Abstract: A control system for a laundry machine provides a system for engaging a laundry machine in a drop-off mode, allowing an operator to use the machine as necessary to process customer garments without being required to activate the machine via a payment interface. In an embodiment of the invention, the system provides a lock-out function for allowing a machine to be reserved for a specific user holding a predetermined password or code. In a further embodiment of the invention, the laundry machine is configured with a low power and/or shut down facility, whereby the power consumption of the machine may be greatly reduce during idle periods.

Abstract: A safety cable system for a fitness device including a resistance load and a user interface device. A redundant cable apparatus connects the resistance load to the user interface device for lifting the resistance load by a force applied to the user interface device. The redundant cable apparatus comprises two cables extending in redundant cable paths between the resistance load and the user interface device. The two cables can share the resistance load or one of the cables can be dormant until failure of the other cable.

Abstract: An apparatus for use in the activity of freediving, providing the freediver with increased safety and protection in the event of Shallow Water Blackout, incapacitating hypoxia, or other emergency occurring in or under the water, while providing greater reliability of functioning, and comfort of wearing during the activity of freediving.

Abstract: A method of providing high integrity checking for an N-lane computer processing module (Module), N being an integer greater than equal to two.

Abstract: A butterfly valve for controlling the flow of fluid within a bore, including a butterfly and at least one ring extending at least one of substantially and completely around a perimeter of the butterfly and adapted to develop an expansion force in the radial direction when the at least one ring is in a contracted state with respect to the radial direction, wherein the at least one ring is secured to the butterfly in the contracted state and radial expansion due to the developed expansion force of the at least one ring is effectively restrained, wherein the butterfly valve is adapted to operate, when placed in a bore, without friction or substantially without friction between the at least one ring and the bore when the butterfly valve is placed in a closed position within the bore.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for growing plants in a rotatable, horizontal, drum-like configuration, wherein plants grow inwards towards a centrally located light source, includes plant receiving hollow members each having a recessed slot facing the light source with a plurality of apertures at the base thereof for receiving plant holders and defining, with the outer walls of the hollow member, reservoirs on each side thereof for holding water when the plants are generally inverted.

Abstract: An adapter assembly for receiving and maintaining mating fiber optic connectors, comprising an adapter housing defining at least one feature for engaging with at least one plug housing engaged with at least one of the first and second fiber optic connectors, and at least one alignment member maintained within the adapter housing for receiving connective ends of each of the first and second fiber optic connectors. An adapter assembly for receiving and maintaining mating first and second fiber optic connectors, wherein the connectors may be similar or dissimilar and while reducing side load forces through the use of a stabilizing member.

Abstract: An air drying arrangement for a commercial vehicle is provided having two or more desiccant canisters arranged in parallel on a single air dryer body. The arrangement may include an coupling device that attaches to the body and allows the two or more desiccant containing canisters to mount to the device. The arrangement may be configured to balance the flow of air to each of the desiccant containing canisters when drying air and/or when regenerating the desiccant.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to mold control and extended shelf life methods and compositions for preparing edible dough-based products, such as, for example, breads, by treating the surface of the dough used to prepare the edible product with at least one preservative and at least one pH adjusting agent prior to or during baking. The present invention is also directed to methods and compositions for preparing edible dough-based products, such as, for example, breads, by treating the surface of the dough used to prepare the edible product with a at least one pH adjusting agent prior to or during baking.

Abstract: A suspension trauma relief device includes a member extending from a ring to which the safety harness and lanyard are attached. The member provides a support for the wearer so that the wearer can take his/her weight off of the safety harness, and particularly the leg straps on the safety harness, to allow blood circulation and prevent suspension trauma. Preferably the member includes at least one foot support allowing at least one of the wearer's feet to be placed in the foot support to take the wearer's weight off the safety harness and avoid any constriction of the straps of the safety harness on the person's blood flow.

Abstract: Disclosed are fiber optic assemblies having at least one optical fiber and a water-swellable powder within a tube and/or cavity and methods for making the same. Fiber optic assemblies of the present invention use relatively low-levels of water-swellable powder while still effectively blocking the migration of tap water and/or saline solutions of 3% by weight along the tube and/or cavity. Furthermore, cleaning of the optical fibers is not necessary before connectorization like with conventional fiber optic cables that use a gel or grease. Generally speaking, at least some of the water-swellable powder is transferred to the inside surface of the tube, cavity, optical fiber or the like; rather, than being a loose powder that is able to migrate within the tube or cavity. Moreover, the existence of water-swellable powder within the fiber optic assembly or cable is nearly transparent to the craft since relatively low-levels are possible.

