Abstract: Exemplary embodiments provide a system and method for measuring the temperature of an object, but without requiring a direct measurement of the object to determine the point at which the object has reached a desired temperature. The exemplary embodiments provide a process where the object can be heated to a desired temperature without the requirements of temperature probes into the object. The exemplary embodiments allow the process operator to be informed when the heating process has completed, without regard to the size, shape, weight, density, or amount of materials to be prepared. The energy required to maintain the temperature of a fluid bath is compared to the energy required to maintain the temperature once an object has been placed within the fluid.

Abstract: A system and method of reducing network congestion whereby significant improvement can be gained by the elimination of catastrophic network congestion failure within a TCP/IP network. Exemplary embodiments are implemented by an improved process for dealing with data loss related to IPv6 fragmentation, in which a ICMPv6 error message is transmitted by a destination node containing a bitmap of the unreceived datagram fragments. The sending node receives the error message and prepares only those unreceived fragments for transmission.

Abstract: A system and method of reducing network congestion whereby significant improvement can be gained by the elimination of catastrophic network congestion failure within a TCP/IP network. Exemplary embodiments are implemented by an improved process for dealing with the retransmission of TCP window data. By reducing packet loss to a grid map and retransmitting only the lost pieces rather than the entire window, congestion can be eliminated. In a traditional TCP implementation, loss of packets within a specified window of data can cause the entire window of data to be retransmitted. This system and method improves this process by allowing only lost packets to be retransmitted and not properly received data that is merely part of a larger grouping that also contained lost data.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments provide a system and method for measuring the temperature of an object, but without requiring a direct measurement of the object to determine the point at which the object has reached a desired temperature. The exemplary embodiments provide a process where the object can be heated to a desired temperature without the requirements of temperature probes into the object. The exemplary embodiments allow the process operator to be informed when the heating process has completed, without regard to the size, shape, weight, density, or amount of materials to be prepared. The energy required to maintain the temperature of a fluid bath is compared to the energy required to maintain the temperature once an object has been placed within the fluid.

Abstract: A system and method for the preparation of food, but without the requirement of weight, time and/or temperature probe usage to determine the point at which the food has completed preparation. The exemplary embodiments provide a process where the food can be cooked without the requirements of calculation or temperature probes. The described process allows the process operator to be informed when the cooking process has completed, without regard to the size, shape, weight, density, or amount of materials to be prepared. The energy required to maintain the temperature of a water bath is compared to the energy required to maintain the temperature once a food item has been placed within the water bath.

Abstract: A system and method of reducing network congestion whereby significant improvement can be gained by the elimination of catastrophic network congestion failure within a TCP/IP network. Exemplary embodiments are implemented by an improved process for dealing with the retransmission of TCP window data. By reducing packet loss to a grid map and retransmitting only the lost pieces rather than the entire window, congestion can be eliminated. In a traditional TCP implementation, loss of packets within a specified window of data can cause the entire window of data to be retransmitted. This system and method improves this process by allowing only lost packets to be retransmitted and not properly received data that is merely part of a larger grouping that also contained lost data.

Abstract: A system and method for the preparation of food, but without the requirement of weight, time and/or temperature probe usage to determine the point at which the food has completed preparation. The exemplary embodiments provide a process where the food can be cooked without the requirements of calculation or temperature probes. The described process allows the process operator to be informed when the cooking process has completed, without regard to the size, shape, weight, density, or amount of materials to be prepared. The energy required to maintain the temperature of a water bath is compared to the energy required to maintain the temperature once a food item has been placed within the water bath.

Abstract: An assembly for estimating consumption of a fluid includes a coupling device enabling fluid flow, a carrier assembly slidingly coupled to the coupling device, a biasing mechanism positioned between the coupling device and the carrier assembly, and a displacement sensing mechanism including a sensor coupled to one of the coupling device and the carrier assembly, and a magnet coupled to the other of the coupling device and the carrier assembly. The displacement sensing mechanism is configured to sense a displacement of the magnet relative to the sensor due to coupling of a fluid source to the coupling device.

Abstract: A coupling device includes a main body defining a fluid flow passage, and a valve member moveable between an unconnected state and a connected state. The coupling device also includes a magnet coupled to the valve member, and a sensor coupled to the main body, the sensor being configured to sense a change in a magnetic flux of the magnet as the valve member moves between the unconnected state and the connected state to determine a connection state of the coupling device.

Abstract: An assembly for estimating consumption of a fluid includes a coupling device enabling fluid flow, a carrier assembly slidingly coupled to the coupling device, a biasing mechanism positioned between the coupling device and the carrier assembly, and a displacement sensing mechanism including a sensor coupled to one of the coupling device and the carrier assembly, and a magnet coupled to the other of the coupling device and the carrier assembly. The displacement sensing mechanism is configured to sense a displacement of the magnet relative to the sensor due to coupling of a fluid source to the coupling device.

