Abstract: A method of trading includes performing a transaction of a futures contract between a buyer and a seller. The futures contract is associated with at least one entertainment event and comprises a purchase price and a settlement date. The method concludes by performing a settlement of the futures contract based at least in part upon the purchase price and a value associated with the entertainment event at the settlement date. The entertainment event is associated with a security and the transaction of the futures contract is performed in conjunction with the issuance of the security to the seller.

Abstract: Inkjet printhead with an array of ejection chambers spaced in an array direction, each communicating with an ink orifice, inlet and outlet plenum chambers communicating with the ejection chambers, and inlet and outlet manifolds extending in the array direction and communicating with the plenum chambers through a porous sheet. While there are substantial net ink flows in the array direction in the inlet and the outlet manifolds, there is substantially no net flow in the array direction in the inlet or outlet plenum chamber. Ink pressure is therefore constant over the array of ejection chambers.

Abstract: An ink jet printer with ink flowing through an ink chamber and over an ink ejection port leading to a nozzle has a deflection surface such as a chamfer at the junction of the chamber and the ejection port to inhibit debris from entering the port.

Abstract: A hollow cylindrical support for a plurality of flow-through inkjet print heads has two folded wall sections cooperating to define elongate inlet and outlet ink manifolds, one wall section being thermally conducting so as to promote heat transfer along the length of the support, the other wall section being thermally insulating so as to inhibit heat transfer between the inlet and outlet manifolds. The thermally insulating section serves to trap a boundary layer of fluid, for example in a cavity wall or cellular material.

Abstract: An ink supply system for a droplet deposition apparatus wherein the pressure at the nozzle is controlled by a remote point, said remote point being positioned in parallel with said print head. The flow restrictions in the printhead arm and the pressure control arm of the circuit being selected to achieve this.

Abstract: Droplet deposition apparatus comprises an array of fluid chambers, each chamber communicating with an orifice for droplet ejection, a common fluid inlet manifold and a common fluid outlet manifold, and means for generating a fluid flow into the inlet manifold, through each chamber in the array and into the outlet manifold, the fluid flow through each chamber being sufficient to prevent foreign bodies in the fluid from lodging in the orifice. Each chamber is associated with means for effecting droplet ejection from the orifice simultaneously with the fluid flow through the chamber. The resistance to flow of one of the inlet and outlet manifolds is chosen such that the pressure at a fluid inlet to any chamber in the array varies between any two chambers by an amount less than that which would give rise to significant differences in droplet ejection properties between these two chambers.

Abstract: Data input to an ink jet printer is subjected to a transformation which is the inverse of a transformation representing the errors in ink drop placement which have been measured for that specific ink jet printer.

Abstract: An ink jet printer with ink flowing through an ink chamber and over an ink ejection port leading to a nozzle has a deflection surface such as a chamfer at the junction of the chamber and the ejection port to inhibit debris from entering the port.

Abstract: Data input to an ink jet printer is subjected to a transformation which is the inverse of a transformation representing the errors in ink drop placement which have been measured for that specific ink jet printer.

Abstract: A vacuum drum assembly for a printing machine has a drum with an array of passageways distributed along its length and around its periphery. The passageways permit air to flow from outside the drum to inside the drum in response to reduced air pressure inside the drum. The assembly also has an array of valve members, each valve member being movable between a closed position in which that valve member restricts at least one of the passageways and an open position in which the restriction of that passageway or those passageways is reduced. The assembly is arranged such that, when a partial area of the drum is wrapped with a sheet of material, at least some of the valves for the passageways adjacent the edges of that area are open, and the valves for the passageways which are not covered by the sheet and are not adjacent the edges of that area are closed.

Abstract: A vacuum drum assembly for a printing machine comprises a drum having an array of passageways distributed along its length and around its periphery to permit air to flow from outside the drum to inside the drum in response to reduced air pressure inside the drum, and an array of valve members, each valve member being movable between a closed position in which that valve member restricts at least one of the passageways and an open position in which the restriction of that passageway or those passageways is reduced. The arrangement is such that, when a partial area of the drum is wrapped with a sheet of material, at least some of the valves for the passageways adjacent the edges of that area are open, and the valves for the passageways which are not covered by the sheet and are not adjacent the edges of that area are closed. The open area of the drum is regulated such that it is small in regions where there is no paper.

Abstract: A vacuum drum assembly for a printing machine has a drum with an array of passageways distributed along its length and around its periphery to permit airflow from outside the drum to inside the drum in response to reduced air pressure inside the drum. An array of valves are movable between a closed position in which that valve restricts at least one of the passageways and an open position in which the restriction of the same passageways is reduced. When a partial area of the drum is wrapped with a sheet of material, at least some of the passageway valves adjacent the edges of that area are open, and the valves for the passageways not covered by the sheet and not adjacent the edges of that area are closed. The drum open area is regulated to be small in regions where there is no paper. Accordingly, the open area of the drum is adapted to the paper shape and size and the paper position on the drum, while minimizing the required suction flow.

Abstract: Droplet deposition apparatus comprises an array of fluid chambers, each chamber communicating with an orifice for droplet ejection, a common fluid inlet manifold and a common fluid outlet manifold, and means for generating a fluid flow into the inlet manifold, through each chamber in the array and into the outlet manifold, the fluid flow through each chamber being sufficient to prevent foreign bodies in the fluid from lodging in the orifice. Each chamber is associated with means for effecting droplet ejection from the orifice simultaneously with the fluid flow through the chamber. The resistance to flow of one of the inlet and outlet manifolds is chosen such that the pressure at a fluid inlet to any chamber in the array varies between any two chambers by an amount less than that which would give rise to significant differences in droplet ejection properties between these two chambers.

Abstract: An ink supply system for a continuous ink jet printer gun body must allow solvent to be added during printing, and known systems are complex, requiring a pair of pumps, the output pressure of at least one of which is critical. Accordingly, to overcome these problems, an ink supply system for such a printer comprises a pump (9) for pressurising ink and air received from a gutter (8) of the printhead to a pressure above that required for ejection of the ink from the gun body (10) and an ink reservoir (1) from which fresh ink may be fed to the pump (9). The system has first (12) and second (19) chambers in combination with air space (13) and valves (14,15,25), provided for maintaining pressurised air above ink in the first chamber (12) and for controlling the pressure of air above ink in the second chamber (19). Conduit (21) is provided for supplying ink from the second chamber (19) to the printhead.

Abstract: A printhead for a continuous ink jet printer has a body with a circular recess in an end face thereof. A circular piezoelectric transducer is disposed in the recess so as to provide a short ink chamber adjacent the face of the body and the piezoelectric transducer is arranged to expand and contract in the direction of its axis when an excitation voltage is applied to it. An ink feed channel connects with the recess for feeding ink to the ink chamber and a nozzle plate is detachably mounted on the end face of the body to eject ink under pressure when the piezoelectric transducer is actuated.

Abstract: A liquid heating system, for example a central heating system, including a heat store in the form of a stack of bricks heated to a relatively high temperature by electric heating elements embedded in the bricks and energized by off-peak electricity is thermally connected to a vessel containing the liquid to be heated by a controllable heat pipe. The heat pipe includes an evaporator zone in thermal contact with the heat store and a condenser zone in thermal contact with the vessel, which could be a water tank. The zones are joined by at least one duct to form a hermetically sealed unit containing a small quantity of a volatile liquid which, in use, is a totally evaporated in the evaporator zone so that the rate of heat transfer to the condenser zone from the evaporator zone is determined by the return flow rate of condensed volatile liquid to the evaporator zone.