Abstract: A fuel injector assembly for an engine. The engine includes a cylinder head defining a through-hole. The fuel injector assembly includes an insert, having a first end and a second end, configured to be received within the through-hole and coupled to the cylinder head. The insert defines a bore extending from the first end to the second end. The fuel injector assembly further includes a fuel injector including a plurality of orifices, received within the bore of the insert; and a duct structure including a plurality of ducts, coupled to the insert such that the plurality of ducts align with the plurality of orifices to at least partially receive one or more fuel jets from the plurality of orifices of the fuel injector.

Abstract: A fishing rod holder consists of a first panel, a second panel, a plurality of connecting members, a first strap portion, and a second strap portion. The plurality of connecting members is positioned in between the first panel and the second panel. The spacing between each of the plurality of connecting members allows a user to position a fishing rod handle in between an arbitrary connecting member and an adjacent connecting member selected from the plurality of connecting members. Since the plurality of connecting members is radially positioned, the fishing rod can be mounted at a preferred angle. The first strap portion and the second strap portion are used for attaching purposes. When the apparatus is being used with an external weighted object, the first strap portion and the second strap portion are wrapped around the external weighted object.

Abstract: An injector tip for a fuel injector includes an exterior surface, and an interior surface defining a sac region therein. The injector tip is also configured to define at least one orifice radially extending from the interior surface to the exterior surface. The orifice is disposed in communication with the sac region located adjacent to the interior surface. Further, the injector tip also includes a mound that is defined on the interior surface such that the mound is integrally formed with the interior surface adjacent to the sac region. The mound is configured to extend along an axis of the sac region and terminate prior to a perimeter of the at least one orifice.

Abstract: A duct structure for a fuel injector assembly of an engine includes a first ring structure, a plurality of ducts, a plurality of posts, and an engagement structure. The fuel injector assembly includes a fuel injector having a plurality of orifices to discharge fuel. The first ring structure is configured to be coupled to a cylinder head of the engine, and defines a central axis. The ducts are circularly arrayed around the central axis, and are configured to provide passages to the fuel discharged from the fuel injector. The posts connect the ducts to the first ring structure. Further, the engagement structure is configured to engage with the fuel injector to align the ducts with the orifices such that each of the plurality of ducts is configured to receive fuel discharged from a corresponding one of the plurality of orifices.

Abstract: A product programming system includes a product subject to maintenance, part refurbishment and/or part replacement that has a security device communicatively coupled to a computing device programmed to re-authorize normal operation of the product when a predetermined number of uses has been reached or a predetermined period of time has lapsed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the automatic determination of cable connections on a patch panel employs a reduced number of RFID antennas. A plurality of RFID antennas, each positioned so as to be in close proximity to each of a set of device ports of a patch panel, each comprises a series of resonators that correspond to the individual device ports (i.e., cable connector locations) in the set. The resonators may comprise in-line circuitry within the antennas, or other means for producing given impedance values at the cable connector locations. In operation, the power supplied to a given antenna is varied (e.g., in a step-wise fashion), so that the antenna field may be advantageously shaped to include a given subset of the device ports in the set and to exclude the others, thereby allowing the system to read individual RFID tags (connected to particular device ports) selectively.

Abstract: An RF antenna grid design in which the antenna array is installed on a patch panel cover allows for the retrofitting of an RF antenna grid on existing patch panel based systems without disrupting network operation. An apparatus for determining connectivity between device ports on a patch panel and cable ends having corresponding RFID tags attached thereto comprises a patch panel having a plurality of device ports and a patch panel cover comprising a plurality of RFID antennas, where each of the RFID antennas comprises one or more protruding portions thereof, each of the protruding portions of the RFID antennas being in close physical proximity to one or more of the plurality of device ports when the patch panel cover is positioned in a fixed positional relationship to the patch panel (e.g., when the patch panel cover is “attached” to the patch panel).

