Abstract: The disclosure includes an insulated container for beverages and the like. The container includes a double-walled vacuum vessel with a handle and an offset dispensing opening at the top of the vessel. The opening is sealable with a cap. A tether can be provided to secure the cap to the handle.

Abstract: Systems and methods for distributed control and energy management of one or more communities of energy-consuming units may include aggregation of consumption data from units, and determining per-unit electricity consumption based thereon, including consumption of backup power provided by a community during periods of time of poor quality (brownouts) or blackouts of a utility. A system may calculate and assess to respective units per-unit costs for such backup power. A system may also issue a command or alert to units to carry out one or both of community electricity usage objectives and electricity quotas required by the utility, which may be determined through execution of rules.

Abstract: A hydrated inorganic oxide material capable of elongating from a planar shape to a fiber shape along a thickness direction of the planar shape, wherein the fiber shape is at least about 25 times greater in the thickness direction than the planar shape, and wherein during elongating a radial dimension of the hydrated inorganic oxide material changes by less than about 10% may be useful in a plurality of wellbore operations. For example, a method may include introducing a wellbore fluid comprising an aqueous base fluid and a hydrated inorganic oxide material into a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation; and swelling the hydrated inorganic oxide material by contacting the hydrated inorganic oxide material with a polar amine compound such that the hydrated inorganic oxide material elongates from a planar shape to a fiber shape along a thickness direction of the planar shape.

Abstract: A method of producing high purity dimethyl carbonate through the reaction of carbon dioxide and methanol is provided. In the ammonia-based method ammonia and carbon dioxide react to produce urea. The urea is mixed with methanol for further reaction to produce dimethyl carbonate. Ammonia released in the process is recycled as a reactant to produce more urea. It is then reacted with methanol to produce dimethyl carbonate. An integrated reactive distillation process using side reactors is used for facilitating catalytic reaction in the method for producing high purity dimethyl carbonate. The process is further enhanced by enclosing multiple side reactors into a pressure vessel and incorporating thermal heat pump for recovery and reuse of latent heat within the process.

Abstract: Methods including providing resin double-coated proppant comprising proppant coated with a first resin and thereafter coated with a second resin atop of the first resin; wherein the first resin is curable by a first curing agent and wherein the second resin is curable by a second curing agent that is different than the first curing agent; curing the second resin by exposing it to the second curing agent; introducing the resin double-coated proppant into at least a portion of a fracture within a subterranean formation; breaking the cured second resin to expose the first resin; introducing the first curing agent into the portion of the fracture where the resin double-coated proppant was placed; and curing the first resin by exposing it to the first curing agent to form a proppant pack.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a multi-array induction method uses user selectable zoning of a borehole to generate an updated look-up table for borehole corrections based on averaged calipers for the borehole. One example method averages caliper data, defines a good zone of the borehole substantially unaffected by corkscrew borehole effect, defines a start depth and an end depth of a zone of the borehole affected by the corkscrew borehole effect, and averages the caliper data for each coil array to generate updated resistivity outputs RO, Rt, and Rf for further drilling of the borehole.

Abstract: Methods, systems and devices for item processing. The systems can include a PASS module that can include features that receive inputs relating to an item for processing and provide those inputs to other components and/or modules of a PASS system and/or of another system. The PASS system can include a variety of modules, including the PASS module, and can collect information and/or inputs from the variety of modules of the PASS system and use that information in item processing. The methods of item processing can use the PASS system and the PASS module to perform a variety of functions including, for example, revenue protection, sorting of items, task management, sampling and data collection, redirecting if enroute items, and personnel management.

Abstract: A method, system and apparatus for wireless device communication. A wireless device may be engaged in a wireless data communication session within a local geographic region. The wireless device may be tracked within the local geographic region. The targeted information may be provided to the wireless device regarding the local geographic region based on the tracking of the wireless device.

Abstract: A gravel packing fluid and method for brine-sensitive formations. The fluid comprises an invert oil emulsion compatible with oil based drilling fluids and having a suspension agent comprising polyurea and dimer diamine. The fluid is capable of carrying gravel yet has a viscosity less than 100 cp, often eliminating the need for an emulsion breaker during flow-back of the fluid to the well surface after deposition of gravel in the well.

Abstract: A temperature detector and method of measuring temperature to obtain temperature readings in environments, such as fluids and gasses, by measuring electrical characteristics of the temperature detector that are influenced by the temperature. The temperature detector can be arranged such that a plurality of measurements can be obtained to provide sufficient diversity and redundancy of the measurements for enhanced diagnostics to be performed, such as optimization for fast dynamic response, calibration stability, in-situ response time testability, and in-situ calibration testability.

Abstract: A blank for forming a reinforced container is provided. The blank includes a bottom panel comprising opposing end edges, opposing side edges, and at least one miter edge connecting one of the end edges to an adjacent side edge of the opposing side edges. The blank further includes a pair of opposing end panels coupled to the bottom panel, a pair of opposing side panels coupled to the bottom panel, and a reinforcing panel assembly coupled to at least one of one of the end panels and one of the side panels for reinforcing a corner of the container.