Abstract: A system, method, and apparatus for receiving notifications from a notifying device, and alerting a user as to the notification are provided. Embodiments of the present invention include a connectivity transceiver, and a notifying device transceiver positioned within a signal distance of a signal transmitted by the connectivity transceiver, wherein the connectivity controller is configured to set the signal distance to a reduced signal distance upon initiating a pairing operation with the notifying device transceiver. Further, the connectivity transceiver may be communicably coupled to a system controller that adjusts an interval duty cycle of inquiry scans and page scans based on a connection with the notifying device transceiver.

Abstract: A forward osmosis water transfer system is disclosed which recycles water from an incoming wastewater stream into an outgoing dilute process brine stream. The system includes a saturated brine stream, a first portion of which is diverted to form a saturated process brine stream and a second portion of which is diverted to at least one forward osmosis membrane. The at least one forward osmosis membrane moves water from the incoming wastewater stream into the incoming diverted saturated brine stream thereby creating an outgoing concentrated wastewater stream and the outgoing dilute process brine stream.

Abstract: A tough, water-proof building system, and methods of making the system elements and constructing buildings, which provides wall, ceiling, and floor structural panels and corresponding walls, ceilings, and floors,. The walls can be designed to have vertical and horizontal strengths sufficient to be used in place of concrete, as an engineered solution, both above grade and below-grade, including in severe weather conditions, such that no concrete need be used except for floor slabs. Panels have inner and outer layers, and structurally reinforcing members. Structurally-reinforcing members extend, typically as a layer and/or stud, the full height of a wall, at spaced locations along the length of the wall. Spaces between the structurally reinforcing members are optionally filled with rigid foam. An optional reinforcing stud is attached to, or overlaid by, the inner layer, and extends inwardly into the building from what is otherwise the inner surface of the building panel.

Abstract: An approach is provided for shaping traffic of a communication system. Resource usage of a network element of the communication system is determined. The usage is compared with thresholds that are established according to loading of the communication system; these thresholds correspond to various transmission states that limit usage of the resources of the communication system (e.g., bandwidth). Further, based on the comparison, the resource usage of the network element is controlled according to a particular transmission state, thereby ensuring fair access. This approach as particular applicability to shared capacity systems, such as a satellite communication system.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for efficiently initializing a redundant array of independent disks (RAID). The method monitors host write operations and uses that information to select the optimal method to perform a parity reconstruction operation. The bins to which data access write operations have not occurred can be initialized using a zeroing process. In one aspect, the method identifies drives in the RAID array capable of receiving a ‘WriteRepeatedly’ command and leverages that capability to eliminate the need for the RAID disk array controller to provide initialization data for all disk array initialization transfers. This reduces the RAID array controller processor and I/O bandwidth required to initialize the array and further reduces the time to initialize a RAID array. In a different aspect, a method is provided for efficiently selecting a host write process for optimal data redundancy and performance in a RAID array.

Abstract: A disposable ampoule opener, in combination with ampoule, is disclosed, which may include a first housing section having a substantially convex outer surface and a substantially concave inner surface shaped to receive at least a portion of the ampoule and a second housing section having a substantially convex outer surface shaped to receive at least a portion of the ampoule, wherein the ampoule has a lower liquid portion capable of containing liquid and an upper tip portion that is narrower in diameter than the lower liquid portion, the ampoule further having a neck portion disposed between the lower liquid portion and the upper tip portion, and wherein the second housing section is coupled to the first housing section, and which may also include ribs along one of the inner concave surfaces and ridges alone one of the outer convex surfaces.

Abstract: A system and method for modifying a curved cut plane of a 3D volume to locate objects or sections of interest within the 3D volume intersected by the cut plane. A cross-section of the 3D volume along an initially estimated curved cut plane is projected onto a flat viewing plane, and a panorama image of the cross-section is displayed to the user. If the initially estimated curved cut plane does not exactly intersect the object or section of interest, the user manipulates a user input device to modify the curve of the plane inward or outward in the 3D volume away from the projected plane. As the user manipulates the user input device, an affected portion of the curve is recalculated and a modified curved cut plane is reconstructed based on the recalculated curve for re-projecting a modified cross-section of the 3D volume in real time with the movement of the user input device.

Abstract: A device attached to an outside surface of a shipping container for tracking the shipping container includes a solar panel, a battery, a GPS receiver module, a cellular data transceiver module, and a microcontroller for controlling the GPS receiver module and the cellular data transceiver module to periodically obtain the location of the shipping container and transmit the location to a tracking database of a central tracking computer. The solar panel, battery, GPS receiver module, cellular data transceiver module and microcontroller are integrated into a one-piece, watertight master control unit. The master control unit may further include a local wireless network master transceiver module. The local wireless network master transceiver module is for communicating with a wireless sensor located within the shipping container through the walls of the shipping container.