Abstract: A total dissolved solids measurement process and device are provided that facilitates total dissolved solids sensing of a subject fluid via relative buoyancy levels of separate float bodies; one buoyed by the subject fluid of varying total dissolved solids and temperatures and another buoyed by a reference fluid of constant total dissolved solids but of a varying temperature matching the subject fluid. The equal temperature baths of the subject fluid and the reference fluid as well as geometrical shape and weighting of the floats conveys the total dissolved solids as the difference in buoyancy levels of the floats. This difference in buoyancy levels is of further benefit for activation of sundry controls.

Abstract: A system for driving a torsion based on frequency, amplitude and offset control signals includes a pulse width modulator subsystem configured to generate output pulses having controlled pulse durations alternately to each of two channels, the output pulses encoding the frequency, amplitude and offset control signals. A driver circuit is configured for driving the torsion oscillator with a voltage of one polarity during a pulse output to the one of the channels, and a voltage of opposite polarity during a pulse output to the other of the channels.

Abstract: A process whereby freshwater is generated and wastewater is eliminated through the employ of waste combustion gas; wherein combustion gas is cooled below dewpoint, via the effects of a wastewater fed evaporative cooler, resulting in the combined benefits of freshwater generation from the combustion gas and evaporative reduction of the wastewater.

Abstract: A filtration appliance comprised of two types of convening disks, whereon opposing, contacting surfaces are textured or channeled, purveying passage and filtration of fluids traversing between the convening disks. A plurality of parallel, spiraling grooves on both sides of conveyance disks purvey channeling for fluid ingress and egress, inlet grooves spiral radially inward from the outside circumference, decreasing in width until terminating prior to the inside circumference, outlet grooves spiral radially outward from the inside circumference, decreasing in width until terminating prior to the outside circumference. Topologic disks conveying homogeneously textured surfaces for filtration sandwich conveyance disks. The textured topologic surface is pressed upon the conveyance surface between the grooves.

Abstract: A self cleaning filtration device wherein an activation piston, laterally supported within an activation cylinder is immersed in filtrate within the confines of an immersion chamber. The immersion chamber receives filtrate from a disk filtration stack via orifices and sparger support tubes (the “Tubes”). Gas pressure (i) drives the piston, the Tubes, and the disk compression block upward and (ii) forces the immersion chamber fluid through the Tubes to separate the disks. The Tubes contain gas entrainment orifices on the side of the piston that are configured to facilitate entrainment of gas into the fluid. The entrained fluid impacts the opened disks with a high energy dispersed scouring action, to flush the disks clean.

Abstract: An automatic skin biopsy device that includes a drive unit and a variety of shapes and sizes of disposable cartridges. The device is capable of automatic extraction of a small and precisely located portion of skin having a shape similar to a wide canoe. A disposable cartridge is mounted onto and driven by the drive unit which incorporates at least one gear motor. In a preferred embodiment the gear motor in the drive unit drives, via gears and cams, two cutter blades in the disposable cartridge through separate curved paths to extract from the skin the generally wide canoe-shaped skin sample. Preferably another gear motor via gear and cam action produces back and forth oscillation of the blades to assure easy slicing of the skin tissue. The canoe-shape incision that is about 1 to 4 mm deep produces a good biopsy sample and the incision is easily closed with a medical staple or sutures. In preferred embodiments a stapler is provided as a part of the sample acquisition device.

Abstract: A coin-validation arrangement in which a wavelet analysis is used to derive accurate information from signals related to coin sensors placed in the path of an input coin, this information being compared with corresponding information relating to sample coins, the result of the comparison giving rise to a “pass/fail” validation decision on the input coin. The information may be derived from a sampling of the sensor-related signal, a measurement of signal amplitudes for each point and a correlation of each amplitude with the corresponding amplitude of one or more preselected wavelets to provide a set of correlation coefficients. In an alternative embodiment the sampled sensor-related signal is subjected to a discrete wavelet transform operation using high-and low-pass filtering and subsequent subsampling stages, thereby producing a set of DWT coefficients. In either case the number of coefficients used in the comparison process may be reduced, thereby saving processing power.

Abstract: A system for driving a torsion oscillator based on frequency, amplitude and offset control signals includes a pulse width modulator subsystem configured to generate a stream of repetitive pulse signals which encodes the frequency, amplitude and offset control signals, a low pass filter for filtering the stream of repetitive pulse signals to provide a filtered output, and a driver circuit for driving the torsion oscillator based on the filtered output.

Abstract: An improved laser printer is provided that keeps its fuser at a standby temperature that is somewhat raised above the ambient temperature, which allows the printer to operate more quickly (to begin printing the first page) when a print job arrives at the printer. The time needed to raise the fuser's temperature is minimized, so that other printer operations become the determining factor in the time to first print parameter. The electrical energy that energizes the fuser is provided in a form that prevents light flicker, by use of AC waveform phase control, or by use of integer half cycle control. The present invention uses closed-loop feedback control, and the type of controller is a PID controller.

Abstract: A landfill and method for constructing a landfill including a plurality of waste layers, each waste layer separated by highly permeable material layer and at least one vertical gas extraction well having a perforated casing the penetrates at least one of the highly permeable material layers.

Abstract: A resistive heater adapted for heating a fuser belt is provided. The heater comprises a substrate, a first resistive trace formed over the substrate, and a second resistive trace formed so as to at least partially overlap the first resistive trace.