Abstract: A coupling device includes a main body defining a fluid flow passage, and a valve member moveable between an unconnected state and a connected state. The coupling device also includes a magnet coupled to the valve member, and a sensor coupled to the main body, the sensor being configured to sense a change in a magnetic flux of the magnet as the valve member moves between the unconnected state and the connected state to determine a connection state of the coupling device.

Abstract: An interactive system in which information read from two or more tags (10, 12 or 10, 12?) jointly determines a process to be carried out. One of the tags may identify a user by for example his/her store loyalty card number or by a personal identifying tag (or card) in a cordless RF terminal and the other of the tags may be a RF-ID tag storing details of an action to be performed such as the number of credit points to be given to the loyalty card in response to a transaction or provide promotional information to the user. The process may comprise issuing a command to an action server (28, 30) to provide, or instruct the sending of, output information to a user, by for example over a radio link to a cellular telephone apparatus (18, 34, 36) or PDA, or displayed to the user on a video display unit (38).

Abstract: A beacon (120) adapted for use in an arrangement (100) for providing an information service, comprising a storage (225) for storing data related to the information service, local communication means (220, 221, 222) for establishing a short range communication link (125) with a mobile device (130), and a processor (224) adapted for autonomously performing the service based on the data in the storage (225) with the mobile device (130) using the short range communication link (125). The arrangement (100) preferably further comprises a server (101) arranged to receive data to be used in the information service from a terminal (230) and to forward the received data to the beacon (120) over the long range communication link (127).

Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method for providing a distributed location based service system to a mobile user. Information related to a particular geographic location may be electronically transferred to a mobile electronic device, without a request from the user, and interpreted locally on the device in the form of a virtual map of location based resources. The mobile device is capable of determining its location using a GPS (Global Positioning System) or a process of measurement and prediction based on calculation. The mobile device can then use the location information and compare it to available location based resources within the device.

Abstract: A geographic region has a network of beacons. Each beacon transmits a short-range facilitation signal for receipt on a user's mobile communication device. The facilitation signal initiates associating the facilitation signal with a service and conditionally alerts the user to the service via the device dependent on a user profile. The user-profile and the association between facilitation signal and service are user-programmable.

Abstract: A method of selecting an application in a wireless device and a user location method are provided. In the method of selecting an application, specific messages are received from a wireless station. The application specific messages are specific to services provided via a wireless station transmitting the application specific messages. The application specific messages have an application specific identifier identifying a specific application and data corresponding to the specific application. It is determined whether an application is present in the wireless device that corresponds to the received application specific identifier. If it is determined that the corresponding application is absent in the wireless device, the correspondingly received data is ignored. In the user location method that is used in a wireless system, locations and user identities of users of wireless devices are registered.

Abstract: A method of selecting an application in a wireless device and a user location method are provided. In the method of selecting an application, specific messages are received from a wireless station. The application specific messages are specific to services provided via a wireless station transmitting the application specific messages. The application specific messages have an application specific identifier identifying a specific application and data corresponding to the specific application. It is determined whether an application is present in the wireless device that corresponds to the received application specific identifier. If it is determined that the corresponding application is absent in the wireless device, the correspondingly received data is ignored. In the user location method that is used in a wireless system, locations and user identities of users of wireless devices are registered.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method for providing a distributed location based service system to a mobile user. Information related to a particular geographic location may be electronically transferred to a mobile electronic device, without a request from the user, and interpreted locally on the device in the form of a virtual map of location based resources. The mobile device is capable of determining its location using a GPS (Global Positioning System) or a process of measurement and prediction based on calculation. The mobile device can then use the location information and compare it to available location based resources within the device.

Abstract: A beacon (120) adapted for use in an arrangement (100) for providing an information service, comprising a storage (225) for storing data related to the information service, local communication means (220, 221, 222) for establishing a short range communication link (125) with a mobile device (130), and a processor (224) adapted for autonomously performing the service based on the data in the storage (225) with the mobile device (130) using the short range communication link (125). The arrangement (100) preferably further comprises a server (101) arranged to receive data to be used in the information service from a terminal (230) and to forward the received data to the beacon (120) over the long range communication link (127).

Abstract: A TV viewer profile initializer for reducing the time it takes for an implicit profiler-based TV recommender to produce accurate TV recommendations. The profiles initializer utilizes stereotype profiles from a substantial pool of TV viewing behavior of a representative number of TV viewers. By applying clustering methods to such data, stereotype profiles can emerge. New viewers are then be offered a selection of stereotype profiles to choose from to initialize their own personal TV viewing profile. Thus, a single choice will suffice to provide a predictable TV show recommender that is presumably fairly close to a viewer's own preferences. After this initialization, the profile can be adapted by the user's own viewing behavior to migrate from the initial stereotype towards a more accurate profile of the user.