Abstract: The present application provides an automated beverage dispenser for use with a number of cups. The automated beverage dispenser may include a carousel with a number of shelves, a first actuator such that first actuator may maneuver the shelves in a first direction, a second actuator positioned adjacent to the carousel, and a gripper positioned on the second actuator such that the second actuator may maneuver one of the cups by the gripper in a second direction to one of the shelves of the carousel.

Abstract: A cuff for providing compression to a limb includes an outer wall joined to an inner wall to form a bladder, the bladder being provided with means to separate the walls to maintain a path for fluid flow into and out of the bladder characterized in that the separating means are a spacer provided on the interior of at least one wall, which separates the walls when the bladder is deflated.

Abstract: A method (20) is described for optically measuring the three-dimensional location of one or more wires W, in a group of wires W1-Wn, such a overhead power cables in an electric rail system. A first step (22) comprises obtaining stereoscopic image data for each of the wires W from the first and second spaced apart stereoscopic camera pairs 10a and 10b which lie in the common plane P1. At step (24), image data from the first and second stereoscopic camera pairs 10a and 10b is processed to identify each of the wires W in the region of interest (12). At step (26), a determination is made of the location in 3D space of selected identified wires W using image data from one of the cameras C1 or C2; and, C3 or C4 in each of the first and second camera pairs 10a and 10b.

Abstract: The present application provides a rotary carbonator for use with a beverage dispensing system. The rotary carbonator may include an off-center carbonator chamber, a rotor positioned within the off-center carbonator chamber, and a number of vanes extending from the rotor. The vanes may define within the off-center carbonator chamber a first number of vane cavities with an increasing area and a second number of vane cavities with a decreasing area. A water inlet and a gas inlet may be positioned about the first vane cavities and a carbonated water outlet may be positioned about the second vane cavities.

Abstract: It is desirable for a fragment shader to have access to non-interpolated values for each vertex of the primitive in which the fragment is located. For example, a fragment shader may use the distortion of the primitive with respect to an original state of the primitive as part of the function the fragment shader performs. Due to the specification of fragment shaders and vertex shaders, fragments shaders receive only interpolated values, and thus cannot receive non-interpolated values of, for example, one solution to this problem would be to modify the processing engine for the shader language, and the shader specifications themselves, so that a fragment shader can receive non-interpolated values from the vertices of the primitive on which the fragment is located. Desirable values to receive would be at least the vertex coordinates. Another solution is to specify and use varyings in a manner that pass data to a fragment shader that permit the fragment shader to reconstruct the non-interpolated values.

Abstract: A tap for sterilising water, the tap comprising an inlet, a source of ultraviolet radiation, a sterilisation zone and an outlet, the outlet consisting of one aperture through which the water exits the device, wherein the source of UV radiation is positioned in the sterilisation zone such that substantially all of the internal surfaces of the outlet portion can be directly irradiated by the source of ultraviolet radiation, and wherein the source of ultraviolet radiation and the aperture are arranged such that no ultraviolet radiation can be transmitted directly from the source of ultraviolet radiation through the aperture to leave the device.

Abstract: A network-based energy management system may identify an area that exhibits a need for electrical energy. The network-based energy management system may also identify an area that exhibits an ability to provide electrical energy. The network-based energy management system may cause electrical energy to be routed from the second area to the first area. In some embodiments, the first area and the second area may include base stations that are electrically connected to one another by one or more energy conduits, which may include superconducting wires so as to minimize transmission losses between base stations and their respective areas.

Abstract: The present application provides a beverage dispenser for mixing a flow of concentrate, a flow of water, and a flow of gas. The beverage dispenser may include a carbonator with a water input in communication with the flow of water, a gas input in communication with the flow of gas, a carbonated water output, and a chilling reservoir in communication with the flow of water, and a dispensing nozzle in communication with the flow of concentrate and a flow of carbonated water from the carbonated water output of the carbonator.

Abstract: A compression device for the foot comprising: a wrap adapted to surround the foot, the wrap comprising at least two bladders which when inflated conform to the shape of the foot to provide compression, the bladders being positioned on the wrap so that a first bladder focuses compression on the heel of the foot and a second bladder focuses compression on the arch of the foot; a channel attached to each bladder for independently delivering fluid to each bladder; and a controller attached to the channels that generates and independently controls the flow of fluid to the bladders.

Abstract: A network-based energy management system may identify an area that exhibits a need for electrical energy. The network-based energy management system may also identify an area that exhibits an ability to provide electrical energy. The network-based energy management system may cause electrical energy to be routed from the second area to the first area. In some embodiments, the first area and the second area may include base stations that are electrically connected to one another by one or more energy conduits, which may include superconducting wires so as to minimize transmission losses between base stations and their respective areas.

