Abstract: A apparatus with multiple paint intakes for providing a painting professional with the ability to draw paint from more than one container before having to reposition the spray painting equipment to draw from additional containers. The apparatus with multiple paint intakes includes a housing defining an interior chamber and a plurality of elongate support legs mounted on the housing for supporting the housing in an elevated condition above a surface. Each of the support legs has opposite ends, and each of the support legs has a passage formed therein extending between the opposite ends of the support leg and being in fluid communication with the interior chamber of the housing for permitting fluid to be drawn through each of the plurality of support legs and into the interior chamber.

Abstract: A dynamic state manager (DSM) for a server cloud manager (SCM) of a virtualized logical server cloud including a resource definition, a rules module and a state manager engine. The resource definition incorporates information of the available physical and logical resources of the server cloud, including cost, priority, usage and demand information of the resources. The resource definition further incorporates dependencies and relationships between physical and logical resources. The rules module includes predetermined behavioral rules based on demand, usage, priority and cost information. The behavioral rules define optimized resource utilization of the resources of the server cloud. The state manager engine is linked to the resource definition and the rules module and cooperates with the SCM to apply the behavioral rules to achieve optimized resource utilization.

Abstract: A server cloud manager (SCM) for controlling logical servers and physical resources that form a virtualized logical server cloud. The SCM includes multiple core components and one or more interface components. The core components serve as a shared foundation to collectively manage events, validate and authorize server cloud users and agents, enforce predetermined requirements and rules and store operation data. The one or more interface components enable communication with external entities and includes an SCM proxy manager that enables communication with one or more SCMs of other server clouds. A server cloud system including a first server cloud that includes a first server cloud manager (SCM) and a first logical server, and a second server cloud that includes a second SCM. The first and second SCMs are configured to cooperate to manage operation of the first logical server.

Abstract: A virtualized logical server cloud that enables logical servers to exist independent of physical servers that instantiate the logical servers. Servers are treated as logical resources in order to create a logical server cloud. The logical attributes of a logical server are non-deterministically allocated to physical resources creating a cloud of logical servers over the physical servers. Logical separation is facilitated by the addition of a server cloud manager, which is an automated multi-server management layer. Each logical server has persistent attributes that establish its identity. Each physical server includes or is coupled to physical resources including a network resource, a data storage resource and a processor resource. At least one physical server executes virtualization software that virtualizes physical resources for logical servers.

Abstract: A system and method for expediting the replication of at least one specified object to a replica in a distributed computer system. A source object of a source replica determines that it has an urgent change to propagate through the distributed system, and informs a replication facility at the source replica of the urgent change. The facility extracts, or is provided with, the change information from that object, and the source replica communicates information representative of the change to a destination replica. A replication facility at the destination replica provides the change information to a destination replica object, which uses the information to make itself consistent with the source replica object.

Abstract: A system for multi-master unique identifier allocation comprises a server for allocating pools of identifiers to requesting servers and at least one server for requesting pools of identifiers and allocating individual identifiers as necessary. A single master server allocates “pools” of unique identifiers to network servers upon request. The network servers in turn allocate unique identifiers from their pool as necessary when the server generates new system objects. When a network server's pool of unique identifiers is nearly depleted, the network server requests an additional pool of identifiers from the master server.

Abstract: A system and method for expediting the replication of at least one specified object to a replica in a distributed computer system. A source object of a source replica determines that it has an urgent change to propagate through the distributed system, and informs a replication facility at the source replica of the urgent change. The facility extracts, or is provided with, the change information from that object, and the source replica communicates information representative of the change to a destination replica. A replication facility at the destination replica provides the change information to a destination replica object, which uses the information to make itself consistent with the source replica object.

Abstract: A client device has access to multiple data communications networks when sending a message to a server. An included network management functionality evaluates on an individual message by message basis a number of factors and selects one of the networks over which the message is to be communicated to the server. The selection process involves having the network management functionality identify a particular selection rule containing a network clause relating to each potentially useable communications network. The particular selection data comprising each network clause are then evaluated in the context of the message transmission to select for the message the particular one of the networks to be used for the communication.

Abstract: The present invention provides novel 2-methoxyimino-2-(pyridinyloxymethyl)phenyl acetamide compounds with substituted ketal substituents on the pyridine ring, their use as fungicidal compounds, and their use in fungicidal compositions comprising at least one of the 2-methoxyimino-2-(pyridinyloxymethyl)phenyl acetamide compounds as the active ingredient.

Abstract: A device for varying the displacement of a variable displacement bent axis unit includes a one-piece yoke having a bucket portion adapted to carry a cylinder block kit of the bent axis unit, a trunnion bearing portion for swing control on one side of the bucket portion, and a trunnion portion for fluid porting on the other side of the bucket portion. The bucket portion has a bottom wall, a continuous side wall, and an open top. Inside the yoke is a pair of fluid passages intersecting the interior of the bucket portion and extending separately and entirely within the bottom wall and the side wall before opening onto the trunnion portion for fluid porting.

Abstract: A system and method of efficiently replicating data structures in a distributed system of replicas. Each replica in the distributed system maintains a cursor indicative of the extent to which other replicas in the system are consistent with one another. By examining the information in its cursor, a destination replica requesting replication from a source replica is able to determine the extent to which it has been made consistent with that source replica via indirect paths, thus potentially improving the starting point of replication. The source replica similarly examines its cursor to potentially improve the starting point of replication with respect to the starting point requested by the destination replica. In this manner, redundant information transmitted from a source replica when replicating a destination replica is reduced.

