Abstract: Dynamic, asymmetric rings and related communication equipment and methods are disclosed. Various features may be implemented to provide any or all of several degrees of freedom for managing resources in a communication network. Communication rates may be optimized on a node-to-node basis or overall on a network level. Different rates may be configured and possibly dynamically adjusted between different nodes, and/or for different directions of traffic transfer. Bandwidth can be dynamically allocated along a string of the communication nodes in a ring or linear topology in some embodiments. Direction of traffic transfer represents an additional possible degree of freedom in a ring topology, in that traffic can be transferred in either direction in a ring, such as the direction of least delay.

Abstract: A Veil program analyzes the source code and/or data of an existing sequential target program and determines how best to distribute the target program and data among the processing elements of a multi-processing element computing system. The Veil program analyzes source code loops, data sizes and types to prepare a set of distribution attempts, whereby each distribution is run under a run-time evaluation wrapper and evaluated to determine the optimal distribution across the available processing elements.

Abstract: A database system storing a data structure. The data structure includes a plurality of data nodes that each store a type and a value. None of the data nodes are linked directly to one another. The data structure also includes a plurality of context nodes that are each linked to at least two data nodes. The context nodes do not store data. Instead, each of the context nodes indicates a relationship exits between the data nodes connected to it.

Abstract: A voting system for storing voter input data on a voter selection card, which is capable of storing data for a plurality of candidates, and the system, subsequently, prints a ballot marked in accordance with data on the voter selection card. A voter-assist terminal receives a blank voter selection card, and then presents candidate selection options to the voter visually by means of an LCD touch screen menu and aurally by means of a synthesized speech menu. Candidate selections entered by means of the touch screen menu or by means of the audio menu are stored on the voter selection card, and the voter selection card is returned to the voter to take to a reader terminal. The reader terminal sends the stored data on the voter selection card to an attached printer which prints a marked ballot corresponding to the voter's selections. The ballot is inserted in a ballot scanning device, wherein the ballot is tallied and deposited in a locked ballot box.

Abstract: A terminal for marking a paper ballot which lists a plurality of candidates and which includes a marking space for each candidate which can be either hand-marked by a voter, or machine-marked by the terminal. The terminal scans the ballot to determine the ballot format, and then presents candidate selection options to the voter. Candidate selections are entered through a touch screen menu or through an audio menu and are accurately marked on the front and back sides of the ballot in marking spaces corresponding to the selected candidates. A skew correction mechanism ensures accurate marking.

Abstract: A terminal for marking a paper ballot which lists a plurality of candidates and which includes a marking space for each candidate which can be either hand-marked by a voter, or machine-marked by the terminal. The terminal scans the ballot to determine the ballot format, and then presents candidate selection options to the voter. Candidate selections are entered through a touch screen menu or through an audio menu and are precisely marked on the front and back sides of the ballot in marking spaces corresponding to the selected candidates by conducting an alignment scan prior to printing that collects data to compensate for ballot rotation angles due to skewing. The ballot is returned to the voter in a form which enables the voter to visually confirm that his or her selections have been marked.

Abstract: A system and apparatus for marking a pre-printed paper ballot which can be either hand-marked by a voter, or machine-marked by the apparatus. If the ballot is to be machine marked, the ballot is inserted into the marking apparatus and candidate selections are presented to the voter on a touchscreen. Candidate selections entered on the touchscreen are marked on both the top and bottom sides of the ballot utilizing a single print head to mark spaces corresponding to the selected candidates, and the ballot is returned to the voter in a form which enables the voter to visually confirm that his selections have been marked. The ballot, whether hand-marked or machine-marked, is inserted in a ballot scanning device, wherein it is tallied and deposited in a ballot box.