Abstract: A method and system for determining fuel delivery frequency and volume for a combustion system is provided. A delivery history of fuel deliveries to a fuel combustion system fuel storage tank is collected. The heating degree days for each time period between deliveries is ascertained. The volume of fuel used per day between each delivery is then calculated. A relationship is then established between volume of fuel used per day and heating degree days per day, for the plurality of fuel deliveries for the combustion system. Desirably the relationship is established by plotting the volume used per day vs. heating degree days per day for the combustion system. A desired volume of fuel for the next delivery is chosen. The number of elapsed days from the last delivery and the elapsed number of heating degree days per day are tracked. Periodically, the expected fuel use is calculated using the relationship.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for enabling message transmission between multiple communication environments such as the Internet and a wireless communications network, wherein user authentication and billing may be performed and wherein access rights associated with one environment may be advantageously inherited by another. The method enables the transmission of electronic messages (such as e-mail or SMS text messages) by registering two or more individual identities, each represented by a communications handle (such as an e-mail address or a mobile phone number), and by associating each of these two or more registered identities with each other, binding them into an equivalence class of identities, wherein one or more attributes of at least one of these identities becomes associated with the other identity. Illustratively, a sender-pays business (i.e., billing) model for e-mail to mobile message transmission and access rights to an internal enterprise database from a mobile phone are advantageously enabled.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed for verifying that a description of a network corresponds to communication paths of the network. The verification is accomplished by accessing data that represents of a plurality of logical links of the network. A determination is made whether each of the logical links correspond to a communication path of the network. This determination utilizes criteria, which includes: link data; adapter data; and connection data. Thereafter, an indication of whether the logical links correspond to communication paths of the network is provided. If each logical link does not have a corresponding communication path, additional information related to the reason for the non-correspondence may be provided.

Abstract: Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags and an antenna grid are used for automatic determination of cable connections. An RF antenna grid is advantageously employed on a device having a plurality of device ports (e.g., cable connection points) which may, for example, be physically organized in a two-dimensional arrangement. Then, when RFID tags are fixed to one or more cable ends, it can advantageously be determined which of the one or more cables are connected to which of the ports on the device. The RF antenna grid may comprise a plurality of individual antennas which are advantageously multiplexed such that a single RFID reader can handle the sensing for all antennas. Also, opposing ends of a given cable may be advantageously provided with RFID tags having related ID codes such that connections which exist between two connected ports of the device may be easily and efficiently determined.

Abstract: Continuous performance monitoring and an automated alert system are provided for a postoperative fluid drainage procedure. The system uses an automated controller in communication with at least one sensor that monitors the amount of liquid collected during the procedure. The controller compares current collection data with historical collection data to identify trends that can be indicative of problems in the patient's recovery or in system drainage. Upon identifying such trends, the controller automatically provides an alarm to alert the care provider so that the system can be checked and remedial action taken.

Abstract: A reservoir-and filter system for receiving fluid and for removing impurities from fluid is provided in an embodiment of the invention. The system includes a housing with at least two cavities; a first cavity with at least one unfiltered-fluid inlet and a second cavity with at least one filtrate outlet. In this embodiment, a filter member is disposed so as to separate the cavities. In addition, a filtering trap is disposed so as to directly accept fluid as it enters the first cavity, filter it, and minimize clogging of the filter member. A coarse filter shroud providing a funnel shape at the opening of a cup-shaped trap is included in a preferred embodiment. In an embodiment, at least one gas outlet adaptable for connection to a vacuum source is associated with the second cavity. A method for removing impurities from blood within an extracorporeal circuit is also provided in a further embodiment.

Abstract: A beam intensity profilometer produces a fluorescent emission distribution having a spatial distribution linearly proportional to the local intensity of an incident UV beam shined into the profilometer. The spatial distribution of the UV beam is analyzed and displayed as a function of the fluorescent emission.

Abstract: In the context of ultraviolet-laser sculpting of the cornea to achieve optical correction through a newly shaped anterior surface, the invention subjects the laser beam to certain shaping and homogenizing operations prior to any attempt to specially characterize the beam for a particular sculpturing procedure. In a preferred embodiment, the shaping and homogenizing operations present a tolerably homogeneous beam of enlarged dimension, so that specialty-characterizing may proceed on a dimensional scale that is greater than the corresponding dimension of ultimate surgical delivery to the eye, thereby enabling greater control of the quality of specialty-characterizing. Provision is made for selectively monitoring the quality of the homogeneity and/or of the specially-characterized beam, with further provision for automated cutoff of laser beam delivery to an eye in the event that quality is not within predetermined limits of tolerance.

Abstract: An ultraviolet radiometer converts UV radiation to fluorescent radiation. An optical signal corresponding to the intensity of detected fluorescent radiation is converted to an electrical signal corresponding to the power or energy of the detected fluorescent emission. A monitoring element receives the electrical signal and monitors the power or energy of the UV radiation.