Abstract: A circuit includes a switching device for controlling a power signal to be applied to a heating device. A control circuit is configured for comparing a temperature signal, indicative of the temperature of the heating device, to a temperature setpoint to generate a gate pulse signal that controls the duration of the power signal to be applied to the heating device. The control circuit is further configured for comparing the duration of the power signal to be applied to the heating device to a minimum pulse duration and, if the duration of the power signal to be applied to the heating device is at least equal to the minimum pulse duration, providing the gate pulse signal to the switching device.

Abstract: A method of extending or broadening the effective time of drag reduction for a drag reducing agent in a pipeline may be custom-designed by combining two drag reducing slurries or other drag reducing products made by different or alternative techniques. For instance a precipitation polymer slurry derived from polymer precipitation where the polymer dissolves relatively quickly can be combined with a ground polymer slurry derived by grinding bulk polymer (ground at either cryogenic or non-cryogenic temperatures), or by using other size reduction techniques, where the latter polymer dissolves relatively slowly. In one non-limiting embodiment of the invention, bulk polymer may be ground directly into a precipitation polymer slurry to make the ground polymer slurry and blend the slurries simultaneously, where the precipitation polymer slurry serves as an anti-agglomeration agent.

Abstract: In a computer network (100), a method transporting a PCI Express packet (235) from an initiator PCI Express node (202) over an IP packet network (210) to a receiver PCI Express node (204), can include the initiator PCI Express node creating the PCI Express packet and reading a global PCI Express destination address (352) of the PCI Express packet. The initiator PCI Express node can map the global PCI Express destination address to a receiver PCI Express node IP address (242). The PCI Express packet can be encapsulated in an IP packet (236). The IP packet with the encapsulated PCI Express packet can be communicated over an IP packet network (210) to receiver PCI Express node.

Abstract: A method of transporting a PCI Express packet (135) from an initiator PCI Express domain (102) over a VMEbus network (110) to a receiver PCI Express domain (104), can include the initiator PCI Express domain creating the PCI Express packet, while a PCI Express-to-VMEbus encapsulation module (103) reads a first PCI Express destination address (250) of the PCI Express packet. The first PCI Express destination address is mapped to a receiver PCI Express domain VMEbus address (242). The PCI Express packet is encapsulated in a data field (282) of a VMEbus write transaction (236) by the PCI Express-to-VMEbus encapsulation module. The VMEbus write transaction is communicated to the receiver PCI Express domain over the VMEbus network.

Abstract: A method of communicating a VMEbus transfer (235) from an initiator VMEbus domain (202) over an IP packet network (210) to a responder VMEbus domain (204) can include the initiator VMEbus domain creating the VMEbus transfer and reading a VMEbus destination address (452) of the VMEbus transfer. The VMEbus destination address can be mapped to a responder VMEbus domain IP address and the VMEbus transfer encapsulated in an IP packet (236). The IP packet can be communicated to the responder VMEbus domain over the IP packet network.

Abstract: A method of transporting a RapidIO packet (135) from an initiator RapidIO domain (102) over an IP packet network (110) to a receiver RapidIO domain (104) can include the initiator RapidIO domain creating the RapidIO packet and reading a destination domain ID (483) of the RapidIO packet, where the destination domain ID corresponds to the receiver RapidIO domain. The destination domain ID is mapped to a receiver RapidIO domain IP address (473). The RapidIO packet is encapsulated in an IP packet (436) and the IP packet is communicated to the receiver RapidIO domain over the IP packet network.

Abstract: Record transfer is described herein. The record transfer may include receiving a request over a network from a record owner to transfer a record from a record holder to a recipient. In one embodiment, the request is sent over the network to the record holder. A first version of the record from the record holder may be received over the network. The first version of the record may be transformed to create a transformed record. The transformed record may be sent to the recipient. In another embodiment, the record may have been transformed and stored by a record transfer system prior to receipt of the request. In this embodiment, the record may be received as part of a group of records included in a batch upload from the record holder. In this embodiment, the record is retrieved and sent to the recipient shortly after receipt of the request. The record transfer may be implemented using a computer server or other computing device.

Abstract: A multi-service platform system (100, 200, 300) includes a computer chassis (101, 201, 301) having a plurality of 9U slots (207), a backplane (104) integrated in the computer chassis, a switched fabric (106) on the backplane. At least one of a VMEbus network and a PCI network are coincident with the switched fabric on the backplane. A payload module (102) having a 9U form factor is coupled to interface with one of the plurality of 9U slots, where the payload module is communicatively coupled with the backplane using the switched fabric and at least one of the VMEbus network and the PCI network. At least one multi-gigabit connector (118) is coupled to a rear edge (119) of the payload module, where the at least one multi-gigabit connector is coupled to communicatively interface the payload module to the backplane, and where the switched fabric and at least one of the VMEbus network and the PCI network are communicatively coupled with the payload module through the at least one multi-gigabit connector.

Abstract: A multi-service platform system (100, 200, 300, 400) includes a computer chassis (101, 201, 301, 401) having a plurality of 3U slots (205), a backplane (104) integrated in the computer chassis, a switched fabric (106) on the backplane. At least one of a VMEbus network and a PCI network are coincident with the switched fabric on the backplane. A payload module (102) having a 3U form factor is coupled to interface with one of the plurality of 3U slots, where the payload module is communicatively coupled with the backplane using the switched fabric and at least one of the VMEbus network and the PCI network. At least one multi-gigabit connector (118) is coupled to a rear edge (119) of the payload module, where the at least one multi-gigabit connector is coupled to communicatively interface the payload module to the backplane, and where the switched fabric and at least one of the VMEbus network and the PCI network are communicatively coupled with the payload module through the at least one multi-gigabit connector.