Abstract: A system and apparatus for marking a pre-printed paper ballot which can be either hand-marked by a voter, or machine-marked by the apparatus. If the ballot is to be machine marked, the ballot is inserted into the marking apparatus and candidate selections are presented to the voter on a touchscreen. Candidate selections entered on the touchscreen are marked on both the top and bottom sides of the ballot utilizing a dual print head to mark spaces corresponding to the selected candidates, and the ballot is returned to the voter in a form which enables the voter to visually confirm that his selections have been marked. The ballot, whether hand-marked or machine-marked, is inserted in a ballot scanning device, wherein it is tallied and deposited in a ballot box.

Abstract: A voting system utilizing a paper ballot listing a plurality of candidates which includes a marking space for each candidate which can be either hand-marked by a voter, or machine-marked in an electronic voting station. The voting station includes a ballot marking device and a touch-screen voting terminal. If the ballot is to be machine marked, the ballot is inserted into the marking device and candidate selections are presented to the voter on the touch-screen. Candidate Selections entered on the touch-screen are marked on the ballot by the marking device in marking spaces corresponding to the selected candidates, and the ballot is returned to the voter in a form which enables the voter to visually confirm that his selections have been marked. The ballot, whether hand-marked or machine-marked, is inserted in a ballot scanning device, wherein it is tallied and deposited in a ballot box.

Abstract: A terminal for marking a paper ballot which lists a plurality of candidates and which includes a marking space for each candidate which can be either hand-marked by a voter, or machine-marked by the terminal. The terminal scans the ballot to determine the ballot format, and then presents candidate selection options to the voter visually utilizing an LCD touch screen and aurally utilizing a synthesized speech menu. Candidate selections entered utilizing the touch screen menu or utilizing the audio menu are marked on the front and back sides of the ballot in marking spaces corresponding to the selected candidates, and the ballot is returned to the voter in a form which enables the voter to visually confirm that his or her selections have been marked. The ballot, whether hand-marked or machine-marked, is inserted in a ballot scanning device, wherein the ballot is tallied and deposited in a ballot box.

Abstract: Method for drying wood in a short period of time by maintaining the concentration of a combustion gas contained in a drying room atmosphere for use in drying the wood to a high value and by maintaining the pressure of the drying room atmosphere to a high value. Wood fuels such as waste wood are put into a combustion chamber ins lower area of a combustion gas generating furnace and then the wood fuels are burned, followed by introducing the high-temperature combustion gas generated by the burning of the wood fuels into an upper area of a drying room housing the green wood to thereby dry the wood. Thermal drying of the wood is carried out by maintaining the concentration of the combustion gas present in the drying room atmosphere at a the high value and by maintaining the pressure of the drying room atmosphere at a high value.

Abstract: An active cover plate is provided for a standard electrical device such as a switch or receptacle which has a body unit-molded from a synthetic resin. The active cover plate is so termed because an active load is embedded within it. The exterior of the body is provided with at least a pair of terminals for connection to a building's current supply. A pair of opposed spring-strips embedded in the plate are positioned so as to protrude rearward from the plate and contact terminals on the device. The spring-strips are connected to terminals of the active load. Contact of the spring-strips against the terminals is good enough to provide the active load with the current it needs.

Abstract: An active cover plate is provided for a standard electrical device such as a switch or receptacle which has a body unit-molded from a synthetic resin. The active cover plate is so termed because an active load is embedded within it. The exterior of the body is provided with at least a pair of terminals for connection to a building's current supply. A pair of opposed spring-strips embedded in the plate are positioned so as to protrude rearward from the plate and contact terminals on the device. The spring-strips are connected to terminals of the active load. Contact of the spring-strips against the terminals is good enough to provide the active load with the current it needs. The active load may be an electroluminescent panel, or a radio transmitter, or receiver, or any other device which consumes less than about 25 watts, and the components of which can be sandwiched within the plate.

