Abstract: A separator and stacker apparatus and method for separating a completed stack of web product from a stack of product being built thereafter. Preferred embodiments of the present invention utilize a stack building carriage having a forked or slotted floor cooperating with a load finger assembly to discharge the completed product stack from the stack building carriage. The load finger assembly preferably has a set of load fingers which mesh with the carriage floor so that when the load finger assembly is actuated, the load fingers pass substantially unobstructed through the stack building carriage. The load finger assembly and the stack building carriage can therefore pass through their motions independently of one another, permitting the stack building carriage to return to a stack building position without waiting for the load finger assembly to retract.

Abstract: Alternate methods, devices and systems are presented for providing service providers and/or end users of mobile stations to monitor and/or report regions with high error rates and/or dead zones. A protocol is provided such as to yield the error occurrence, error rate and/or the address of the end user. In some embodiments it also contains location information and time of day information. This information may be collected from the G.P.S., and/or all or a portion of users when there is a significant transmission difficulty and/or an abundance of errors. The collected data forms a database which is analyzed to generate coverage maps. This may include the dynamic aspects of the mobile network. In another aspect of this invention, each mobile station periodically compares its current location with the data base. The results of this comparison enables the mobile unit to anticipate connection problems.

Abstract: Alternate methods, devices and systems are presented for providing service providers and/or end users of mobile stations to monitor and/or report regions with high error rates and/or dead zones. A protocol is provided such as to yield the error occurrence, error rate and/or the address of the end user. In some embodiments it also contains location information and time of day information. This information may be collected from the G.P.S., and/or all or a portion of users when there is a significant transmission difficulty and/or an abundance of errors. The collected data forms a database which is analyzed to generate coverage maps. This may include the dynamic aspects of the mobile network. In another aspect of this invention, each mobile station periodically compares its current location with the data base. The results of this comparison enables the mobile unit to anticipate connection problems.

Abstract: A separator finger apparatus and method for insertion of a separation finger into and removal from a stream of web product. The unique motion provided by the elements making up the separation finger apparatus permits the separation finger to be mounted close to folding rolls (from which the web product issues) with reduced separation finger-to-folding roll interference. Specifically, the separation finger is manipulated to rotate and translate simultaneously as it is inserted into or removed from the stream of web product. The elements creating the separation finger motion are preferably a pivot arm mounted for rotation about a first axis and a translation member mounted for rotation about a second axis. The pivot arm is preferably rotatably coupled to the separation finger at a third axis. The separation finger is preferably coupled to the translation member for translational or sliding motion therealong.

Abstract: A high power radio frequency(RF) precision step attenuator includes a trim attenuator, a multi-step attenuator and a calibration/control circuit. The control circuit includes a memory for storing attenuator specific calibration data. The calibration data incorporates attenuator characteristics which are used by the control circuit to adjust the attenuator and compensate for manufacturing variances, temperature variations, and the like.

Abstract: A battery saving interval utilized for communicating with a portable subscriber unit (122) in a radio communication system is dynamically adjusted. An occurrence of a predetermined triggering event associated with the portable subscriber unit is observed (504), and the battery saving interval utilized for communicating with the portable subscriber unit is adjusted (506) in response to the predetermined triggering event, while battery saving intervals of other portable subscriber units in the system are left unchanged.

Abstract: A process is disclosed to prepare a polyester resin having a predetermined acetaldehyde (AA) content whereby the IV of the melt phase resin is constrained to a certain range resulting in a longer SSP time to achieve a higher level of IV for the resin with an AA content of 1 PPM or less. The resultant resin can be transformed into a bottle preform, which, when blown, forms a bottle suitable for packaging of mineral water.

Abstract: A carbureted flameholder (30) with optial cooling is provided for a bypass turbojet-engine. The flameholder (30) comprises a body (34) which extends radially into the primary flow. The body (34) is formed by a V-dihedral having two outer plates (35, 36) which intersect at a common ridge apex (37). An air tube (38) is mounted between the two outer plates (35, 36) and at least one fuel conduit (44, 45) is disposed to the rear of the air tube (38). The overall cross-section of the air tube (38) is approximately triangular and the air tube (38) includes a transverse downstream wall that is curved to define a trough (42) in which the fuel conduit (44, 45) is located. The air tube (38) includes orifices (41, 46) directed against the dihedral plates (35, 36) and the fuel conduit (44, 45) to cool them. The fuel conduit includes a nozzle injector (46) directed downstream towards the afterburner chamber (23).

Abstract: A high power radio frequency (RF) precision step attenuator includes a trim attenuator, a multi-step attenuator and a calibration/control circuit. The control circuit includes a memory for storing attenuator specific calibration data. The calibration data incorporates attenuator characteristics which are used by the control circuit to adjust the attenuator and compensate for manufacturing variances, temperature variations, and the like.

Abstract: Methods of and corresponding apparatus for scheduling messages on an operating channel (223) in a selective messaging system (200) for a messaging unit (235) include scheduling a first message, including a channel priority indication (511), addressed to the selective messaging unit on a first channel, and then scheduling a second message for the selective messaging unit on a second channel (225) selected as an alternative operating channel. Analogously at the selective messaging unit a method of selecting an operating channel includes monitoring the first channel for a message addressed to the selective messaging unit; detecting as part of the message the indication; and responsive thereto discontinuing monitoring the first channel and then scan for the second channel.

