Abstract: A security device for use with an item of merchandise may include a rigid housing adapted for insertion into a pocket of the item, an alarm disposed within the housing, and a sensor mounted to the housing. The sensor may be configured to indicate whether the security device is outside the pocket of the item, whereby an indication that the security device is outside the pocket of the item causes the alarm to generate a human-perceptible alert.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for performing blockchain validation of user identity and authority. In various aspects one or more processors receive a first blockchain ID and a second blockchain ID, where each of the first blockchain ID and the second blockchain ID is associated with a user and is further associated with a first and second blockchain, respectively. A plurality of blockchain transactions may be aggregated where the plurality of blockchain transactions includes at least a first blockchain transaction associated with the first blockchain and a second blockchain transaction associated with the second blockchain. A first validation event providing a first indication of validity for the user may be identified based on the first blockchain transaction or the second blockchain transaction.

Abstract: A platform that automates providing wireless communication between one or more of a plurality of antennas and a moving vehicle that is traveling along a path. One or more of the plurality of antennas are employed to detect wireless signals communicated by the vehicle and/or wireless devices for the vehicle's passengers. In one or more embodiments, characteristics of the detected wireless signals and the plurality of antennas is employed to select an antenna to provide wireless communication with the vehicle and/or wireless devices for the vehicle's passengers at a current location on the path.

Abstract: Systems and methods for real-time detection and mitigation anomalous behavior of a remote vehicle are provided, e.g., vehicle behavior that is consistent with distracted or unexpectedly disabled driving. On-board and off-board sensors associated with a subject vehicle may monitor the subject vehicle's environment, and behavior characteristics of a remote vehicle operating within the subject vehicle's environment may be determined based upon collected sensor data. The remote vehicle's behavior characteristics may be utilized to detect or determine the presence of anomalous behavior, which may be anomalous for the current contextual conditions of the vehicles' environment. Mitigating actions for detected remote vehicle anomalous behaviors may be suggested and/or automatically implemented at the subject vehicle and/or at proximate vehicles to avoid or reduce the risk of accidents, injury, or death resulting from the anomalous behavior. In some situations, authorities may be notified.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a system and methods for mitigating, or reducing, the intermodulation of an adaptive antenna array's radiating elements. A tunable element or tunable material, such as a phase change material or a state change material, may be used to increase linearity of the RF transmission properties. These phase or state change materials may modify a radiating element's electromagnetic response. In some embodiments, variable couplers may further be added to a system to reduce intermodulation. An adaptive antenna array using the techniques described herein may have all or some of the elements co-located.

Abstract: A system for transmitting and receiving wireless signals through a physical barrier, such as walls or windows, to wireless computing devices that are located internal to a structure that is formed in part by the physical barrier. The wireless signals are millimeter waveforms with gigahertz frequencies that are communicated with 5G communication protocols by one or more remote base station nodes located external to the physical barrier. One or more external antennas are configured to communicate RF wireless signals with HMA waveforms to remote wireless base station. In one or more embodiments, the RF wireless signals are amplified and communicated bi-statically through the window barrier between customer premises equipment and an authorized remote wireless base station.

Abstract: The invention provides a liquid sampler for the automated sampling of liquids at dedicated pre-determined intervals. The liquid sampler includes a liquid inlet connectable to a liquid circuit containing a liquid to be sampled, a sampling reservoir for collecting a liquid sample, and a sampling pump connected to the liquid inlet, operable to extract a discrete amount of liquid from the liquid inlet and to discharge the discrete amount of liquid into the sampling reservoir.

Abstract: The invention compensates for abnormal operating temperatures and/or abnormal behaviors of a holographic metasurface antenna (HMA) that is generating a beam based on a holographic function. The HMA is characterized with different holographic functions for a plurality of operating temperatures and a plurality of behaviors during the manufacturing process. The characterization of the HMA identifies different hologram functions that cause the HMA to generate more or less heat or exhibit more or less abnormal behavior while generating equivalent beams. Further, or more characterizations of a hologram function may be performed remotely after the HMA is installed in a real world environment. An operating temperature and/or a temperature gradient may be detected by temperature sensors physically located on a circuit board for the HMA.

Abstract: A system for transmitting and receiving wireless signals through a physical barrier, such as walls or windows, to wireless computing devices that are located internal to a structure that is formed in part by the physical barrier. The wireless signals are millimeter waveforms with gigahertz frequencies that are communicated with 5G communication protocols by one or more remote base station nodes located external to the physical barrier. One or more external antennas are configured to communicate RF wireless signals with HMA waveforms to remote wireless base station. In one or more embodiments, the RF wireless signals are amplified and communicated bi-statically through the window barrier between customer premises equipment and an authorized remote wireless base station.

Abstract: A system and method for determining a vehicle insurance premium for a period of time based at least in part on collected vehicle operation data, the system comprising: a mobile device, comprising: one or more sensors associated with the mobile device and configured to automatically collect vehicle operation data during a data collection session; a processor; a non-transitory storage medium; a display; a transmitter; and a set of computer readable instructions stored in the non-transitory storage medium and when executed by the processor configured to allow the mobile device to collect vehicle operation data and transmit the collected vehicle operation data; and a remote processing computer, comprising: a server that receives collected vehicle operation data; a database that stores collected vehicle operation data; and a rating engine that determines a vehicle insurance premium based at least in part on collected vehicle operation data.

