Abstract: The disclosure details the implementation of apparatuses, methods, and systems for coordinating personnel based on profiles. Information and/or personnel directive providers, such as project managers, may use a code triggered information server to serve context, demographic, and behavior targeted information and/or personnel directives to users, such as employees, via mobile devices. Users, in turn, trigger the provision of information by scanning or observing codes or information. For example, a manager may broadcast a single barcode to employees that they scan to receive personalized instructions and/or directives. The scans, together with geographic, temporal, and user-specific information, are obtained by the server that receives, processes, and records the message.

Abstract: A system for calculating amounts of car hire owed.

Abstract: Techniques for watermarking and distributing are provided. Content is broken into frames, each frame includes a watermark. Resources request the content and each frame of each resource's acquired version of the content includes a watermark. The frames of each resource's acquired version of the content form unique watermark sequences or unique keys. Each watermark sequence or key is uniquely associated with a particular resource. Each resource is also provided one or more delivery plans for acquiring that resource's uniquely watermark and sequenced version of the content over the network.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for the synthesis of unagglomerated, highly dispersed, stable core/shell nanocomposite particles comprised of preparing a reverse micelle microemulsion that contains nanocomposite particles, treating the microemulsion with a silane coupling agent, breaking the microemulsion to form a suspension of the nanocomposite particles by adding an acid/alcohol solution to the microemulsion that maintains the suspension of nanocomposite particles at a pH of between about 6 and 7, and simultaneously washing and dispersing the suspension of nanocomposite particles, preferably with a size exclusion HPLC system modified to ensure unagglomeration of the nanocomposite particles. The primary particle size of the nanocomposite particles can range in diameter from between about 1 to 100 nm, preferably from between about 10 to 50 nm, more preferably about 10 to 20 nm, and most preferably about 20 nm.

Abstract: A surface providing reduced adhesion to formed elements, having an element dimension such as formed element diameter, has a plurality of topographic features. The topographic features have a feature dimension less than the dimension of the formed element so as to reduce the accessible area of the surface available to the formed element for adhesion to the surface. The topographic features may include protrusions, such as pillars.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a continuous method to prepare encapsulated cyclopropenes, a method to purify cyclopropene gas, and a method to prepare an ?-cyclodextrin/cyclopropene complex.

Abstract: A system and method provides dynamic and static type support for multiple definitions of individual types in a distributed object environment. Fully scoped object names incorporating prefixes are used to distinguish objects. The fully scoped names are used for both dynamic type determination through an interface repository and for statically compiled types in client and server stub routines. In the interface repository, a prefix naming context is provided for each root interface definition language context, allowing multiple definitions for objects with the same interface definition language object name, where each such definition resides in a separate prefix naming context. In one embodiment, the prefix naming contexts are defined by prefix interface definition objects. In another embodiment, the fully scoped object names are embedded by an interface definition language compiler in stub and skeleton code routines. RRS.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for installing distributed objects on a distributed object system is described. In one aspect the distributed objects include wrapper classes that inherit object attributes through an inheritance relationship with a developer-written servant class of objects, the developer-written servant classes inheriting attributes through an optional inheritance relationship with an interface class of objects. In a preferred embodiment, the wrapper classes provide an interface mechanism between the methods of the servant class of objects and the object request broker mechanism of the distributed object system. Also included is an apparatus for creating and installing the distributed object in the memory of a computer on a distributed object system. The invention further includes a mechanism for distinguishing deployed distributed objects from development distributed objects.

Abstract: A variety of methods and apparatus for managing deactivation and deletion of objects and server processes are taught. According to some embodiments of the present invention, a thread of execution termed the reaper thread systematically cycles through a computer process deactivating and/or deleting objects based upon a variety of criteria. One suitable criterion for object deactivation is based upon the amount of time lapsed since a client has requested services of the object. According to the timeout criterion, the reaper thread determines the period of time since the last client requested services from the object, compares this to a timeout value which may be defined by any suitable entity, and proceeds with deactivation and/or deletion accordingly. Object deletion may have a separate criterion or be specifically requested by a client. A deletion flag may be set to indicate that object deletion is requested.

Abstract: An artificial heart assembly may be provided with a blood inlet conduit adapted to be implanted within a subject, a blood outlet conduit adapted to be implanted within the subject, a pumping mechanism implanted within the subject that pumps blood from the blood inlet conduit to the blood outlet conduit, and a motor coupled to drive the pumping mechanism. The artificial heart apparatus has a power source and a control circuit operatively coupled to cause the motor to drive the pumping mechanism in a regular mode when the power source has a relatively high charge level and in an irregular mode when the power source has a relatively low charge level so that the subject can feel when the pumping mechanism is being driven in the irregular mode and thus know that the power source has the relatively low charge level.

