flexible sleeve which may be provided with detaching elements at preselected areas. The sleeve may further include a bonding material which connects the sleeve to the flower pot when the flower pot is positioned within the sleeve. When the sleeve is positioned about the flower pot, a lower portion of the sleeve closely surrounds and encompasses the flower pot, and an upper portion of the sleeve extends upwardly from the flower pot and substantially surrounds and encompasses the floral grouping contained within the flower pot. At least a portion of the sleeve is removable via the detaching elements, leaving a portion of the sleeve which forms a decorative plant cover.

Abstract: A plant packaging method providing a tubular sleeve having a linear or non-linear upper edge and disposing the sleeve about a potted plant.

Abstract: Disclosed is an oral care composition comprising a calcium metasilicate having an aspect ratio (average major axial diameter/average minor axial diameter) of from about 1:1 to about 2.5:, and an oil absorption of from about 20 ml/100 g to about 220 ml/100 g. Also disclosed is an oral care composition comprising: a calcium metasilicate having an aspect ratio (average major axial diameter/average minor axial diameter) of from about 1:1 to about 2.5:, and an oil absorption of from about 20 ml/100 g to about 220 ml/100 g, a disintegration aid, an organoleptic enhancing agent, and an abrasive.

Abstract: A watercraft with a propulsion engine includes at least one hull having an underside. A dual exhaust system includes a first exhaust conduit defining a first exhaust flow path leading to the underside (e.g., a step in a planing surface on the underside) and a second exhaust conduit defining a second exhaust flow path to atmosphere. One embodiment is self proportioning. In another embodiment, an onboard proportioning system varies first and second proportions of the exhaust flowing through respective ones of the first and second exhaust conduits according to exhaust back pressure. First and second valve mechanisms selectively restrict the first and second exhaust flow paths under computer or manual control according to pressure sensed by a back-pressure-sensing component in order to thereby direct the exhaust in desired proportions for enhanced operating characteristics and reduced thermal signature.

Abstract: A high-speed cross-point switch is built on a preferably silicon substrate and uses bipolar transistor switching elements. Preferably, the bipolar transistors are SiGe bipolar junction transistors. Intersecting conductive input and output microstrips are preferably thinned at their intersections to reduce shunt capacitance between the coupled lines. It is also preferred that the input buffer be connected in cascode fashion with the switching transistors in order to create an amplification stage. The signal and its inverse are carried on balanced microstrip pairs in order to reduce electromagnetic field strength at the center of the balanced line pairs thereby improving isolation between two crossing balanced pairs.

Abstract: A phase-locked loop includes a phase detector, a loop filter, a voltage controlled oscillator and a frequency divider arranged such that the phase detector generates a phase detector output signal as a function of a phase difference between the reference clock signal and the feedback signal; the loop filter generates a frequency control signal from the phase detector output signal; the voltage controlled oscillator generates a phase-locked loop output signal that has a frequency that is controlled by the frequency control signal; and the frequency divider generates the feedback signal from the phase-locked loop output signal.

Abstract: A sacral support assembly for use with a seat is provided. The seat includes a seat frame. An adjustable sacral support assembly is connected to the seat frame. The sacral support assembly includes a sacral support member adapted to support the sacrum of a seated user even when an obstruction is located between the user and the sacral support assembly. A method is also provided for delivering primary support to a user's sacrum and sacral-pelvic anatomy and secondary support to the remaining regions of the spine and/or adjacent anatomy to reduce fatigue, increase comfort, structural balance, stability, and posture control for a user, and a system for adjusting and controlling the load distribution from the sacral anatomy to the spine and other anatomical structures adjacent to a user's sacrum, for example, the pelvis, lumbar, thoracic and cervical regions.

Abstract: Method, apparatus, and system for synchronization in radio communication systems are presented. The method includes the steps of encapsulating symbols in an information stream then modulating the stream. The modulated information stream is then sent over a communication channel at a first robustness level, and the level of robustness of the information stream is then reduced to a second robustness level according to a predetermined function. The modulated information stream is received from the communication channel. The information stream is then demodulated after a first number of symbols have been received, wherein the first number of symbols is less than a second number of symbols that would have to be received to demodulate a corresponding information stream sent over the communication channel only at the second robustness level.

Abstract: The invention addresses the problem of obtaining ways and means for providing a compensational gain, which can be used for gain compensation in connection with power amplifiers and other devices. According to the invention a power splitter splits a signal into two components. A phase shifter introduces a frequency dependent phase shift in one the components. A change of amplitude is introduced in one of the components. A combiner combines the components. By selecting appropriately the frequency dependent phase and the change of amplitude, a desired gain compensation characteristic is achieved.

