Abstract: The present invention is a method that enables a business with multiple locations within a LATA to use a single number for its service. All callers dial the same number to reach the subscriber's business, and a network routes the calls to the most appropriate subscriber location based on the geographic location of the caller, time of day, day of week, and/or percent distribution among subscriber locations. The geographic location of the caller is determined using the calling party number (NPA-NXX-XXXX) and either mapping this number to a wire center (using the NPA-NXX) or to a block group (using the entire NPA-NXX-XXXX). An advantage of Area Number Calling is the granularity of block group routing. Block groups are defined by the Census Bureau and typically encompass a much smaller geographic area than a wire center. Block groups are defined by the Census Bureau for the entire United States. Block groups tend to encompass four to twelve blocks, and they honor natural boundaries, like rivers.

Abstract: A streamlined housing for supporting a multi-dimensional electromagnetic transducer array is attached to an aircraft fuselage via a pivot support. The streamlined housing is supported by the pivot support in a torsionally unrestrained manner allowing a plane containing the longitudinal axis and pivot axis of the housing to remain substantially parallel to the plane of an incident airstream. Static aeroelastic stability is provided by mounting to the aft portion of the streamlined housing one or more rigidly attached stabilizer fins. Dynamic aeroelastic stability is provided by incorporating within the streamlined housing an adjustable ballast weight.

Abstract: A passive load mitigation system for supporting transducers on a body moving through a fluid stream is described. According to the invention, a streamlined aerodynamic surface for supporting the transducers is attached to the body via a pivot axis. The axis supports the surface in a torsionally unrestrained manner in at least one rotational degree of freedom about the pivot axis. Therefore, as the body moves through the fluid stream, the surface remains substantially parallel to the plane of the stream. Aerodynamic stability is ensured by forming the surface with substantially trapezoidal or parallelogram shaped sidewalls and by mounting the surface on the pivot axis such that the surface's aerodynamic center is located downstream of the pivot axis. Flutter is prevented or substantially reduced by increasing the surface's bending stiffness or by incorporating ballast weights on a tip pod attached to a portion of the surface.

Abstract: A method for quickly conditioning a mass of tobacco uniformly throughout the mass with steam for the purpose of moisturizing and heating the tobacco evenly throughout.A probe is provided to be inserted within the mass of tobacco for drawing a vacuum while steam is applied to the tobacco mass.A temperature sensor is mounted on the probe to indicate the temperature of inner mass of tobacco.Steam is applied until a desired temperature is sensed at the sensor. The application of steam is continued at that temperature for a period adequate to moisturize and sterilize the tobacco throughout.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a multiple line telephone instrument operative over a pair of data conductors and a pair of speech conductors using time division principles. The data pair transmits line condition signaling and control using an asynchronous sixteen bit binary code while the speech and dialing information is sent over the speech pair of conductors in standard analog format for translation to PCM code within the system (not shown herein). Line condition signaling between an instrument and its group logic circuit or group processor is in parallel over the data pair. Incoming line condition signaling information is used to generate an audible signal and to illuminate a selected lamp representing the desired line. Outgoing line condition signaling is encoded in diphase code using a square wave of a second frequency to represent a binary zero. The outgoing encoding ensures that only one or the other binary signal is sent and to ensure that the signals are sent in diphase mode.

Abstract: A digital display updated by inputs from a manual control having a plurality of tactile detents. A counter is loaded with a predetermined number and then decremented at a fixed rate until the number reaches one. The fixed rate is either the program cycle time of a microprocessor embodiment or the clock time of a circuit embodiment. Whenever a detent of the control is detected, the then current value of the counter is added to or subtracted from the display and the counter is again loaded with the predetermined number.