Abstract: An auger/cut off assembly for a floating screed asphalt paver. The auger/cut off assembly consists of an auger mechanism with an axis of rotation and a cut off mechanism. The cut off mechanism has a concave cut off panel that rotates about the axis of the auger mechanism from an open strike off position to a closed cut off position. Because the concave cut off panel closely conforms to a portion of the circumference of the auger mechanism, the cut off mechanism provides for low ground clearance. The concave cut off panel serves the dual function of striking off the paving material when in the open strike off position and cutting off the deposit of paving material when in the closed cut off position.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a magnetic printing media that is used in a laser or inkjet printer. The magnetic printing media is comprised of at least three layers, including a base layer, at least one magnetic layer, and at least one ink receptive layer. Magnetically encoded information is recorded onto the magnetic layer(s), while text and graphics are printed onto the ink receptive layer(s). In a preferred embodiment, the magnetic printing media is used to verify the authenticity of a document. In an alternate embodiment, the magnetic printing media is used to record additional information that is protected from view and from photocopying.

Abstract: A fluid ejection cartridge for dispensing a bioactive fluid including a first reservoir containing the bioactive fluid and a first fluid ejector fluidically coupled to the first reservoir. The first fluid ejector ejects at least a drop of the bioactive fluid onto the ingestible sheet.

Abstract: The present invention is drawn to odor-releasing ink-jet inks and methods for releasing odors from printed images. The ink-jet ink comprises an ink vehicle; an effective amount of an electro-thermal material dispersed within the ink vehicle; and an effective amount of an odor-releasing additive within the ink vehicle wherein an odorant is releasable from the odor-releasing additive upon substantial activation of the electro-thermal material.

Abstract: A fluid ejection cartridge for dispensing a bioactive fluid including a first reservoir containing the bioactive fluid and a first fluid ejector fluidically coupled to the first reservoir. The first fluid ejector ejects at least a drop of the bioactive fluid onto the ingestible sheet.

Abstract: The present invention is drawn to odor-releasing ink-jet inks and methods for releasing odors from printed images. The ink-jet ink comprises an ink vehicle; an effective amount of an electro-thermal material dispersed within the ink vehicle; and an effective amount of an odor-releasing additive within the ink vehicle wherein an odorant is releasable from the odor-releasing additive upon substantial activation of the electro-thermal material.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for computing properties of a physical environment is provided, using a plurality of agents forming a distributed network embedded within the environment. The method comprises determining an initiating agent 200, transmitting a signal including a cumulative cost value to neighboring agents 202, and processing the signal at each neighboring agent to augment the cumulative cost value with local information 204. If multiple signals are received, determining which has the best cumulative cost value for generating a new signal 206, then treating the neighboring agent as an initiating agent 208 and transmitting the new signal to neighboring agents 208 and retaining the best augmented cost value in memory 210. Methods further include determining paths using shortest path computations, using dual gradients for aligning agents on a path between two reference agents, and discovering and converging agents on choke points.

Abstract: A fluid ejection cartridge for dispensing a bioactive fluid including a first reservoir containing the bioactive fluid and a first fluid ejector fluidically coupled to the first reservoir. The first fluid ejector ejects at least a drop of the bioactive fluid onto the ingestible sheet.

Abstract: The present invention is drawn to odor-releasing ink-jet inks and methods for releasing odors from printed images. The ink-jet ink comprises an ink vehicle; an effective amount of an electro-thermal material dispersed within the ink vehicle; and an effective amount of an odor-releasing additive within the ink vehicle wherein an odorant is releasable from the odor-releasing additive upon substantial activation of the electro-thermal material.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a bioactive fluid dose on an ingestible sheet, comprising the steps of advancing the ingestible sheet to a dispense position, and activating a fluid ejector to dispense essentially a drop of a bioactive fluid onto the ingestible sheet.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a magnetic printing media that is used in a laser or inkjet printer. The magnetic printing media is comprised of at least three layers, including a base layer, at least one magnetic layer, and at least one ink receptive layer. Magnetically encoded information is recorded onto the magnetic layer(s), while text and graphics are printed onto the ink receptive layer(s). In a preferred embodiment, the magnetic printing media is used to verify the authenticity of a document. In an alternate embodiment, the magnetic printing media is used to record additional information that is protected from view and from photocopying.

Abstract: Circuit Elements such as capacitors and inductors are formed from electroconductive material printed on a sheet. By printing lines in electroconductive material on both sides of a sheet, a capacitor is generated with the sheet serving as the capacitor's dielectric. If a series of parallel lines is printed at an angle with respect to a sheet and the sheet is subsequently rolled so that one end of each line engages another line to create a coil and the ends of the coil are connected across a current source, an inductor is created. The inductor can be used with another inductor to form a transformer. If two identical inductor sheets are placed one on top of the other and both are rolled to form concentric inductors, the resultant circuit element has both inductance and capacitance properties.