Abstract: An improved photoelectric displacement detector is disclosed which includes (a) a light receiving part (1) having a pair of solar battery panels (1b, 1c) vertically arranged adjacent to each other, (b) a vertical motion mechanism (2) which is driven by a motor (3) to vertically linear-shift the light receiving part (1), (c) a vertical light quantity difference detection part (4) for detecting, based on signals from the solar battery panels (1b, 1c), a difference between the quantity of light received in the solar battery panel (1b) and the quantity of light received in the solar battery panel (1c) and (d) a CPU (5) for controlling the operation of the motor (3) according to the received light quantity difference detected by the vertical light quantity difference detection part (4). Reference laser light is sent onto the light receiving part (1) and the light receiving part (1) is vertically shifted in order that the aforesaid received light quantity difference is cancelled to zero.

Abstract: A sensitive to a change in the physical dimension(s) of the exterior surface of a pressure vessel transducer and attached to the exterior surface thereof the pressure vessel may be a vacuum chamber. The transducer measures exterior dimension change, representing interior pressure change information, without intrusion. The measurements are displayed using distinctive lights or audible alarms which signal if the pressure inside the vessel is within a predetermined range. If the pressure within the vessel varies outside of the predetermined range, a more precise display device such as a meter, is provided to aid facility personnel in deciding when repairs are necessary.

Abstract: An apparently conventional document such as an identification (ID) card is constructed as a laminate within which is a code or other coding indicia such as a photograph, bar code or fingerprint. concealed from human view. The document is read by a conventional electro-optic reader means placed against a face of the card, if the reader uses a beam of light in the wavelength absorbed by the material with which the coded indicia is produced, but reflected by the background against which the coded indicia is "seen" by the beam. The card is preferably a laminate of at least an upper lamina and a lower lamina, each made of a synthetic resin which has a substantially white imprintable surface conventionally printed with the identification of the owner of the card with a pigment-free, non-aqueous ink which is visible to the human eye but substantially transparent to wavelengths outside the visible range.

Abstract: A method for processing electric storage batteries, particularly lithium/thionyl chloride batteries, which includes the steps of discharging the batteries, lowering the temperature of the battery components to -180.degree. C., and cutting the battery into pieces while in its cold state before further processing. The process can also include the further steps of incineration, collecting the solid, liquid and gaseous discharges from the incinerator, washing the solid and liquid discharges with water and the gaseous discharge with an alkaline solution, mixing the resultant wash streams, separating precipitates formed from the mixed stream and neutralizing the remaining solution.

Abstract: The invention is of a method of measuring timepiece beat interval accuracy comprising, according to the embodiment shown, a microphone and amplifier to transform the mechanical beat of a timepiece to an electrical signal and amplify that signal. The signal is then sent through a conditioning circuit that makes the signal into a uniform output that represents the beat of the timepiece. The uniform output is then submitted into an input/output port of a computer. This input is then interpreted by the associated software and the resultant data are displayed on a printer or monitor. The displayed material will consist of representations of the relative timing of the mechanical beats of the timepiece or the mechanical malfunction of that timepiece. The method of measuring the timepiece beat interval accuracy comprises the associated software that has been prepared to interpret the data submitted to the computer and to display that data in a predetermined format.

Abstract: Computer-based systems and methods for managing data. These systems and methods take advantage of a unique model which: increases speed and flexibility; eliminates the need for a complex data manipulation language, data or application dependent software, and separate structuring tools such as pointers, lists, and indexes; and automatically creates among the data relationships which may or may not have been apparent to a user or the designer. Salient, unique features of the systems and methods are their capabilities for providing: a generic data structure consisting of two generic data elements and a generic data set array, indentured data set relationships, inversion of data set relationships, dynamic reorganization of data sets, control over the data relationships that can be established, global linking of data sets, and automatic connection projection.

Abstract: A noise generator is created by having a high pressure gas applied to a Mach 2 nozzle which is combined in an adjustable nozzle assembly with a resonance tube of adjustable length with a closed end forming a Mach disk between them. The resultant compression and expansion shock wave oscillations exit the resonance tube and are propagated between reflecting domes which direct the generated noise around a test article in a housing which contains the generated noise. A muffler includes a water spray chamber and baffled bulkheads to dissipate the generated noise.