Abstract: A method of servicing a wellbore penetrating a formation comprising placing a wellbore servicing fluid comprising a modified proppant pack into the wellbore or formation wherein the modified proppant pack comprises a proppant and a self-assembly directing material. A modified proppant pack comprising a proppant and a self-assembly directing material comprising a water-soluble moiety, an oil-soluble moiety and a crosslinkable moiety.

Abstract: A method for fracturing a downhole formation, includes: preparing an energized fracturing fluid including mixing gaseous natural gas and a fracturing base fluid in a mixer; injecting the energized fracturing fluid through a wellhead and into a well; and continuing to inject the energized fracturing fluid until the formation is fractured. An apparatus for generating an energized fracturing fluid for use to fracture a downhole formation, the apparatus includes: a fracturing base fluid source; a natural gas source; and a mixer for accepting natural gas from the natural gas source and fracturing base fluid from the fracturing base fluid source and mixing the natural gas and the fracturing base fluid to generate the energized fracturing fluid.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention provide a system and method for notifying a flight crew of a fire condition in a cargo container of an aircraft. For instance, particular embodiments involve installing at least one notification device on a cargo container that is in communication with at least one of a fire-detection system or a fire-suppression system for the cargo container. In these particular embodiments, the notification device is configured to emit energy when the fire-detection system detects the fire condition in the cargo container or the fire-suppression system activates as a result of the fire condition. Further, particular embodiments of the invention involve installing at least one detector positioned to detect the energy emitted by the notification device. In these particular embodiments, the detector is configured to send a signal to notify the flight crew of the fire condition after detecting the energy emitted by the notification device.

Abstract: A system and method for monitoring a wellbore are disclosed herein. A pulse generator comprises a plurality of ports, wherein a first one of the plurality of ports is coupled to a first location of interest and a second one of the plurality of ports is coupled to a second location of interest. An electromagnetic pulse is generated at the first port and the second port. A reflected electromagnetic pulse is received at the first port and the second port. In another embodiment, the pulses are received at a separate pulse receiver with a plurality of receiving ports. A data storage device is coupled to the pulse generator or the pulse receiver, and data relating to the reflected magnetic pulse is stored at the data storage device.

Abstract: A magnetic system for determining an operating position of a downhole tool. The system includes an array of magnets operable to produce a magnetic field that is operably associated with a stationary component of the downhole tool. A moveable component of the downhole tool has at least first and second positions relative to the stationary component. In the first position, the moveable component has a first degree of interference with the magnetic field. In the second position, the moveable component has a second degree of interference with the magnetic field. A magnetic field detector is operable to be run into the wellbore and moved relative to the downhole tool such that the position of the moveable component relative to the stationary component is determined by detection of a magnetic signature produced by the moveable component and the array of magnets.

Abstract: An electronic smoking article includes a first section containing a liquid supply reservoir including liquid material, a heater operable to heat the liquid material to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the liquid material and form an aerosol, and a wick in communication with the liquid material and operable to deliver the liquid material to the heater, and a second section containing a power supply. The first section is connected to the second section at a breakaway connection. The breakaway connection includes a weakened region.

Abstract: The system protects an account through the use of tokens, thereby eliminating the need to expose the primary account identifier during a transaction. If a primary account identifier is compromised, any use of the primary account identifier to facilitate a fraudulent purchase or settlement transaction may be blocked by the system. The system is configured to receive a payment authorization request including a payment account first identifier. The payment account first identifier serves as a search condition for a query, which is executed against a database to retrieve payment account information, if the payment account information exists. The system sends a decline response in response to the payment account first identifier and a primary account identifier from the payment account information being the same, indicating that a primary account is being used.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for printing steganography is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a wearable unit and a controlling unit that are programmatically controlled by a processor. The controlling unit converts content to be published into a phoneme transcription for a target language, processes the content and further arranges the processed content as per a specified page layout. Further, the phoneme transcribed content is embedded into a QR code that is again extracted by a wearable unit to read the content, the content layout, and reading sequence. The wearable unit also converts the phoneme transcribed content into a voice output. Further, the wearable unit comprises motor sensors to sense a readers' body and neck movements to guide a reader to read content in a correct manner such that voice output is programmatically paused, stopped, repeated at intervals so determined.

Abstract: A system, method, and device for incentivizing commuting behavior in a work environment are disclosed. The system includes a travel diary component, a profile managing component which assigns one or more difficulty metrics, a constancy computing component which recognizes a change in commuting behavior information, and a commuting points managing component which translates the change in commuting behavior information to commuting points. A visualization component displays a representation of the commuting points, for example, as plants in a virtual garden. The method includes receiving commuting behavior information, assessing one or more difficulty metrics for each of an employee profile, recognizing one or more changes in commuting behavior, correlating the one or more changes with the one or more difficulty metrics, translating the one or more changes into commuting points, and computing an aggregated value of commuting points.