Abstract: A method for controlling the movement of agents using local communications is provided. Generally, each agent maintains an optimal distance from other local neighbor agents by, for each agent 200, selecting a local agent 202, measuring the distance and angle to the agent 204, performing a distance maintenance calculation 218, and repeating the distance maintenance calculation 218 for each local agent. In the distance maintenance calculation 218, an attraction/repulsion map is used in order to determine whether an agent is attracted to or repelled from other agents. A motion vector is used to determine agent responses to the attraction or repulsion. Over time, the agents settle into a neutral configuration where each is optimally distanced from the other agents. Reference agents and leader agents can be designated to direct the movement of other agents, and agents can be designated as blocking beacons to repel other agents from undesirable areas.

Abstract: A system and method for encoding the speech of multiple speakers for transmission on a limited medium such as ISDN or ADSL. The system and method encode one or more “dominant” speakers on a first channel, and merges all other speakers into a second channel. A “dominant” speaker may be defined according to the needs of the application, but intuitively it is a speaker in a collaboration session who has the “floor”. The method and system transmit speech through a teleconferencing system having an available bandwidth. Speech from a speaking one, or ones, of the plurality of participants is passed while speech from non-speaking participants is rejected. The system responds to the speech from the one, or ones of the speaking participants passed by the speech detector, and determines which of the detected speaking one, or ones, thereof is a dominant speaker.

Abstract: A system and method for producing and receiving electronically-mediated collaboration is presented. The electronically-mediated collaboration system and method include a high-fidelity audio system as well as application and cursor sharing, and a session manager module to synchronize among participants. In one embodiment, the system includes an eye contact collaboratory that manipulates video and eye position input to synthesize virtual camera images which simulate ordinary gaze behavior in a collaboratory system. An audio component optionally spatializes the voices of the participants to appear to coincide with their images.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for computing properties of a physical environment is provided, using a plurality of agents forming a distributed network embedded within the environment. The method comprises determining an initiating agent 200, transmitting a signal including a cumulative cost value to neighboring agents 202, and processing the signal at each neighboring agent to augment the cumulative cost value with local information 204. If multiple signals are received, determining which has the best cumulative cost value for generating a new signal 206, then treating the neighboring agent as an initiating agent 208 and transmitting the new signal to neighboring agents 208 and retaining the best augmented cost value in memory 210. Methods further include determining paths using shortest path computations, using dual gradients for aligning agents on a path between two reference agents, and discovering and converging agents on choke points.

Abstract: A method for controlling the movement of agents using local communications is provided. Generally, each agent maintains an optimal distance from other local neighbor agents by, for each agent 200, selecting a local agent 202, measuring the distance and angle to the agent 204, performing a distance maintenance calculation 218, and repeating the distance maintenance calculation 218 for each local agent. In the distance maintenance calculation 218, an attraction/repulsion map is used in order to determine whether an agent is attracted to or repelled from other agents. A motion vector is used to determine agent responses to the attraction or repulsion. Over time, the agents settle into a neutral configuration where each is optimally distanced from the other agents. Reference agents and leader agents can be designated to direct the movement of other agents, and agents can be designated as blocking beacons to repel other agents from undesirable areas.

Abstract: A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for facilitating local signaling among a plurality of agents are presented. An agent 100 including a digital processor 102 a transmitter 104, and a directional receiver 106 comprising a plurality of angular regions 108 is configured to enable the selection of a signal from a plurality of signals received on the basis of local data such as the strength of the received signal. The local data may be incorporated into a cumulative data portion of a signal that is passed from local agent 100 to local agent 100 across a plurality of agents 100 in order to provide a gradient across the plurality of agents 100. The gradient could be used, for example, to determine a shortest path across the agents. The signaling techniques described can also be used to determine the distance and direction to objects in the signaling path.

Abstract: PostScript® or TrueType® output font can be printed and displayed with varying colors through-out each character or letter so as to appear to be colorized differently. By manipulating the pixels of a polygon of a glyph that comprises a character or letter, different colors, lines or textures can be assigned to each constituent polygon. When the polygons are re-assembled, the resultant glyph can be made to appear to have different color components, textures or other characteristics.

Abstract: A system and method for image capture, storage, and retrieval, which captures one or more images in a digital format and stores the images in a database to improve their accessability. The system and method also stores the images in a smaller physical space than conventional systems and may be used with a variety of image capture devices. Furthermore, the system and method may also allow access to the images from remote locations by way of a computer network such as the Internet.