Abstract: Apparatus and methods for applying flexible straps around objects include a feed and tension unit a feed drive wheel and a feed pinch wheel, a primary tension drive wheel and a primary tension pinch wheel, and a secondary tension drive wheel and a secondary tension pinch wheel, wherein at least one of the pinch wheels is controllably biased against the respective drive wheel by a solenoid that is controlled in two stages: a first stage that provides a full feed or tensioning force and a second stage that provides a reduced feed or tensioning force by altering the pulse width modulation of the solenoid. In another embodiment, the three sets of wheels of the feed and tension unit are configured to provide a simplified “V-shaped” strap path that reduces bending of the strap, thereby reducing friction and consequent feeding difficulties.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for applying flexible straps around objects include a feed and tension unit a feed drive wheel and a feed pinch wheel, a primary tension drive wheel and a primary tension pinch wheel, and a secondary tension drive wheel and a secondary tension pinch wheel, wherein at least one of the pinch wheels is controllably biased against the respective drive wheel by a solenoid that is controlled in two stages: a first stage that provides a full feed or tensioning force and a second stage that provides a reduced feed or tensioning force by altering the pulse width modulation of the solenoid. In another embodiment, the three sets of wheels of the feed and tension unit are configured to provide a simplified “V-shaped” strap path that reduces bending of the strap, thereby reducing friction and consequent feeding difficulties.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for applying flexible straps around objects including a feed and tension unit, a feed drive wheel and a feed pinch wheel, a primary tension drive wheel and a primary tension pinch wheel, and a secondary tension drive wheel and a secondary tension pinch wheel, wherein at least one of the pinch wheels is controllably biased against the respective drive wheel by a solenoid that is controlled in two stages: a first stage that provides a full feed or tensioning force and a second stage that provides a reduced feed or tensioning force by altering the pulse width modulation of the solenoid. In another embodiment, the three sets of wheels of the feed and tension unit are configured to provide a simplified “V-shaped” strap path that reduces bending of the strap, thereby reducing friction and consequent feeding difficulties.

Abstract: Disclosed is a bright metallized formable film laminate having excellent optical and deformation properties. The bright metallized formable film laminate preferably includes a formable, weatherable clear coat film comprising polyvinylidene difluoride, a formable clear coat leveling layer on the weatherable clear coat film, and a discontinuous layer of indium islands deposited on the formable leveling layer, opposite said weatherable clear coat film. Also disclosed are methods of making such bright metallized formable film laminates.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and system for transformation of an electronic document through learning transformation rules during training from the original electronic document using visual user feedback and applying the learned transformation rules to either the original electronic document or a second electronic document having a similar structure as the original document or all future instances of the original electronic document. Accordingly, the transformed document is customized to the user's preference learned during training. Preferably, the transformed document is created in a queriable form. For example, the original electronic document can be defined any type of mark-up language or electronic document generation language, such as Hypertext mark-up language (HTML), extended mark-up language (XML), portable data file (PDF) or Microsoft ® Word, and the like and the transformed document is defined in a queriable language such as (XML) views and the like.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for forming a bright metallized laminate. In one aspect, the method includes press polishing a polyvinylidene difluoride-containing film, either before or after the deposition of a discontinuous layer of indium islands, so that the polyvinylidene difluoride-containing film becomes microscopically smooth. In another aspect, the method includes applying a thermoplastic leveling layer to a polyvinylidene difluoride-containing film and thereafter depositing a discontinuous layer of indium islands upon the thermoplastic leveling layer.

Abstract: A bright metallized laminate is disclosed that includes a polyvinylidene difluoride-acrylic film having microscopically smooth surfaces, a discontinuous layer of indium islands deposited on the polyvinylidene difluoride-acrylic film, an adhesive layer bonded to the surface of the discontinuous indium layer opposite the polyvinylidene difluoride-acrylic film, and a thermoplastic backing layer bonded to the adhesive layer opposite the discontinuous layer of indium islands. An associated method is disclosed for forming the bright metallized laminate that includes the steps of casting a polyvinylidene difluoride-acrylic film to a polymeric substrate, depositing a discontinuous layer of indium islands upon the polyvinylidene difluoride-acrylic film, placing a polymeric film onto the discontinuous layer of indium islands, and press polishing the polyvinylidene difluoride-acrylic film and the discontinuous indium layer. The polyvinylidene difluoride-acrylic film demonstrates a roughness average (RA) of about 0.

Abstract: An automated telephone system includes a telephone terminal for communicating with a remote party over a telephone line; a storage device for storing a plurality of pre-recorded voice messages entered through said terminal; and a service controller connected to the telephone terminal and the storage device. The service controller is responsive to commands entered through the telephone terminal either to store spoken messages in said storage device and associate them with a unique identifier, or to access a selected one of the stored messages using its unique identifier and replay it over the telephone line to a remote party.

Abstract: A number of stand-alone devices are connected in a sequence in a predetermined order for reading information from a bus. The devices read information from the bus one at a time and in the predetermined order in response to a signal.

