Abstract: A movable barrier operator mounts to a ceiling or a wall of a garage. The movable barrier operator includes an operator housing with a motor configured to open and close a movable barrier. The movable barrier operator also includes an LED light source mounted to the housing, a light cover, and a light distributing element. The light cover has several side surfaces that surround or covers the light source. The light distributing element mounts relative to the light source and is configured to scatter light projected by the LED light source so that some of the scattered light is directed toward one or more of the side surfaces of the light cover.

Abstract: An electrical fixture includes an electrical fixture housing having a mounting surface, an electrical connector disposed on the mounting surface, and an electrical fixture support. A corresponding cover plate includes an electrical connector configured to electrically connect to hot and neutral lines from a junction box and the corresponding electrical connector disposed on the mounting surface of the electrical fixture. An electrical fixture ground connection separate from the fixture electrical connector electrically connects to an electrical ground from the junction box.

Abstract: An electrical fixture includes an electrical fixture housing having a mounting surface, an electrical connector disposed on the mounting surface, and an electrical fixture support. A corresponding cover plate includes an electrical connector configured to electrically connect to hot and neutral lines from a junction box and the corresponding electrical connector disposed on the mounting surface of the electrical fixture. An electrical fixture ground connection separate from the fixture electrical connector electrically connects to an electrical ground from the junction box.

Abstract: A new method of soldering electronic components to printed circuit boards includes a layer of electrical traces with solder pad locations on the top layer. The printed circuit board also includes a series of electrical traces and high electrical resistivity components disposed adjacent to the solder pads. The process for attaching surface mount components includes at least the following steps: applying solder material to the solder pad locations, placing electronic components on the solder material applied to the solder pads, applying an electrical current to the electrical traces connected to the high electrical resistivity components disposed in proximity to the solder pads. This results in highly localized heat generation via Joule heating in the high resistivity electrical components. The electrical current is maintained long enough to heat the solder material to above its reflow temperature.

Abstract: A new method for chromaticity control in light fixtures in which the chromaticity of the light source in the fixture changes with temperature. Chromaticity variations in the light output of the fixture may be minimized by using thermochromic materials incorporated into various optical elements. As the temperature of the light source changes, the optical elements experience similar temperature changes. Changes in reflectance spectrum or transmission spectrum of the thermochromic optical elements modify the chromatic output of the light source in a manner to reduce the chromaticity of the light emitted by the fixture. This is a passive process that requires no additional control electronics or feedback. The method has particular advantages when used with so-called hybrid white light emitting diode products which include a nominally white light emitting diode and a red light emitting diode.

Abstract: Optical extraction efficiencies for GaN based light emitting diodes may be improved by forming titanium dioxide inclusions in a sapphire based substrate. These inclusions increase optical scattering of light that has been injected into the sapphire, thereby improving overall performance of the light emitting diode. A portion of the titanium dioxide inclusions may extend to one or more surfaces of the sapphire. Selective etching may be performed on the surface of the sapphire prior to epitaxial growth of the GaN based light emitting diode. This allows formation of a textured sapphire surface in a single process step without the use of photolithography. This process step as well as additional selective etching of exposed titanium dioxide on other surfaces of sapphire may be performed to further increase LED performance.

Abstract: A composite heat sink with improved mechanical strength and thermal conductivity can be made using a printed circuit board with machined recesses on the back side. The printed circuit board is mated to a heat sink with surface features that match the machined side of the printed circuit board. A thin layer of thermally conductive material such as a gap filler pad, thermal grease, thermal gel, thermal epoxy or the like may be added between the printed circuit board and the heat sink prior to joining them together. Mechanical attachments such as screws, rivets and snap features may be used to form the printed circuit board and the heat sink into a single composite structure. The machined recesses in the printed circuit board are machined from the areas under and near surface mount components that generate a significant amount of heat. This reduces the thickness of printed circuit board material under the surface mount components and significantly improves thermal conduction.

Abstract: A method is provided in one example and includes determining an occurrence of an exception to a predetermined cadence associated with an input stream of a profile; determining a shifted cadence based, at least in part, on the exception; receiving an indication of a key frame in the profile; determining that the key frame aligns with the shifted cadence; designating the key frame as a boundary point based, at least in part, on the shifted cadence; and communicating the boundary point.

Abstract: A light guide projects light in an asymmetric pattern. The light guide is installable with respect to a light emitting diode (“LED”) and extends along an optic axis. The light guide projects light with respect to first and second parallel projection planes that are parallel to and disposed on opposite sides of an optic axis. The light guide includes an optic body that extends along the optic axis. The light guide has a proximal end surface configured to receive light from an LED. The light guide also has a distal end surface configured to distribute light emitted by the light emitting diode. The distal end surface can take on various shapes, patterns, and configurations to distribute light asymmetrically with respect to the first and second parallel projection planes.