Abstract: The present application provides an automated beverage dispenser for use with a number of cups. The automated beverage dispenser may include a carousel with a number of shelves, a first actuator such that first actuator may maneuver the shelves in a first direction, a second actuator positioned adjacent to the carousel, and a gripper positioned on the second actuator such that the second actuator may maneuver one of the cups by the gripper in a second direction to one of the shelves of the carousel.

Abstract: A compression device for the foot comprising: a wrap adapted to surround the foot, the wrap comprising at least two bladders which when inflated conform to the shape of the foot to provide compression, the bladders being positioned on the wrap so that a first bladder focuses compression on the heel of the foot and a second bladder focuses compression on the arch of the foot; a channel attached to each bladder for independently delivering fluid to each bladder; and a controller attached to the channels that generates and independently controls the flow of fluid to the bladders.

Abstract: A method (20) is described for optically measuring the three-dimensional location of one or more wires W, in a group of wires W1-Wn, such a overhead power cables in an electric rail system. A first step (22) comprises obtaining stereoscopic image data for each of the wires W from the first and second spaced apart stereoscopic camera pairs 10a and 10b which lie in the common plane P1. At step (24), image data from the first and second stereoscopic camera pairs 10a and 10b is processed to identify each of the wires W in the region of interest (12). At step (26), a determination is made of the location in 3D space of selected identified wires W using image data from one of the cameras C1 or C2; and, C3 or C4 in each of the first and second camera pairs 10a and 10b.

Abstract: A method of magnetic crack depth prediction for a magnetisable component of a first geometry comprising determining a measure of remnant magnetic flux leakage for a section of the component and, converting the remnant magnetic flux leakage to a predicted crack depth for that section of the component using an empirically determined relationship between remnant magnetic flux leakage and crack depth for a previously tested in service component of the first geometry.

Abstract: A time dimension management system is provided for managing time dimension of a data analyzing system for analyzing data stored in a data store based on a time data structure. The time dimension management system comprises a date selector controller and a calendar coordinator. The date selector controller is provided for controlling a date selector that presents to a user a standard calendar and a business calendar. The date selector controller has a standard calendar manager for managing presentation of the standard calendar for allowing the user to select a date on the standard calendar, and a business calendar manager for managing presentation of the business calendar to represent the time data structure that the data analyzing system uses, and allowing the user to select a date on the business calendar. The calendar coordinator is provided for coordinating the standard calendar manager and the business calendar manager to indicate a selected date on the standard calendar and the business calendar.

Abstract: Protein-containing suspensions such as milk that are preserved by a UHT treatment, show age gelation. This age gelation can be reduced by inclusion of an emulsifier with an HLB value below 16.

Abstract: An operator graph representing three-dimensional animation can be analyzed to identify subgraphs of the operator graph in which operators are not required to operate in a serialized manner. Such a condition may arise, for example, when two operators are not dependent on each other for data. This condition may arise when the operators are operating on different elements in a scene. Such operators may be evaluated in parallel. To identify these operators, a dependency graph is created. The dependency graph indicates which operators have inputs that are dependent on outputs provided by other operators. Using this graph, operators that are independent of each other can be readily identified. These operators can be evaluated in parallel. In an interactive editing system for three-dimensional animation or other rich media, such an analysis of an operator graph would occur when changes are made to the animation.

Abstract: Systems and methods for sending secure reliable point to multi-point communication on any communication infrastructure. The infrastructure is not required to conform to any specifications other than to be capable of point to point communications. The system consists of a protocol that allows for Secure Reliable point to multi-point communications irregardless of the support for such communications. This invention does not rely on the Internet or ATM or any other point to point or point to multi-point communications infrastructure.

Abstract: Wrinkles are produced by computing directional stress, whether compression or stretching, for each pixel within each face of the mesh representing the skin, and then perturbing a surface normal based on the computed stress at each pixel in that face of the mesh. Directional stress at a given frame in an animation is determined, in general, by comparing the current state of the mesh at that frame (called a “current pose”) to the original state of the mesh (called a “rest pose”). An artist specifies a wrinkle pattern by defining a texture that is mapped to the surface, using conventional techniques. A gradient texture is created from this wrinkle texture by computing the gradient at each pixel in the wrinkle texture. For each location in a face of the surface, the vector from the gradient texture is mapped to the corresponding face of the rest pose skin model and the current pose skin model, to produce two surface vectors.

Abstract: Wind turbine blade includes a first blade part and a second blade part, the blade parts being bonded by bonding means forming a bond. To reduce peel stresses of the bond and reduce the risk of crack formation, an edge portion of the bond is covered by a low elastic modulus adhesive joint bridging a gap between the first blade part and the second blade part.