Abstract: An apparatus for receiving and conveying bulk material is provided. The apparatus comprises a hopper for receiving bulk material, at least one outlet configured to enable bulk material, received by the hopper, to exit the hopper, and an agitator arrangement. The agitator arrangement is configured to agitate the bulk material in the hopper in order to counteract cohesion of the bulk material, and configured to urge the bulk material in the hopper towards the at least one outlet.

Abstract: Described are a video graphics system, graphics processor, and methods for rendering three-dimensional objects. A buffer is partitioned into tiles. Each tile includes a plurality of pixels. Each pixel of each tile includes at least one sample. Each sample has a stencil value associated therewith. It is determined that each sample in a given tile has the same stencil value. A single stencil value is stored in the buffer for that tile. The single stencil value represents the stencil value for every sample in that tile.

Abstract: A processing system for reduction of a virtual memory page fault rate that includes a first memory to store a dataset, a second memory to store a subset of the dataset, and a processing unit. The processing unit is configured to receive a memory access request including a virtual address and determine whether the virtual address is mapped to a first physical page in the first memory and or a second physical page in the second memory. The processing unit maps a third physical page in a free page pool of the second memory to the virtual address in response to the virtual address not being mapped to the second physical page. The processing unit also grants access to the third physical page that is mapped to the virtual address.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a garment, such as a shirt, that is configured for analyzing a wearer's baseball swing. The garment contains a plurality of sensors including (1) a wrist sensor that is configured to detect the motion of a wearer's wrist or hand during the swinging motion, (2) a shoulder sensor that is configured to detect the motion of a wearer's shoulder during the swinging motion, and (3) a hip sensor that is configured to detect the motion of a wearer's hip during the swinging motion. In some embodiments, these are the only three sensors present in the garment. In other embodiments, the garment may also include additional sensors. The garment also includes a wireless transmitter that is configured to transmit the data from the plurality of sensors to an external processing and/or display unit.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for processing input entered by a user and providing at least one response maintained by an administrator in a system for autonomously processing requests. A template is provided to the administrator, wherein the template includes at least one field to elicit specific information from the administrator. The information is received from the administrator into the template. The information is saved for use in providing the at least one response in reply to a request from a user. An apparatus for performing this method is also disclosed.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for processing input entered by a user and providing at least one response maintained by an administrator in a system for autonomously processing requests. A template is provided to the administrator, wherein the template includes at least one field to elicit specific information from the administrator. The information is received from the administrator into the template. The information is saved for use in providing the at least one response in reply to a request from a user. An apparatus for performing this method is also disclosed.

Abstract: Flight substitution and reroute is accomplished based on frequently updated flow constrained areas and a flight substitution system to minimize the impact of severe weather on the NAS. Each flight is assigned a route, a FCA controlled time of arrival (FCA_CTA) slot, a controlled time of departure, and a destination controlled time of arrival, wherein the flights are sorted according to the FCA_CTA slot to pass sequentially through an FCA. When a flight is re-routed, the subsequent flight FCA_CTA is updated with the FCA_CTA slot made available by the preceding flight. If such an update is not feasible, then the subsequent flight FCA_CTA is updated according to a slot credit substitution give-away method. The benefits and costs for rerouting a flight out of an AFP are input to an optimization framework for providing the best flight time and flight reroute options.

Abstract: A method is presented here for mitigation of airport congestion problem by manipulating flight arrival times to coincide with expected departure times in order to keep airport demand under a specific limit and optimize utilized capacity of an airport. In one example, a threshold is defined which is related to the airport surface capacity to represent airport's tolerance for accumulation. At the time the congestion problem is overcome, the accumulation rate is not positive. In another example, a threshold is defined which is related to the airport facilities available to a specific carrier and is applied to the flights operated by that carrier.

Abstract: Described are a video graphics system, graphics processor, and methods for rendering three-dimensional objects. A buffer is partitioned into tiles of pixels. Each pixel of each tile includes at least one sample. A primitive is received and determined to cover fully one of the tiles. A section of the primitive that maps to the fully covered tile is tested to determine if every sample within the fully covered tile is to undergo the same stencil operation. The stencil operation is performed on the fully covered tile in the buffer if every sample within the fully covered tile is to undergo the same stencil operation.