Abstract: A scraping tool for use with a paint sprayer assembly includes a scraping tool having a tool socket and a number of integral wrenches. In a preferred embodiment the scraping tool includes three cutouts for accommodating various sized nuts and a triangular protrusion extending from the scraping edge for scraping in tight spaces. A tool socket is provided near an end of the handle of the scraping tool for receiving various tool heads. In a most preferred embodiment, the scraper tool is designed for use in association with a particular paint spraying machine such that the scraper tool provides the necessary wrenches and tools for operating and maintaining the paint spraying machine.

Abstract: A network directory and naming service include fields for identifying instances of network resources and other objects by both logical and topological grouping. This combination of information facilitates automated efficient decision making with regard to replication of resources and updating the replicas in response to changes. The combination of logical and topological identification for resources also facilitates selection of a close replica in instances where a client requests access to a resource, such as a server, for which communicatively local and remote instances exist.

Abstract: A plate for coupling a plurality of doors together for painting. The inventive device includes a first planar member coupled to a second planar member and oriented so as to extend substantially orthogonally from the first planar member. A plurality of piercing teeth extend from the planar member to engage the upper edges of a plurality of doors, joining the doors in a spaced and orthogonal orientation for painting the doors.

Abstract: A prefabricated building panel having a metal, load-bearing structure which may be filled with a hardenable material. The hardenable material need not have substantial load-bearing characteristics. A frame is formed from members of substantially C-shaped cross section with at least one vertical support placed across the central opening. Reinforcing bar, lifting means, electrical receptacle boxes and interconnecting conduit for the boxes may be installed as desired. A layer of insulating material is installed in the central opening at a transversely intermediate position. Further disclosed is a method of manufacturing said panels wherein a transversely extending lip is formed around both sides of the frame. The frame is placed on a horizontal surface and a hardenable material is poured into the frame to an intermediate level to form a first surface layer.

Abstract: A turbodrill is disclosed which is connected to a string of drill pipe as a rotating shaft for driving a drill bit which may be a rotary bit or a high speed solid head diamond bit. The turbine section of the turbodrill has rotor and stator blades which are cresent shaped in cross section and are operated by drilling mud flowing therethrough to rotate the shaft. The shaft is provided with radial bearings which carry radial loads and thrust bearings which carry vertical or longitudinal loads. The thrust bearings, which carry the entire thrust load, consist of a pair of annular bearing plates each of which supports a plurality of friction bearing members, highly resistant to wear by the drilling mud flowing through the drill, consisting of cylindrical studs having flat faces with flat disc-shaped diamond bearing members supported thereon. There are preferably one more of the diamond bearing members on one of the annular bearing plates than on the other.

Abstract: A cementitious mixture including water-repellent vermiculite, polypropylene fibers and cement. A preferred embodiment utilizes: asphalt-coated, expanded vermiculite; collated, fibrillated polypropylene fibers; and non-shrinking Portland cement. Test data indicates a greatly increased compressive strength compared to previously known vermiculite insulating concretes. A prefabricated building panel utilizing the mixture of the present invention, and a method of manufacture thereof, are also disclosed. Calculated R values indicate good thermal insulating characteristics.

Abstract: A powered ratchet wrench for turning threaded members, such as nuts or bolt heads, consists of a wrench assembly having a reaction arm adapted to be positioned over a threaded member, viz. nut or bolt, for supporting the same and operating a socket wrench through a ratchet mechanism applying a torque for tightening or loosening the nuts or bolts. The wrench assembly has a box shaped housing with an open end portion supporting a ratchet mechanism and a double-acting fluid operated cylinder having an operating piston extending therefrom for operating the ratchet mechanism. The ratchet mechanism consists of a ratchet wheel supported between two plates on bearing sleeves extending from side to side at the open end portion of the housing. A pair of pawls with driving teeth engage opposite sides of the ratchet wheel and are spring biased toward engagement with the ratchet teeth. The pawls are pivotally supported on each other and on the ratchet wheel supporting plates.

Abstract: In the manufacture of diamond bearings consisting of a supporting plate/ring having a plurality of recesses equally spaced therearound with insert members consisting of hardmetal or carbide studs, with planar faces of polycrystalline diamond, positioned therein, the diamond bearing faces are made co-planar by placing metal pads, preferably of brazing metal, in the bottom of each recess before insertion of the bearing studs, placing the assembly with the bearing faces on a smooth planar support, heating the assembly to a temperature at which the metal pads soften or melt and allowing the metal pads to extrude around and braze the bearing inserts in place. When the assembly has cooled, the bearing inserts have their diamond bearing faces locked in co-planar relation by the extruded metal from the metal pads.

Abstract: A turbodrill is disclosed for connection to a drill string and has a rotating shaft for turning a drill bit. The turbodrill has rotor and stator blades operated by drilling mud flowing therethrough to rotate the shaft. The shaft is provided with radial/thrust bearing consisting of a pair of annular plates, each of which has conical surfaces supporting a plurality of friction bearing members of polycrystalline diamond. The radial and thrust loads are carried by the wear-resistant diamond bearing surfaces. The bearing members are preferably cylindrical studs having flat faces with flat disc-shaped diamond bearing members supported thereon around the adjacent surfaces of the supporting plates. The faces of the diamond bearings will wear into smoothly mating conical bearing surfaces with use. There are two or more pairs of diamond radial/thrust bearings to handle longitudinal as well as radial loads.