Abstract: A control register residing in a circuit chip stores a set of hardware parameters which exercise programmable control over circuits in the chip to allow for various critical hardware options. A plurality of chips and their control registers may be addressed and written individually by a processor through normal bus access. Each control register is permitted to be written only once, shortly after reset. A circuit, in response to a reset signal and a chip select signal, enables the individual control register for writing, and further, in response to a write strobe, latches data from the data bus into the register and soon afterwards ceases enabling the register for further writes.

Abstract: A control register residing in a circuit chip stores a set of hardware parameters which exercise programmable control over circuits in the chip to allow for various critical hardware options. A plurality of chips and their control registers may be addressed and written individually by a processor through normal bus access. Each control register is permitted to be written only once, shortly after reset. A circuit, in response to a reset signal and a chip select signal, enables the individual control register for writing, and further, in response to a write strobe, latches data from the data bus into the register and soon afterwards ceases enabling the register for further writes.

Abstract: A bus-oriented integrated circuit chip containing devices such as Receive and Transmit FIFO's further includes a testing circuit for testing normally inaccessible internal nodes in a FIFO device. The testing circuit includes test mode control register for storing the externally supplied test addresses of selected internal nodes of a FIFO device. A decoder, responding to a test command from a host microprocessor, selects the test addresses from the test mode control register and supplies them instead of other addresses to an internal address bus. A test decoder responds only to the test addresses on the internal address bus for enabling the transfer of data between the selected internal nodes and a data bus, thereby enabling bus access of the normally inaccessible internal nodes of a FIFO device.

Abstract: A peripheral device containing a control circuit with internal timing which enables it to independently adjust the timing of an interrupt acknowledge cycle. The circuit senses a timing signal from the CPU and asserts a control signal to suspend the operation of the CPU for a predetermined period of time. The predetermined period of time is customized to the peripheral so that when the CPU is re-activated and reads from the bus, a valid interrupt vector will have been put out by the peripheral.

Abstract: A universal bus interface compatible with a number of different bus interface protocols is disclosed. In any given application, the control lines carrying signals by a processor are connected to the appropriate interface signal pins of the bus interface with all unused interface signal pins tied to their inactive level. The bus interface derives a strobe signal from the timing information carried by the control lines from the processor. The strobe signal derived by the interface controls data flow within a peripheral device or data flow between a peripheral device and a processor without the aid of any clock signals. A NAND-gate is used in the interface to derive the strobe signal from processor control signals. The NAND-gate comprises a number of inverters arranged in parallel each located close to an interface input pin to eliminate the need for any logic for driving the gate. The outputs of the inverters are connected to a common node to provide the strobe signal.

Abstract: The testing circuit for testing internal nodes of a device includes storage for storing the test addresses of selected internal nodes in the device. A decoder responds to a test command from a microprocessor for selecting the test addresses from the storage and supplies the test addresses to an address bus in place of other addresses supplied to the address bus. A test decoder responds only to the test addresses on the address bus for enabling the transfer of data between the selected internal nodes in the data bus for testing the selected internal nodes.

Abstract: A portable cleaning container for use with a conventional mop and wringer for cleaning floors and other surfaces. The container includes a bucket with a drain opening formed through the bucket floor and closable by an elastomeric stopper supported on the end of a threaded drive rod extending through a threaded bore formed through a drive rod mount attached to the inside of the bucket within a stopper drive recess formed in the wall of the bucket and extending vertically from the floor of the bucket above the drain opening. A filter recess is formed in portions of the upper surface of the bucket floor to receive an interior filter having a planar portion that extends across the filter recess and a semitubular portion that extends about lower portions of the stopper drive recess to enclose the entrance of the drain opening to the bucket interior. Troughs in the planar portion of the interior filter and corrugations in the floor of the bucket adjacent the filter recess trap detritus when the bucket is drained.

Abstract: A portable cleaning container for use with a conventional mop and wringer for cleaning floors and other surfaces. The container includes a bucket with a drain opening formed through the bucket floor and closable by an elastomeric stopper supported on the end of a threaded drive rod extending through a threaded bore formed through a drive rod mount attached to the inside of the bucket within a stopper drive recess formed in the wall of the bucket and extending vertically from the floor of the bucket above the drain opening. A filter recess is formed in portions of the upper surface of the bucket floor to receive an interior filter having a planar portion that extends across the filter recess and a semitubular portion that extends about lower portions of the stopper drive recess to enclose the entrance of the drain opening to the bucket interior. Troughs in the planar portion of the interior filter and corrugations in the floor of the bucket adjacent the filter recess trap detritus when the bucket is drained.

Abstract: An improved portable cleaning station for use with a conventional mop device and wringer device to clean floors and other surfaces. The portable cleaning station comprises a bucket assembly for containing a cleaning solution and having a drain opening formed in its lowermost portion; a valve assembly supported by the bucket assembly so as to communicate with the drain opening and selectively opening and closing the drain opening; and a filter assembly supported by the bucket assembly, the filter assembly selectively movable between an extended position (wherein a filtering element is disposed below the valve assembly and in a filter relationship therewith) and a retracted position (wherein the filtering element is disposed in a protected position beneath the bucket assembly).