Abstract: Method of plugging a hydrocarbon well by a through-tubing technique are described. The method allows the tubing to be left in place. Only a short (<2 m) section is cut, milled, perforated, ruptured and expanded, or combinations thereof. A blocking device is sent downhole to block a bottom of the plug section, and bismuth alloy pellets dropped onto the blocking device. A heater is deployed to melt the bismuth alloy pellets. Next, the alloy liquid is allowed to cool and solidify. During solidification, the alloy expands and fills the section of well to be plugged or a portion thereof. Once primary and secondary barriers are in place, the well can be closed and the Christmas tree removed. A rock-to-rock plug can be set by removing or partially removing the tubular and outer casing, or just inner casing/tubulars can be removed if the exterior cement and casing are of sufficient quality.

Abstract: A vertical axis laundry treating appliance including a chassis defining a chassis interior, a tub disposed within the chassis interior and defining a tub interior, and a perforated wash basket disposed for rotation within the tub interior, wherein the tub includes a lower tub portion, an upper tub portion, and a flexible intermediate portion.

Abstract: An impeller with vanes extending above the upper surface of the impeller base plate along with a sweeper which extends beyond an outer periphery of the base plate. The sweeper pulls clothes from the basket that may have become stuck or lodged in a wet state back in toward the center of the impeller and in turn pushes them up by the impeller vane design.

Abstract: A vertical axis laundry treating appliance including a chassis defining a chassis interior, a tub disposed within the chassis interior and defining a tub interior, and a perforated wash basket disposed for rotation within the tub interior, wherein the tub includes a lower tub portion, an upper tub portion, and a flexible intermediate portion.

Abstract: A laundry treating appliance for treating laundry according to an automatic cycle of operation and including a cabinet defining an interior, an imperforate tub located within the interior and having a peripheral wall with an upper portion and a bottom end closed by a base, and a structural support provided within the interior adjacent at least a portion of the imperforate tub.

Abstract: An impeller with vanes extending above the upper surface of the impeller base plate along with a sweeper which extends beyond an outer periphery of the base plate. The sweeper pulls clothes from the basket that may have become stuck or lodged in a wet state back in toward the center of the impeller and in turn pushes them up by the impeller vane design.

Abstract: Methods for laundering a textile wash load in a washing apparatus comprising the steps of pre-treating a textile wash load using methods that include a detection step selected from an airlock detection step, a water log detection step and combinations thereof.

Abstract: An improved method for treating textiles such as clothing with a concentrated solutions in an automatic washer by alternating the speed of rotation of the automatic washer wash basket from a low spin speed to a high spin speed and applying the concentrated solution to the textiles when the wash basket is spinning at the low spin speed.

Abstract: A clothes hanger is provided. The clothes hanger includes a first main arm connected with a second main arm. Each main arm forms an adjustment element and a primary track. The clothes hanger also includes first and second adjustable arms each movably and pivotally connected with one respective main arm. Each adjustable arm includes a locator element engageable with a respective adjustment element and a primary sliding member received in each primary track.

Abstract: A decoder circuit includes a probability circuit which generates branch metrics using bit-wise probabilities representing frame-to-frame correlation relationships. The branch metrics are input to a decoder which outputs decoded data bits as a function of the bit-wise probabilities for at least predetermined bit positions.

Abstract: A system and method for calculating survivor metrics in a Viterbi equalizer of a receiver, such as a receiver operative to receive a PSK-modulated signal, for example, a .pi./4, differential, phase-shift-keying, modulated signal. The state transition metric, defined as a function of two successive states, is converted into a function defined by pairwise differences between allowable symbols of a PSK-modulated signal. When operative to receive the .pi./4 DQPSK-modulated signal, the number of calculations required to calculate state transition metrics is reduced significantly.

Abstract: A network protocol method (300), access point device (600) and peripheral devices (700, 800) provide an efficient centrally coordinated peer-to-peer wireless communications network wherein the access point device: (1) broadcasts a block assignment that specifies a wireless source peripheral device and a wireless destination peripheral device; (2) receives, from the wireless destination peripheral device, sequence information; (3) determines whether the sequence information represents one of: a negative acknowledgment and a positive acknowledgment with a sequence number; (4) forwards an acknowledgment to the wireless source peripheral based on the sequence information, and repeats steps (1)-(4) until N blocks of data, N a predetermined integer, have been transferred from the wireless source peripheral to the wireless destination peripheral.

Abstract: A method and apparatus reduce power consumption in a subscriber unit of a communication system. The subscriber unit has a processor (10) for processing non-voice messages received from the communication system. The method includes the steps of receiving a communication signal (18) at the subscriber unit, detecting a presence or an absence of non-voice messages (20) in the communication signal, and disabling the processor (24) in response to detecting the absence of non-voice messages in the communication signal. The apparatus includes a receiver (12), a message detector (14) and a controller (16) for carrying out the foregoing steps.

Abstract: A method of synchronizing a fixed access unit (16) into a time division multiple access (TDMA) system (10). The method includes the steps of receiving a first timing advance channel time slot (86) at the fixed access unit (16), sending a message advanced in time by an offset value over a second time slot (88), receiving an acknowledgment from the TDMA system (10) that the message was received, and advancing a subsequently transmitted communication based on the offset value.

Abstract: A mechanical rotary coupler for first and second coral shafts having slotted ends proximate one another, the coupler being formed of an elongated blade of resilient material longitudinally slit and folded on itself transverse to the slit to provide first and second resilient V-shaped strips connected by bridging portions at the ends of the blade, the strips respectively being adapted to engage the slots in the ends of the first and second shafts at regions on the strips spaced from the bridging portions.

Abstract: A furnace fan control for providing operation of the fan after the termination of the furnace burner in an adaptive manner to provide for longer fan operations after the burner turns OFF, as the burner ON time increases.

Abstract: A furnace control apparatus for a downflow forced warm air furnace uses a microprocessor and thermostat to initiate and control the start-up of the furnace. During the initial start-up operation, the microprocessor receives an input signal from the thermostat indicative of the need for a furnace operation and produces an output signal for controlling, in combination with the thermostat which responds to the temperature of the space to be heated, an actuation of a gas valve to supply gas to the furnace. Subsequently, an analog temperature sensor in an air supply duct is used to supply another input signal through an analog-to-digital converter to the microprocessor representative of the air temperature in the duct. The microprocessor stores the value of the air temperature following the start-up of the burner and subsequently turns on an air circulator.

Abstract: A defrost control system for a reverse cycle refrigeration system wherein the outdoor coil is defrosted as a function of the operation of a demand type control for initiating the defrost mode of operation. The control system further includes a means for monitoring the frequency of defrost cycles. If too frequent defrosting is detected then the demand system is overriden and subsequent defrosting occurs only after the heat pump has been operating in the normal heating mode of operation for a predetermined length of time.

Abstract: A defrost control system for a reverse cycle refrigeration system wherein the outdoor coil is defrosted when outdoor coil temperature is equal to or less than the product of a preselected constant N.sub.1 and the outdoor air temperature and controller means are provided to calculate a new value of N.sub.1 after each defrost operation, the calculation being based on stabilized values of outdoor air temperature and outdoor coil temperature for clear coil conditions.

Abstract: A high voltage transformer is formed by a unitary core mounting a primary winding being inserted in a cavity of a bobbin that mounts the secondary winding. The secondary winding is placed in alternate bays of a multibay structure to isolate the windings from one another to avoid high potential breakdown. The assembly is complete by the mounting of the core within the cavity of the bobbin, but can be supplemented by covering the entire unit with a protective housing that further aids in mounting the transformer to an insulating surface, such as a printed wiring board.