Abstract: Described are a video graphics system, graphics processor, and methods for rendering three-dimensional objects. A buffer is partitioned into tiles of pixels. Each pixel of each tile includes at least one sample. A primitive is received and determined to fully cover one of the tiles of the buffer. A section of the primitive that maps to the fully covered tile is tested to determine whether that section of the primitive may be drawn in its entirety. A value is stored in the buffer for the fully covered tile in response to determining that the section of the primitive may be drawn in its entirety. The value indicating that every sample of the fully covered tile has a depth value determined by the primitive.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for the use of virtual robots (Bots) to assist in the answering of inquiries from persons over the Internet, telephone, wireless, or other form of electrical, digital, or electronic communication. Such method and system consists of (1) a Bot processor consisting of (a) a connection interface capable of receiving, directly or indirectly, inputs from a user in natural or machine language, which the Bot processor then responds to in natural or machine language, and (b) an engine capable of recognizing an input and providing a response; and (2) a service desk consisting of (a) a human being, (b) a connection interface that connects directly or indirectly to the Bot processor and to the front end, and (c) a display where the human being can see, in humanly comprehensible form, information transmitted by the user and/or the Bot processor.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing user entered input and providing a response in a system for autonomously processing requests includes rules. For each rule, whether the input is recognized is determined. If it is, a response is sent to the user. To determine recognized input, the method attempts to match the rule to a pattern. If a match is not found, the input is not recognized. If a match is found, the input is recognized and the response is sent. Alternatively, the input is conditionally recognized and a statement validator is executed which queries structured data to determine if a logic statement evaluates to true. Depending on how the statement evaluates: i) the input is recognized and the response is sent, ii) the structured data is queried again for the next statement validator, or iii) the input is not recognized and the method continues to the next rule.

Abstract: Described are a video graphics system, graphics processor, and methods for rendering three-dimensional objects. A buffer is partitioned into tiles of pixels. Each pixel of each tile includes at least one sample. A primitive is received and determined to fully cover one of the tiles of the buffer. A section of the primitive that maps to the fully covered tile is tested to determine whether that section of the primitive may be drawn in its entirety. A value is stored in the buffer for the fully covered tile in response to determining that the section of the primitive may be drawn in its entirety. The value indicating that every sample of the fully covered tile has a depth value determined by the primitive.

Abstract: Described are a video graphics system, graphics processor, and methods for rendering three-dimensional objects. A buffer is partitioned into tiles of pixels. Each pixel of each tile includes at least one sample. A primitive is received and determined to cover fully one of the tiles. A section of the primitive that maps to the fully covered tile is tested to determine if every sample within the fully covered tile is to undergo the same stencil operation. The stencil operation is performed on the fully covered tile in the buffer if every sample within the fully covered tile is to undergo the same stencil operation.

Abstract: Described are a video graphics system, graphics processor, and methods for rendering three-dimensional objects. A buffer is partitioned into tiles. Each tile includes a plurality of pixels. Each pixel of each tile includes at least one sample. Each sample has a stencil value associated therewith. It is determined that each sample in a given tile has the same stencil value. A single stencil value is stored in the buffer for that tile. The single stencil value represents the stencil value for every sample in that tile.

Abstract: A triceps dip exercise machine has a main frame, a user support frame movably mounted on the frame, an exercise arm movably mounted on one of the frames, a connecting link connecting movement of the exercise arm to movement of the user support frame, such that movement of the exercise arm between a start and end position simultaneously moves the user support frame from a start to an end position, and an exercise resistance for resisting movement of one of the moving parts. The arrangement is such that the combined movement of the exercise arm and user support frame substantially replicates the natural movement of the upper part of the human body when performing a free bar, suspended triceps dip exercise.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for processing pixel depth information eliminates stalling of data in a pixel pipeline, by performing late Z processing for one or more pixels currently in the pixel pipeline and early Z processing for one or more pixels entering the pixel pipeline. The apparatus and method also includes determining whether the late Z processing for the one or more pixels currently in the pixel pipeline has been completed. The apparatus and method also includes solely performing early Z processing for subsequent pixels entering the pixel pipeline responsive to determining that late Z processing for the one or more pixels currently in the pixel pipeline has been completed. The methods and apparatus, facilitates concurrent processing of early and late Z data to avoid flushing portions of the pixel pipeline.

Abstract: A fabric body or textile comprising a cable or interconnect capable of transmitting data or power is secured to the fabric body or textile surface by a tape. Methods for securing the cable or interconnect system include, for example, garment taping processes. Fabric bodies having the taped cable or interconnect are highly flexible, wash durable and unobtrusive to the user.

Abstract: Described are a graphics processing unit (GPU) and a sample-level screen-door transparency technique for rendering transparent objects. The GPU includes a scan converter and a shader. The scan converter identifies pixels to be processed for rendering a transparent object and divides each pixel into a plurality of samples. The shader generates, for one of the identified pixels, an application developer-specified transparency sample mask indicating which samples of the pixel are to be suppressed when determining a color of the pixel. Execution of an application developer-specified sample mask command produces a pattern of bits that map to samples of the pixel. The values of the bits determine which samples of the pixel may be used and which samples are to be suppressed when determining a color of the pixel.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing user entered input and providing a response in a system for autonomously processing requests includes rules. For each rule, whether the input is recognized is determined. If it is, a response is sent to the user. To determine recognized input, the method attempts to match the rule to a pattern. If a match is not found, the input is not recognized. If a match is found, the input is recognized and the response is sent. Alternatively, the input is conditionally recognized and a statement validator is executed which queries structured data to determine if a logic statement evaluates to true. Depending on how the statement evaluates: i) the input is recognized and the response is sent, ii) the structured data is queried again for the next statement validator, or iii) the input is not recognized and the method continues to the next rule.