Abstract: A variable flow device includes a body supporting a first orifice and a second orifice, and a drive mechanism. The variable flow device further includes a first valve actuator coupled to the drive mechanism and linearly shiftable between a first open position and a first closed position, the first valve actuator incorporates a first valve stem including a first conical portion sized to symmetrically engage the first orifice when the first valve stem is shifted to the first closed position, and a second valve actuator coupled to the drive mechanism and linearly shiftable between a second open position and a second closed position, the second valve actuator incorporates a second valve stem including a second conical portion sized to symmetrically engage the second orifice when the second valve stem is shifted to the second closed position.

Abstract: A hand-held optically readable information set reader having one or more photosensor arrays, at least one information set illuminator, and an information set image transfer system for projecting a readable image of an information set onto the one or more photosensor arrays.

Abstract: In a loosely coupled multi-computer system, even when a failure happens to occur in any one of the loosely coupled computers, users can continue their works without having adverse influences caused by this failure. When a process operation for transaction used to update the shared data is commenced, a first computer registers such a message that it is using this shared data into an exclusive access device. After updating process information corresponding to the shared data before being updated has been outputted to the updated record holder, the first computer updates this shared data, and deletes the updating process information of the updated record holder when the transaction is ended. Either a second computer or a third computer, which is notified by the failure notifier that a failure has occurred in the first computer before the transaction is ended, registers such a message that the recovering computer uses this shared data into the exclusive access device.