Abstract: An aldehyde composition derived by hydroformylation of a transesterified seed oil and containing a mixture of formyl-substituted fatty acids or fatty acid esters having the following composition by weight: greater than about 10 to less than about 95 percent monoformyl, greater than about 1 to less than about 65 percent diformyl, and greater than about 0.1 to less than about 10 percent triformyl-substituted fatty acids or fatty acid esters, and having a diformyl to triformyl weight ratio of greater than about 5/1; preferably, greater than about 3 to less than about 20 percent saturates; and preferably, greater than about 1 to less than about 20 percent unsaturates.

Abstract: The boiler nose or arch of a furnace projects into the upwardly flowing flue gas to form a restricted passage. Overfire air is introduced into the cavity or plenum of the boiler nose and flows to injection ports along the inclined surface of the boiler nose to provide overfire air for penetration into and mixing with the flue gases in the restricted flue gas passage.

Abstract: An olefin metathesis process involving contacting an unsaturated fatty acid ester or unsaturated fatty acid, such as methyloleate or oleic acid, with a lower olefin, preferably ethylene, in the presence of a metathesis catalyst so as to prepare a first product olefin, preferably, a reduced chain ?-olefin, such as methyl-9-decenoate or 9-decenoic acid, respectively. The metathesis catalyst contains ruthenium or osmium and a chelating ligand, preferably, a chelating ligand containing a carbene moiety and a second donor moiety of a Group 15 or 16 element Optionally, the catalyst can be supported on a catalyst support, such as, a cross-linked polymeric resin.

Abstract: A portable printer includes a number of input devices mounted in the printer housing including a barcode scanner, keypad, communication interface in a receive mode and an RFID read/write module in a read mode. The portable printer also includes a number of output devices including a printing system, the communication interface in a transmit mode and the RFID read/write module in a write mode for writing to an external RFID chip. A processor selects received data from one or more of the input devices, manipulates the data and/or combines it with other data for an output device wherein the data selected for one output device may be different then the data selected for another output device.

Abstract: A pair of compact, energy-efficient, intelligent, wireless transceiver units are designed to replace the cable that interconnects a portable bar-code scanner, keyboard, and display or other host to a portable bar-code printer or the like. When reset, the units exchange linkage packets and thereby exchange addresses. Thereafter, the two units communicate in an error-free fashion with each other, even in the presence of noise and interference, by exchanging addressed packets containing error detection information. Alternate transmission frequencies are selected when transmissions cannot be received at one frequency. The host unit may maintain independent linkages with multiple printers or the like, with a switch on the host unit selecting the desired printer. Power usage is minimized by shutting down transmitters, receivers, serial port drivers, and microprocessors whenever possible, and for extended periods when data is not being transmitted.

Abstract: A hand held labeler is programmable to operate in accordance with a sequence of commands forming an application program that is downloaded to the labeler and stored in a random access memory. Each command is associated with a command routine selected from a set of command routines that is stored in a read only memory. The commands of the application program and associated command routines are executed by a microprocessor of the labeler to perform flexible data collection, data manipulation and label printing operations.

Abstract: A hand held labeler is programmable to operate in accordance with a sequence of commands forming an application program that is downloaded to the labeler and stored in a random access memory. Each command is associated with a command routine selected from a set of command routines that is stored in a read only memory. The commands of the application program and associated command routines are executed by a microprocessor of the labeler to perform flexible data collection, data manipulation and label printing operations.

Abstract: A vending machine includes a refrigeration compartment, an oven compartment, structure for transferring a food product from the refrigeration compartment to the oven compartment, and structure for transferring the food product from the oven compartment to a user of the vending machine. The vending machine provides automated handling and cooking of packaged food products that enables a hot cooked food to be delivered to a customer in a cool package sleeve. The vending machine also includes a system for inventory control that enables vertical storage of packaged food products while minimizing crushing of packaged food products at the bottom of a stack. A magazine empty indicator automatically indicates when an inventory magazine is empty. An oven door latch mechanism eliminates the possibility that the oven can be operated while the oven door is open.

Abstract: The hand-held apparatus of the present invention includes an integral printer and measuring device so that measurement information obtained from the measuring device may be automatically printed, used to determine additional information to be printed such as price information, or merely displayed. A measuring wheel having detectable marks disposed about the periphery thereof is rotatably mounted on the housing of the apparatus in proximity to a sensor that detects the marks. This sensor is positioned on the housing to not only detect the marks on the measuring wheel but to also detect the presence or absence of a label dispensed from the housing so as to provide an on-demand printing mode of operation. A controller is responsive to the sensor in the on-demand mode of operation for controlling a printhead to print on a supply when the previously printed supply has been removed from the apparatus.

Abstract: A microprocessor controlled thermal printer particularly usable in a hand-held labeler for printing labels on a composite web detects indices on the web and utilizes the detected indices to position the labels relative to the print head. The printer utilizes an improved index detection system that compensates for variations in index size and density and for variations in sensor sensitivity by detecting both the leading and trailing edges of an index and utilizing the distance between the detected leading and trailing edges to determine the length of the index. By dividing the length thus determined by two, and by advancing the web by this amount after the detection of the leading edge of an index, the center of the index can be accurately located, and the web can be accurately registered at any desired position relative to the center of the index.

