Abstract: An outdoor swimming pool underwater aquatic-bug trap comprising a container having opaque sidewalls, a rear wall, an inward tapering front wall composed of a material that allows for the passage of light therethough, an aquatic-bug holding chamber, an aquatic-bug entry orifice located in the front wall of the container, mounting means for mounting the container underwater to a wall of an outdoor swimming pool, and an aquatic-bug attracting light source for emitting light into the container to attract aquatic-bugs through the aquatic-bug entry orifice and into the aquatic-bug holding chamber.

Abstract: An apparatus (10) for coupling a monobore riser or lubricator system (11) to a dual bore (12) subsea well, the apparatus has a rotatable bore selector (30) within a housing (20). The bore selector has at least one conduit (35) to provide through bore communication between the riser bore or lubricator (11) and selectively at least one or other of main (60) and annulus (70) bores in the dual bore (12) well. The bore selector in a first position connects the conduit between the riser or lubricator bore and the main bore, and in a second position connects the conduit between the riser or lubricator bore and the annulus bore. The rotatable selector can be offset or set at a tilt angle of up to ±5° with respect to the length of the apparatus.

Abstract: Remote cement plugging device (10) and method of use. The device has at least one means (60) for perforating at least one hole through a wall of a first well casing, and means to inject cement into an annulus between the inner well casing and a second well casing. The perforating means has at least one punch (65) actuated by compressed fluid (hydraulic, pneumatic) to form the hole(s), and thereafter the cement is delivered to the annulus between the inner and outer/intermediate casings to form the cement plug without the need to withdraw the device from the well casing.

Abstract: An apparatus (10) for coupling a monobore riser or lubricator system (11) to a dual bore (12) subsea well, the apparatus has a rotatable bore selector (30) within a housing (20). The bore selector has at least one conduit (35) to provide through bore communication between the riser bore or lubricator (11) and selectively at least one or other of main (60) and annulus (70) bores in the dual bore (12) well. The bore selector in a first position connects the conduit between the riser or lubricator bore and the main bore, and in a second position connects the conduit between the riser or lubricator bore and the annulus bore. The rotatable selector can be offset or set at a tilt angle of up to ±5° with respect to the length of the apparatus.

Abstract: Methods are provided in which reliance is placed on a first and second barrier respectively positioned in a well 10 to provide well control during well suspension, completion and/or workover operations. Each of the barriers is below the depth of the lowermost end of a completion string when that string is installed in the well. By not placing either barrier higher up in the well-bore, both of the barriers can remain in place during suspension and completion and workover operations, thus obviating the need to use a BOP stack to supplement well control. This results in a considerable saving in drill rig time and thus significantly reduces the cost of constructing a well.

Abstract: In the various methods of the present invention, reliance is placed on a first and second barrier 26 and 30 respectively positioned in a well 10 to provide well control during well suspension, completion and/or workover operations. Each of the barriers is below the depth of the lowermost end of a completion string when that string is installed in the well 10. By not placing either barrier higher up in the well-bore, both of the barriers can remain in place during suspension and completion and workover operations, thus obviating the need to use a BOP stack to supplement well control. This results in a considerable saving in drill rig time and thus significantly reduces the cost of constructing a well.

Abstract: A microelectronic assembly includes an integrated circuit die spaced apart from a substrate and connected by bump interconnections, and an polymeric encapsulant molded about the die. The encapsulant extends into the gap about the interconnections, but is confined to the perimeter so as to define an underchip optical window adjacent the central region of the die. The window allows optical access to the active face of the die, including to optical sensors thereon. During manufacture of the assembly, following attachment of the die on the substrate, a molding cavity is positioned about the die on the substrate. Polymeric material is injected into the cavity at a pressure effective to initiate flow into the gap about the solder bump interconnections. The pressure is then reduced to prevent flow of the polymeric material into the central region.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for measuring communications link quality provides accurate on-chip estimation of the difficulty of achieving a particular bit error rate (BER) for a communications link. A low cost/complexity accumulator circuit connected to internal signals from a clock/data recovery (CDR) circuit provides a measure of high frequency and low frequency jitter in a received signal. The low frequency jitter measurement is used to correct the high frequency jitter measurement which may otherwise contain error. The corrected output may be used to adjust operational characteristics of the link or otherwise evaluate the link for operating margin. The correction may be performed by subtracting a portion of the low frequency jitter measurement from the measured high frequency jitter, or the value of the low frequency jitter measurement may be used to select between two or more correction factors that are then applied to the high frequency jitter measurement.