Abstract: Systems and methods for determining the performance of a driver of a vehicle based on changes, over time, in the context and environment in which the vehicle operates, and any resultant driver behavior are disclosed. A set of driver response data is created from based on an analysis of time-series data indicative of the driver's operation of the vehicle in conjunction with time-series data indicative of changes in the vehicle's context/environment. The driver response data indicates the types and magnitudes of the driver's responses to various changes in the vehicle's operating context/environment and the driver's time-to-respond for each of the responses. That is, the driver response data indicates how a driver compensated his or her behavior (if at all) in response to different changes in the vehicle's context and/or environment. The driver response data may be compared to one or more thresholds to determine the driver's performance.

Abstract: Systems and approaches relate to, inter alia, providing near real-time route safety and risk information. The systems and approaches may receive a request for a desired destination for vehicular travel. The systems and approaches may then access historical route data for a plurality of potential travel routes to arrive at the desired location and also access near real-time route data for the plurality of potential travel routes. The systems and approaches may further determine a risk index based on the historical route data and the near real-time route data, and present at least one travel route for the vehicle based on the calculated risk index.

Abstract: Devices for determining the likelihood that a user of a primary monitoring device (“PMD”) has developed a medical condition, generally comprising sensors coupled to the PMD, wherein the PMD detects changes to sensor readings over time, and wherein the changes indicate a change in the likelihood that a user of the PMD has developed a medical condition. In some embodiments, motion sensors are operably coupled to the PMD, and the PMD monitors and saves data relating to characteristics of motion detected, which are used to determine whether there has been a change in a likelihood that a user is undergoing a medical event. In further embodiments, the PMD comprises cameras, and the PMD monitors and saves data relating to movement of a user's eyes, which is utilized to determine whether there has been a change to a likelihood that the user is currently undergoing a medical event.

Abstract: Disclosed are antenna systems and related methods. An antenna system includes one or more feeds configured to receive an electromagnetic (EM) signal and propagate the EM signal as an EM reference wave. The antenna system also includes a plurality of tunable EM scattering elements spaced at sub-wavelength distances, and a controller operably coupled to the plurality of tunable EM scattering elements. A method includes operating the plurality of tunable EM scattering elements in at least two different operational states to selectively scatter the EM reference wave as a radiated wave, and modulating the radiated wave over time to deliver a plurality of different information streams to a plurality of different far-end locations by modulating the plurality of tunable EM scattering elements between the plurality of different operational states over time.

Abstract: Surface scattering antennas on curved manifolds provide adjustable radiation fields by adjustably coupling scattering elements along a wave-propagating structure.

Abstract: A method includes, for each of two or more driving sessions in which a student driver operates a vehicle, gathering driving skill data indicative of at least one of behavior of the student driver, acceleration of the vehicle, braking of the vehicle, or steering of the vehicle, and generating a driving session report. The method further includes causing the driving session reports corresponding to the two or more driving sessions to be displayed to a driving instructor, and receiving comments from the driving instructor about the two or more driving sessions of the student driver. Still further, the method includes storing the driving session reports corresponding to the two or more driving sessions along with the received comments from the driving instructor.

Abstract: A method for electronically mining intellectual property using an associative discovery process may include determining a set of documents containing keywords and/or phrases associated with an industry trend of interest and, for each document, assigning a weight. The method may also include selecting a subset of the documents based at least upon the assigned weights, and determining a feedback score for each document in the subset. The method may further include determining an optimal weighing scheme for the determined keywords and/or phrases using a statistical learning model and the feedback scores, ranking all documents in the set of documents according to the optimal weighing scheme, and providing results of the associative discovery process to a user.

Abstract: Antenna systems and related methods are disclosed. An antenna system includes an antenna controller configured to operably couple to control inputs of an antenna including an array of electromagnetic (EM) scattering elements. A method includes controlling an array of EM scattering elements to operate according to holographic modulation patterns, and modulating at least one effective EM property of the antenna over space, time, or a combination thereof to, in the average and/or the aggregate, cause side lobes of an antenna gain of the antenna to be reduced.

Abstract: Disclosed are antenna systems, wireless antenna controllers, and related methods. An antenna system includes a configured to receive an electromagnetic (EM) signal and propagate the EM signal as an EM reference wave. The antenna system also includes a tunable EM scattering elements, and a wireless controller. A wireless antenna controller includes an EM emitter configured to emit EM radiation to EM filters. The EM filters are configured to pass different sub-ranges of a frequency range of the EM radiation to the tunable EM scattering elements. A method includes wirelessly controlling the tunable EM scattering elements to deliver a different information streams to different far-end locations. A method includes controlling the EM emitter to modulate frequency content of the EM radiation to cause the tunable EM scattering elements to operate collectively according to different modulation patterns.

Abstract: The invention includes systems and methods for power cogeneration. In certain embodiments the cogeneration systems include one or more units that are modularized; in some of these embodiments, the modules contain components that are integrated and ready for use with a control system that optimizes a result for the cogeneration plant. In some cases, the cogeneration system is part of a network of cogeneration systems.