Abstract: A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes generating a key associated with a virtual asset associated with content to be provided to a client device, where the key indicates at least one parameter for accessing the content; generating the virtual asset; receiving a request for the content; identifying a format being requested for the content; using the virtual asset to identify common format content to be retrieved and to identify the key; using the key to retrieve the common format content; and transforming the common format content such that it can be delivered to the client device in the format that was requested.

Abstract: A method is provided in one example and includes receiving common format media including timed metadata associated with a timed metadata event. The method further includes extracting timed metadata information from the timed metadata, and generating a manifest corresponding to the common format media including the timed metadata information. The timed metadata information includes an indicator of a start time and an indicator of a duration of the timed metadata event. The method further includes generating a common format asset including the manifest.

Abstract: A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes receiving, at a virtual server, a request for video content from a client device; identifying a policy for a set of transform sessions; accessing a resource monitor in order to evaluate current load conditions associated with the virtual server; and determining an action to take based on the current load conditions.

Abstract: A method is provided in one example and includes receiving media content including timed metadata, generating a common format asset including the timed metadata and a timed metadata index including at least one reference point corresponding to the common format asset. Each reference point includes state context information of the timed metadata at a particular instance of time. The method may further include receiving a request for the timed metadata from a particular client device, and retrieving a determined amount of the timed metadata from the common format asset using the timed metadata index. In a particular example, the determined amount of the timed metadata is an amount sufficient to display a current timed metadata context corresponding to the request.

Abstract: A method is provided in one example and includes receiving first synchronization information associated with a first encapsulated output, receiving second synchronization information associated with a second encapsulated output, and determining whether the first encapsulated output and the second encapsulated output are in synchronization based upon the first synchronization information and the second synchronization information. The method may further include, when the first encapsulated output and the second encapsulated output are determined to out of synchronization, generating corrected synchronization information, and sending the corrected synchronization information to an encapsulator generating at least one of the first encapsulated output and the second encapsulated output.

Abstract: A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes receiving a request for video content from a client device and accessing a common format representation for a requested chunk within the video content. The common format representation is provided in one or more files that include metadata indicative of one or more counters. The method can also include using the common format representation in conjunction with a deterministic equation to identify a predicted size of an output to be sent to the client device; and using the predicted size of the output to initiate transmitting at least a portion of a response to the client.

Abstract: An electrical fixture includes an electrical fixture housing having a mounting surface, an electrical connector disposed on the mounting surface, and an electrical fixture support. A corresponding cover plate includes an electrical connector configured to electrically connect to hot and neutral lines from a junction box and the corresponding electrical connector disposed on the mounting surface of the electrical fixture. An electrical fixture ground connection separate from the fixture electrical connector electrically connects to an electrical ground from the junction box.

Abstract: Optimizations for rapid channel changes may be provided. In response to a channel change request, rate shaping may be used to provide a unicast packet stream at a first transmission rate for a first time interval before reducing the rate of the unicast packet stream to a lower transmission rate for a second time interval. During the second time interval, a multicast packet stream may be joined and the video frames associated with the unicast packet stream, which may lag behind the multicast packet stream, and the multicast packet stream may be synchronized.

Abstract: An actuator assembly (10) including a motor (1) having a body portion (14) and a drive shaft (16), the drive shaft being drivably connected to a pinion (18), the pinion drivingly engaging an array of gear teeth (20) of a gear rack (22) the array of gear teeth having a first side (21) adjacent the motor, in which the gear rack is pivotally mounted via a pivot about a pivot axis (25A) on said first side (21) of the array of gear teeth (20).

Abstract: An electro-mechanical latch mechanism of a lock includes a latch claw that can move to close and release the latch mechanism and a pawl adapted to keep the latch claw in a closed position. Cooperating means have a point of action that can be operated on by a release lever, as well as a point of action that can be operated on by an electric motor. The pawl is linked to the latch claw by a unidirectional linkage that can be coupled-in and coupled-out electrically. Starting out from this core design, a whole range of locks can be built up by a suitable choice of release levers and electric motors and by suitable programming of the electric motor for coupling in and coupling out the unidirectional linkage between the pawl and the latch claw.

Abstract: A latch assembly is constructed from a plurality of modular sub-assemblies, such as a retention module sub-assembly, a release module sub-assembly, and an actuator module sub-assembly. Each of the sub-assemblies may incorporate various functional characteristics, such as motorized operation. Combining sub-assemblies having different functions allows construction of different latch assemblies while taking advantage of common sub-assembly parts, eliminating the need to construct completely new latch assembly designs to accommodate different functions.