Abstract: An electronic module adapted to sense light and configured to minimize the entry of stray light into the module. The module includes a housing having an opening through which light enters the housing, a first substrate coupled to the housing, a second substrate on the first substrate opposite the housing, and a chip on the second substrate. The first substrate defines a window aligned with the housing so that light traveling through the housing also passes through window. The second substrate defines an opening aligned with the window, and the chip is located over the opening in the second substrate so that a light-sensing element on the chip senses light passing through the opening. The module is equipped with features that prevent light from entering the module through the second substrate, the first substrate, and between the chip and second substrate.

Abstract: A microelectronic assembly includes an integrated circuit die spaced apart from a substrate and connected by bump interconnections, and an polymeric encapsulant molded about the die. The encapsulant extends into the gap about the interconnections, but is confined to the perimeter so as to define an underchip optical window adjacent the central region of the die. The window allows optical access to the active face of the die, including to optical sensors thereon. During manufacture of the assembly, following attachment of the die on the substrate, a molding cavity is positioned about the die on the substrate. Polymeric material is injected into the cavity at a pressure effective to initiate flow into the gap about the solder bump interconnections. The pressure is then reduced to prevent flow of the polymeric material into the central region.

Abstract: An object surface characterization system with adaptive lighting control includes a light projector, a light source, a camera, a processor and a memory subsystem. The processor is coupled to the light projector, the light source and the camera, as well as the memory subsystem. The memory subsystem stores code that, when executed by the processor, instructs the processor to perform a number of steps to achieve adaptive lighting control for the system.

Abstract: The invention relates to financial systems and methods for trading fixed return options on secondary markets such as stock exchanges. A financial system of the invention includes both an electronic order delivery and execution system and/or an on-floor trading auction, configured to provide an exchange-traded environment. The financial system also includes at least one fixed return option or binary option traded through an exchange's order delivery and execution system or on-floor trading auction, whereby such trading environment provides an open market.

Abstract: A sawguide assembly includes a set of sawguides positioned adjacent to one another to create an array of laterally-abutting sawguides. A sawguide biasing assembly biases the sawguides against one another. The array is supported for movement along a lateral path generally parallel to the axis of the arbor. A lateral driver is used to move the entire array in unison along the lateral path. A sawguide array skewing assembly couples the sawguides to one another so that the sawguides can be pivoted in unison about their respective pivot axes by a skewing driver.

Abstract: The present invention involves an optical sensor assembly including an optically transmissive substrate and an integrated circuit having an optical imaging element. The optically transmissive substrate includes an integral filter element and the integrated circuit includes an optical imaging element which is located on a face of the integrated circuit facing the substrate. The filter material may be dispersed, embedded, or otherwise formed within the substrate, or provided as a thin film layer on a surface of the substrate.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for measuring communications link quality provides accurate on-chip estimation of the difficulty of achieving a particular bit error rate (BER) for a communications link. A low cost/complexity accumulator circuit connected to internal signals from a clock/data recovery (CDR) circuit provides a measure of high frequency and low frequency jitter in a received signal. The low frequency jitter measurement is used to correct the high frequency jitter measurement which may otherwise contain error. The corrected output may be used to adjust operational characteristics of the link or otherwise evaluate the link for operating margin. The correction may be performed by subtracting a portion of the low frequency jitter measurement from the measured high frequency jitter, or the value of the low frequency jitter measurement may be used to select between two or more correction factors that are then applied to the high frequency jitter measurement.

Abstract: A sawguide assembly includes a plurality of sets of sawguides, the sawguides within each set positioned adjacent to one another to create an array of laterally-abutting sawguides. Corresponding sawguide biasing assemblies bias the sawguides in each set against one another. The arrays are supported for independent movement along a lateral path generally parallel to the axis of the arbor. Lateral drivers are used to move each array in unison along the lateral path but independent of the other arrays. A sawguide array skewing assembly couples the sawguides of each array to one another so that the sawguides can be pivoted in unison about their respective pivot axes by a corresponding skewing driver.

Abstract: A device with multiple sensors for detecting multiple alarm conditions coupled to a single control unit provides for monitoring and interrogating air flow through Heating/Ventilation/Air-conditioning (HVAC)-type ducts for changes to ambient conditions such as smoke, heat, gas, and/or relative humidity.

Abstract: A manually operated pull-station for activating an alarm system is provided having a housing which contains a manually actuated lever. The lever is moveable between armed and activated positions. In addition, the manually operated pull-station has a camera mounted in the housing.

Abstract: An emergency alarm system is provided having a manually operated pull-station that activates the system. The emergency alarm system has a camera that provides image data of the area surrounding the pull-station. The emergency alarm system also has a control panel having an image memory that is operable to provide storage for the image data from the camera.

Abstract: An emergency alarm system is provided having a manually operated pull-station that activates the system. The emergency alarm system has a camera that provides image data of the area surrounding the pull-station. The emergency alarm system also has a control panel having an image memory that is operable to provide storage for the image data from the camera.