Abstract: An artificial heart assembly may be provided with a blood inlet conduit adapted to be implanted within a subject, a blood outlet conduit adapted to be implanted within the subject, a pumping mechanism implanted within the subject that pumps blood from the blood inlet conduit to the blood outlet conduit, and a motor coupled to drive the pumping mechanism. The artificial heart apparatus has a power source and a control circuit operatively coupled to cause the motor to drive the pumping mechanism in a regular mode when the power source has a relatively high charge level and in an irregular mode when the power source has a relatively low charge level so that the subject can feel when the pumping mechanism is being driven in the irregular mode and thus know that the power source has the relatively low charge level.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a continuous method to prepare encapsulated cyclopropenes, a method to purify cyclopropene gas, and a method to prepare an &agr;-cyclodextrin/cyclopropene complex.

Abstract: A variety of methods, apparatus and data structures for managing collections of objects are described. In one aspect of the invention, an object that is intended for use in a distributed object operating environment has a structure including a group designation, a co-activation designation and a co-process designation. The group designation is arranged to identify a group to which the object belongs. The group is defined as a collection of objects which share a common persistent state. The co-activation designation is arranged to identify a co-activation set to which the object belongs. The co-activation set is a collection of objects which are to be activated at the same time. The co-process designation is arranged to identify a co-process set to which the object belongs. The co-process set is a collection of objects which are to be activated within a single process.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing computer network services from a central management console program residing on an administration server is disclosed. A service, such as an e-mail program, is installed, typically by a system administrator, on a host server computer. During installation, data relating to the service's management module is stored in a well-known location on the host server computer. A central management console program residing on an administration server causes the retrieval of the data relating to the management module from the well-known location. The central management console program stores the data relating to the management module in a storage area accessible by the console program and the host server computer and thereby facilitates the management and modification of the service from the central management console program.

Abstract: A variety of methods and apparatus for managing deactivation and deletion of objects and server processes are taught. According to some embodiments of the present invention, a thread of execution termed the reaper thread systematically cycles through a computer process deactivating and/or deleting objects based upon a variety of criteria. One suitable criterion for object deactivation is based upon the amount of time lapsed since a client has requested services of the object. According to the timeout criterion, the reaper thread determines the period of time since the last client requested services from the object, compares this to a timeout value which may be defined by any suitable entity, and proceeds with deactivation and/or deletion accordingly. Object deletion may have a separate criterion or be specifically requested by a client. A deletion flag may be set to indicate that object deletion is requested.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of securing access to a service manager for the administration of services residing on multiple service host computers from an administration server computer is described. A user identifier, such as a user name, and a corresponding password are provided to the service manager. The user identifier is associated with a system administrator having administrative access to the services. The service manager authenticates the user by comparing the user identifier and password against a list of user identifiers and corresponding passwords stored in a persistent memory. A list of services to which the system administrator has administrative access is derived from the data in persistent memory. When the system administrator makes a request to administer one or more services from the list of services, the administrator's access control is verified at the service host computers on which the requested services reside by examining access control data in the persistent memory.

Abstract: Data structures and various methods for invoking and creating objects are used in a distributed object system in order to implement subcontracts. A subcontract is a selected grouping of basic features or object mechanisms that a system provides for use in managing objects and has associated functions. A subcontract registry is used for creating object references for server objects. The subcontract registry has any number of subcontract objects within it, and each subcontract object may include: a subcontract identifier that identifies the subcontract object, a quality of service list that contains feature name-value pairs, and a create function unique to the subcontract object. An implementation registry is used for registering any number of implementation definitions.

Abstract: A number of methods and apparatus are disclosed for providing transparent persistence in a distributed object operating environment are disclosed. In general, the present invention teaches replacing the value in the object's data pointer (addressing information which points to the objects limited persistent memory) with a pointer value which points out to another persistent storage device. In preferred embodiments, a persistent storage manager (external and transparent to the distributed object) maintains the object data. In a specific embodiment, a distributed object framework is provided which has the mechanism for providing the transparent persistent strategy of the present invention. An object developer develops object implementations which the distributed object generates distributed objects with, in the process automatically providing transparent persistence.

Abstract: There is disclosed a laser driver or transmitter in which a drive current is generated by monitoring the temperature of an integrated circuit that generates drive current for the laser. The temperature sensed at the integrated circuit is transformed to a corresponding temperature at the laser. A drive current is generated for the laser that is dependent on the corresponding temperature at the laser.

Abstract: A number of methods and apparatus are disclosed for providing transparent persistence in a distributed object operating environment are disclosed. In general, the present invention teaches replacing the value in the object's data pointer (addressing information which points to the objects limited persistent memory) with a pointer value which points out to another persistent storage device. In preferred embodiments, a persistent storage manager (external and transparent to the distributed object) maintains the object data. In a specific embodiment, a distributed object framework is provided which has the mechanism for providing the transparent persistent strategy of the present invention. An object developer develops object implementations which the distributed object generates distributed objects with, in the process automatically providing transparent persistence.