Abstract: An automatic meter reader module is provided that is adapted to be retrofitted or installed in a new or existing utility meter. The module includes a printed circuit board (PCB) on which is mounted on-board circuitry and detection equipment configured to detect utility consumption metered by the utility meter. A transmission device operatively coupled to the PCB is configured to transmit data indicative of utility usage. The PCB is configured to mount within an inner cavity of the utility meter.

Abstract: A housing for holding electrical and/or electronic components with a housing opening and with an entry fitting which is rotationally located in the housing opening, the entry fitting having a cylindrical holding part in which an annular groove is formed, and being held by a fastener in the housing. In the housing, the entry fitting can be securely attached to the housing with simple means and installation of the entry fitting, with the housing otherwise closed, is possible in that, for axially securing the entry fitting in the housing opening, there is an open plastic snap ring which is provided with a feed bevel which is guided in the annular groove, and which, in the installed state of the entry fitting, is locked at least partially in a groove in the housing opening.

Abstract: Fluid-dynamic circuit for supplying primary and auxiliary uses with preset priorities comprises a pressurised fluid source, at least one first use with primary priority, at least one second use with secondary priority, at least one third use with low priority; said first use is directly connected to said source by a relative first pipe and said second use and third use are connectable to said source with respective second and third pipes by interposing a valve equipped with an internal distributor member to control said second and third pipes and movable according to at least three connection configurations, in a first configuration said second use and third use being shut, in a second configuration said second use being open and said third use being shut, in a third configuration said second use being open and said being open.

Abstract: Buffer circuitry receives data to be processed by electronic circuitry using a first clock signal associated with a first clock domain. The buffered data is output using a second clock signal associated with a second clock domain. The buffering of the data is associated with a buffering delay. Counting circuitry receives at a start count input a write timing signal associated with the first clock domain and with writing data to the buffer circuitry. The counting circuitry receives at a stop count input a read timing signal associated with the second clock domain and with reading data from the buffer circuitry. A count value accumulated between receiving the write timing signal and the read timing signal corresponds to the buffering delay. Control circuitry performs a control operation based on the count value.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for monitoring and storing a status of a rechargeable battery pack in which the battery pack status is monitored by a device while the battery pack is functionally connected to that device, and then periodically updated to a non-volatile memory in the battery pack. The non-volatile memory may be connected in power isolation from the rechargeable cells, thereby ensuring that the battery is not drained during long periods of storage. The battery pack may also have a latch, which has to be released in order to remove the battery pack from any device to which it can be functionally connected. Releasing the latch may cause the battery status to be written to the non-volatile memory, ensuring that the battery's memory has up-to-date battery status information, whenever the battery is removed from the device regardless of any scheduled data writes.

Abstract: A transmission line circuit includes a line driver having first and second outputs coupled through a differential transmission line to first and second inputs of a line receiver. A first bias is provided between the first and second inputs of the line receiver. The second bias is applied between the first and second outputs of the line driver. As a result, the first and second biases substantially offset, and preferably cancel, each other. If the differential transmission line is not coupled to a line driver, the second bias associated with that line driver is not applied permitting the first bias to provide a relatively high noise margin.

Abstract: Synthetic hydrotalcites of the general formula [M2+1?xM3+x(OH)2]x+[An?x/n.mH2O]x? where M2+ is a divalent cation, M3+ is a trivalent cation and An? is an organic anion selected from straight chain carboxylates of C16-C18 acids, carboxylates of aromatic acids, carboxylates of acrylic acid, unsaturated carboxylates of methacrylic acid and unsaturated carboxylates of vinylacetic acid are disclosed, along with methods of synthesis and uses.

Abstract: In a packet based data transmission including automatic repeat request (ARQ) protocols, the memory consumption of the ARQ protocol is reduced by compression/decompression of failed data block prior to combination with the retransmitted data blocks using low complexity compression/decompression algorithms. The compression algorithm includes of two parts: calculating and storing a scale factor that estimates the soft values in the data block, and storing the each soft values' sign in local memory instead of the complete soft value. Since one bit is sufficient to store the sign of each soft value, the memory consumption of a data block containing N soft values is N bits. Note, the scale factor increases the memory consumption, in bits, with the word length of the scale factor. However, the relative memory increase becomes smaller the larger the data block.

Abstract: A flue cap is provided comprising a body defining a plurality of attachment surfaces adapted for selectively matingly engaging a selected flue from a plurality of different size flues. The flue cap comprises a polymer material defining an attachment surface that is adapted for a close mating engagement with an outer diameter of the selected flue and defines an aperture establishing a passageway in fluid communication with the flue and passing through the cap. A flue assembly is constructed by steps comprising providing an open end of the flue; providing a flue cap comprising a polymer material defining an attachment surface that is adapted for a close mating engagement with an outer diameter of a flue, bonding the flue cap to the flue with an adhesive; and flowing a fluid out the open end of the flue and through the flue cap.