Abstract: A docking assembly for a handheld device comprising a handle and associated methods are disclosed herein. The docking assembly may include a base, a tube extending from the base, and a dock cup in rotatable communication with the tube. The dock cup may be configured to mate with the handle. The docking assembly also may include an electrical connection assembly configured to mate with the handle when the handle is positioned within the dock cup. Moreover, the docking assembly may include a first locking assembly configured to lock the handle in the dock cup to prevent the handle from being removed from the dock cup, and a second locking assembly configured to lock the orientation of the dock cup to prevent rotation of the dock cup.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure can include systems and methods for providing articulating point-of-sale (POS) apparatuses or devices, such as displays. In one embodiment, an articulating point-of-sale (POS) display assembly may include a base and a movable arm attached to the base. The movable arm may be configured to move from a first position to a second position with respect to the base. The assembly may further include a pivotable display device attached to the movable arm. The pivotable display device may be configured to pivot from a third position to a fourth position with respect to the movable arm. The assembly may also include an arm joint attaching the movable arm to the base, and a pivot joint attaching the pivotable display device to the movable arm.

Abstract: This disclosure describes systems, methods, and computer-readable media related to providing a point of sale platform. In some embodiment, a point of sale (POS) device may receive information associated with an order and payment information associated with the order. The POS device may generate a first object based at least in part on the information associated with the order and a second object based at least in part on the payment information. The POS device may store the first object and the second object in a queue. The POS device may transmit the first object and the second object to a remote server.

Abstract: A docking assembly for a handheld device comprising a handle and associated methods are disclosed herein. The docking assembly may include a base, a tube extending from the base, and a dock cup in rotatable communication with the tube. The dock cup may be configured to mate with the handle. The docking assembly also may include an electrical connection assembly configured to mate with the handle when the handle is positioned within the dock cup. Moreover, the docking assembly may include a first locking assembly configured to lock the handle in the dock cup to prevent the handle from being removed from the dock cup, and a second locking assembly configured to lock the orientation of the dock cup to prevent rotation of the dock cup.

Abstract: A phase corrector for laser trimming a component, the phase corrector comprising: a first correction structure located to a first side of the component, the first correction structure comprising first and second correction regions at first and second distances from the component; and a second correction structure located to a second side the component, the second correction structure comprising third and fourth correction regions at third and fourth distances from the component.

Abstract: In one example, a method for ranking items such as contest entries is provided. An exemplary method includes displaying sequential subsets of entries from a plurality of entries for a first user to vote on, e.g., making a selection of their preference of one over the other. The method further includes generating a first preference ballot of displayed entries based on selections by the first user, and ranking the plurality of entries based upon the first preference ballot and at least a second preference ballot received from another user. The ranking may be determined based on the first and second preference ballot by a Condorcet algorithm. Additionally, display of the entries may be determined based on previous selections associated with the contest entries, e.g., based on the state of the contest and/or the history of particular contest entries.

Abstract: Systems and methods for presenting streaming video content in a gaming machine are described herein. In one embodiment, the method includes acquiring, in a first gaming machine, access to a set of shared game assets. The method can also include providing a second gaming machine with access to the set of shared game assets. The method can also include conducting, in the first gaming machine, a first wagering game in which one of the set of shared game assets is consumed, and wherein during the first wagering game, the second gaming machine conducts a second wagering game in which another of the set of shared game assets is consumed.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for improving latency during message processing in a network environment via the use of SIP server architecture. The SIP server can be comprised of an engine tier and a state tier distributed on a cluster network. The engine tier can send and receive messages and execute various processes. The state tier can maintain in-memory state data associated with various SIP sessions. The state tier can store various long lived data objects and the engine tier can contain short lived data objects. The state data can be maintained in partitions comprised of state replicas. When processing messages, the engine can pull state data objects from the state tier, use the objects and push them back to the state tier after processing is complete. If one state replica is unavailable, such as during garbage collection, the engine can retrieve the objects from another replica in the partition.

Abstract: A slag conditioner containing MgO, carbon or a filler and a binder is mixed and formed under pressure to produce aggregates which can have the form of a briquette. The slag conditioner is used to improve the operating performance and refractory life in steel melting furnaces. A slag conditioner comprising by weight a mixture and 2% to 25% binder for bonded agglomerates or larger particles of said mixture, the mixture comprising: 20% to 90% burned aggregates comprised of particles less than 8 mm of which at least 30% is 0.2 mm or greater and containing between 35% and 94% MgO; up to 50% slag-making carbonaceous or other additive; and up to 50% light burned magnesite.

Abstract: A computing environment and techniques are provided for processing work out of order in one or more processing contexts. The processing techniques include: determining, for a processing context having an associated stack of waiting resources, whether a last-in listed resource in the stack of waiting resource is available, and if so, resuming processing of a suspended unit of work requiring the last-in listed resource; and determining, otherwise, whether an out of order execution unit of work is available for processing in the context, and if so, processing the out of order execution unit of work while the suspended unit of work awaits the last-in listed resource. Out of order execution units of work can be processed in order from a regular unit of work queue, or out of order from an out of order unit of work queue of a processing context.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for improving latency during message processing in a network environment via the use of SIP server architecture. The SIP server can be comprised of an engine tier and a state tier distributed on a cluster network. The engine tier can send and receive messages and execute various processes. The state tier can maintain in-memory state data associated with various SIP sessions. The state tier can store various long lived data objects and the engine tier can contain short lived data objects. The state data can be maintained in partitions comprised of state replicas. When processing messages, the engine can pull state data objects from the state tier, use the objects and push them back to the state tier after processing is complete. If one state replica is unavailable, such as during garbage collection, the engine can retrieve the objects from another replica in the partition.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate generally to wagering games and, more particularly, to a gaming network linked to a plurality of gaming machines. The gaming network has a plurality of servers dedicated to providing a shared game to a plurality of gaming terminals. The shared game may be either competitive or collaborative between players and may be a combination of both competitive and collaborative game play. The dedicated game servers are connected to a core support network that has commonly used computer resources. The communication link between the gaming terminals and servers are supported by a communication server with message directing software that allows events that occur at individual gaming terminals to be broadcast to all other gaming terminals and servers associated with that shared gaming events.

Abstract: The SIP server can be comprised of an engine tier and a state tier distributed on a cluster network. Engine nodes in the engine tier can process SIP messages and can read/write state information from/to the state tier. State tier can maintain state information in a set of partitions of one or more replicas which contain duplicate information. The engine nodes can be adapted to detect and report replica failures and the replicas can in turn be adapted to detect and report engine node failures. Replicas can detect faults with an engine node if the engine node fails to poll the replica for a specified period of time and can then report the failure. The engine node can detect failures of a replica when reading or writing state information and can report the failure to another replica, which can be responsible for updating the partition view to exclude dead replicas.

Abstract: Systems and methods provide mechanisms for updating software assets on a gaming machine (100.1 and 100.2). The gaming software assets may include banner content, advertising content, denomination data, pay table, language data, video content, audio content, episodic game data, wagering game software, operating system software, device driver software and device firmware. The system and methods compare software assets to be placed (408) on a gaming machine to software assets already on the gaming machine. Only those software assets that are not currently present are downloaded to the gaming machine.