Abstract: A hand held labeler is programmable to operate in accordance with a sequence of commands forming an application program that is downloaded to the labeler and stored in a random access memory. Each command is associated with a command routine selected from a set of command routines that is stored in a read only memory. The commands of the application program and associated command routines are executed by a microprocessor of the labeler to perform flexible data collection, data manipulation and label printing operations.

Abstract: A host communication message manager of a local bar code data processing and printing system allows one or more host processing systems to communicate with the local system to control the maintenance of data including bar code data stored in the local processing system. The host communication message manager also allows one or more host processing systems to communicate with the local system to control the printing of data including bar code data stored in the local system on a bar code printer coupled thereto. The host communication message manager allows both a host processing system in the form of a main frame computer as well as a host processing system in the form of a hand held labeler with data collection capabilities to communicate with the local bar code data processing and printing system to provide an integrated system for data collection, bar code printing and labeling.

Abstract: A label dispenser in the form of a hand held labeler is shown that is selectively operable in a number of dispense modes. The dispense modes include an on-demand mode in which labels are automatically printed and dispensed as previously printed labels are removed from the labeler. In a manual mode, the labeler is responsive to the manual actuation of a trigger switch to print and dispense a label. The labeler is also responsive to an on line trigger command received from a host device to print and dispense a label. Further, a strip mode allows strips of labels to be automatically printed on demand or in response to the actuation of the trigger switch. An on-demand sensor is employed to detect the presence or absence of a label dispensed from the labeler in the on-demand modes. Further, the quantity of labels or strips of labels automatically dispensed in the on-demand modes may be limited to a specified quantity.

Abstract: A printer for printing serial bar codes on a web of record members with a thermal print head is shown. The thermal print head is driven by a series of pulses having a constant duty cycle for each row of information printed. However, the number of pulses in the series is varied from row to row, in accordance with the status of the current row being printed as a bar row or a space row; with the status of at least one row immediately preceding the current row and at least one row immediately succeeding the current row; and with the number of bar rows previously printed. By varying the number of pulses applied to the thermal print head and thus the amount of energy applied thereto, discontinuities in the serial bar code and any information, such as a human readable character, printed adjacent thereto are minimized.

Abstract: A vending machine includes a refrigeration compartment, an oven compartment, structure for transferring a food product from the refrigeration compartment to the oven compartment, and structure for transferring the food product from the oven compartment to a user of the vending machine. The vending machine provides automated handling and cooking of packaged food products that enables a hot cooked food to be delivered to a customer in a cool package sleeve. The vending machine also includes a system for inventory control that enables vertical storage of packaged food products while minimizing crushing of packaged food products at the bottom of a stack. A magazine empty indicator automatically indicates when an inventory magazine is empty. An oven door latch mechanism eliminates the possibility that the oven can be operated while the oven door is open.

Abstract: A hand held labeler is programmable to operate in accordance with a sequence of commands forming an application program that is downloaded to the labeler and stored in a random access memory. Each command is associated with a command routine selected from a set of command routines that is stored in a read only memory. The commands of the application program and associated command routines are executed by a microprocessor of the labeler to perform flexible data collection, data manipulation and label printing operations.

Abstract: A program generator allows a user to create a software program capable of being executed by a remote labeler to control the printing of one or more labels and to control data collection operations thereof. The program generator stores a user entered sequence of commands selected from a set of commands that control label printing and data collection operations. The stored sequence of commands is validated in accordance with the program generator such that each command entered by the user is compared to a set of allowable commands to determine whether the command is valid or not. During the validation of each of the commands, the program generator determines whether the parameters of the command define allowable data manipulation operations to be performed by the labeler. If not, the program generator provides an error message that identifies the particular command and the error associated with the command.

Abstract: A method of improving the visibility of indicia marked into an optically clear surface is disclosed comprising marking a pattern of varying depths within the boundaries of the indicia.

Abstract: A printer having a number of optional features or operations is reconfigurable by software alone. The printer includes an EPROM that stores the software routines defining all of the optional operations of the printer. An EEPROM stores a jump table identifying each optional operation software routine as enabled or disabled. The information stored in the jump table for each enabled routine identifies the location at which the routine is stored in the EPROM; whereas, the information stored for each disabled routine includes a disable flag. The printer includes an interface which allows a new jump table to be downloaded from a personal computer into the EEPROM of the printer to enable disabled routines, to disable enabled routines, and to replace disabled routines by downloading a new routine into a RAM to thereby reconfigure the printer. A master jump table and sub-jump tables are provided to increase the efficiency of the reconfiguring operation.

Abstract: A printer for printing serial bar codes on a web of record members with a thermal print head is shown. The thermal print head is driven by a series of pulses having a constant duty cycle for each row of information printed. However, the number of pulses in the series is varied from row to row, in accordance with the status of the current row being printed as a bar row or a space row; with the status of at least one row immediately preceding the current row and at least one row immediately succeeding the current row; and with the number of bar rows previously printed. By varying the number of pulses applied to the thermal print head and thus the amount of energy applied thereto, discontinuities in the serial bar code and any information, such as a human readable character, printed adjacent thereto are minimized.