Abstract: A process and system for determining the flight configurations of an aircraft are disclosed. The process includes the steps of defining various possible flight configurations of the aircraft, determining a plurality of flight phases representative of the flight configurations, determining a plurality of characteristic parameters capable of being measured on the aircraft, measuring values of the characteristic parameters for each of the flight phases of the aircraft, calculating a fuzziness index for each of the flight configurations from the measured values of the characteristic parameters for the flight phases, the fuzziness index being representative of the flight configuration in a specified metric system, and defining an actual flight phase of the aircraft.

Abstract: A system controller (105), and analogous method, for a two way selective messaging system (100) that is arranged to reduce traffic on a network channel (109) that intercouples a plurality of base receivers (115-118, 125-128) includes a source port (303) for receiving a message from a message source, a memory (305) for storing a data base including an activity pattern of the plurality of base receivers, a processor (307), coupled to the source port and the memory for selecting an inbound schedule for a response from a selective messaging unit (131) where the inbound schedule is selected to reduce traffic, corresponding to the inbound schedule, on the network channel, and a transmit port (107) for sending the message along with the inbound schedule to a transmitter (111).

Abstract: Traffic in a radio communication system (FIG. 1) is adaptively balanced (300) to control congestion. A congestion model is maintained (302) with congestion dependencies including first and second types of congestion along with corresponding likelihood functions that indicate a likelihood that the first type of congestion will lead to the second type of congestion. An early warning of an impending congestion is detected (304) from an incoming traffic mix which exceeds an output traffic capability, given a current output allocation and configuration. The congestion model is accessed (306), in response to detecting the impending congestion, to identify and determine a priority for possible sources of the impending congestion. Action is then taken (308, 314, 318) to relieve the impending congestion by doing at least one of (a) increasing output resources and (b) decreasing traffic rates from the possible sources, prioritized in accordance with the congestion model.

Abstract: A communication system (100) includes a shared communication medium, such as a communication channel or a base station, for providing messages and transmission devices (110) for transmitting the messages over the shared communication medium during sharing periods defined by a sharing pattern (114). A trading center (105) coupled to the transmission devices (110) modifies the sharing pattern (114) in response to traffic handled by the transmission devices (110).

Abstract: A method and apparatus creates a virtual high bandwidth, bi-directional, communications link utilizing low and high bandwidth uni-directional links in opposite directions. The directions of the two uni-directional communications links can be dynamically reversed in response to changing traffic needs.

Abstract: A messaging device for receiving a plurality of messages that have a relevancy status includes a selective call receiver (22) for receiving the plurality of messages, the relevancy status, and updates to the relevancy status, a memory (30) for storing at least a portion of the plurality of messages and the updates to the relevancy status and a processor (24, 40 and 28) for processing the portion of the plurality of messages that have received updates to the relevancy status. The relevancy status is ideally a location identifier and could additionally include a valid time indication.

Abstract: A method and the corresponding messaging system of selecting a transmitter for directed message delivery set is a messaging system including a plurality of transmitters arranged and constructed to operate in a simulcast or non-simulcast mode, the method including directing a first and a second transmitter to transmit in the simulcast mode, respectively, a first signal including a reference parameter and a first identification signal and a second signal including the reference parameter and a second identification signal, the first identification signal and the second identification signal distinguished from the reference parameter by, respectively, a first and a second predetermined amount, and receiving an acknowledgment signal that includes a indication of the first identification signal relative to the second identification signal or both relative to a threshold as determined at a messaging unit location, the indication corresponding to a preferred transmitter, selected from the first and the second transm

Abstract: A method and apparatus utilize an original stream (424) for communicating. Additional data is selected from predetermined messages to define a selected message (422). The original stream is altered (604) in a manner corresponding uniquely with the selected message to form a transmission stream (522) having a size identical to that of the original stream, and the transmission stream is then communicated (606, 608). The alteration of the stream is reversed (612) as it applies to the predetermined messages, thereby generating candidate streams. An error tally (544) corresponding to each of the candidate streams is determined (614) from an error checking mechanism (310, 312). From the candidate streams a member is selected corresponding to a lowest error tally, the member thereafter defined (620) to be a restored original stream. One of the predetermined messages is selected (622) as the selected message associated with the lowest error tally.

Abstract: Channels are assigned to a plurality of transmitters (206) in a radio communication system. First, interference constraints are defined (402) for the plurality of transmitters, and channel capacity required to handle traffic for each of the plurality of transmitters is measured (404). Then a mathematical programming technique is applied (406) to minimize the total number of channels assigned in the system, consistent with the interference constraints and the channel capacity required. The programming technique is selected from an integer programming technique (414) and a linear programming technique (408).

Abstract: A stochastic method and apparatus schedules airtime in a radio communication system having a plurality of transmission protocols. At a queue measurement time airtimes are measured (402) that are required for transmitting messages stored in queues (222) corresponding to the plurality of transmission protocols. A corresponding plurality of estimated arrival rates are determined (404) equal to estimated rates of increase of the plurality of airtimes due to arriving traffic. An objective function is structured (408) equal to a sum of penalties corresponding to the plurality of transmission protocols, the penalties dependent upon the plurality of airtimes and the plurality of estimated arrival rates, and further dependent upon an optimal airtime allocation decision. The optimal airtime allocation decision is derived (410) by minimizing the objective function, and then airtime is allocated (412) among the plurality of transmission protocols in accordance with the optimal airtime allocation decision.