Abstract: Implementations generally relate to facilitating use of high volume, highly standardized low cost components, with a minimum of specialty components, in the manufacture of light emitting diode (LED) light fixtures. In some embodiments, an apparatus for providing LED lighting includes a physical form having a predetermined shape, where the form is configured to support at least one LED strip thereto, and where the predetermined shape causes the at least one LED strip to be so configured as to emit light in a predetermined emission pattern when the at least one LED strip is coupled to the physical form. The apparatus further includes at least one constraint mechanism, where the at least one constraint mechanism, in whole or in part, constrains the at least one LED strip to remain configured to its predetermined shape.

Abstract: Implementations generally relate to facilitating use of high volume, highly standardized low cost components, with a minimum of specialty components, in the manufacture of light emitting diode (LED) light fixtures. In some embodiments, an apparatus for providing LED lighting includes a physical form having a predetermined shape, where the form is configured to support at least one LED strip thereto, and where the predetermined shape causes the at least one LED strip to be so configured as to emit light in a predetermined emission pattern when the at least one LED strip is coupled to the physical form. The apparatus further includes at least one constraint mechanism, where the at least one constraint mechanism, in whole or in part, constrains the at least one LED strip to remain configured to its predetermined shape.

Abstract: The invention relates to process for preparing an internal olefin sulfonate, comprising: a) sulfonating an internal olefin to produce a first sulfonated internal olefin mixture; and b) contacting the first sulfonated internal olefin mixture with water, caustic and a non-ionic surfactant to form a neutralized sulfonated internal olefin mixture wherein greater than 10 wt. % of the non-ionic surfactant is added.

Abstract: Implementations generally relate to lighting control. In one implementation, a method includes receiving signaling modulations from a power line. The method further includes decoding data based on predetermined modulation characteristics of the signaling modulations, where the data includes one or more operational commands. The method further includes modifying performance parameters of one or more LED driver channel circuits based on one or more of the operational commands. In some implementations, the one or more LED driver channel circuits supply modulated drive current to one or more LEDs. In some implementations, the performance parameters effect brightness levels of the one or more LEDs connected to the one or more LED driver channel circuits.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of treating a hydrocarbon containing formation, comprising: a) providing an aqueous composition which comprises i) an internal olefin sulfonate (IOS) surfactant; ii) an acid which has a pKa between 4 and 12; and iii) the conjugate base of the acid mentioned under ii), to at least a portion of the hydrocarbon containing formation, by combining the aqueous composition with a hydrocarbon removal fluid to produce an injectable fluid, wherein the hydrocarbon removal fluid comprises 1) water and 2) divalent cations in a concentration of 50 or more parts per million by weight (ppmw), and injecting the injectable fluid into the hydrocarbon containing formation; and b) allowing the surfactant from the injectable fluid to interact with the hydrocarbons in the hydrocarbon containing formation.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of treating a hydrocarbon containing formation, comprising: a) providing an aqueous composition which comprises i) a surfactant of the formula R—O—[R?—O]x—X wherein R is a hydrocarbyl group, R?—O is an alkylene oxide group, x is the number of alkylene oxide groups R?—O, x is 0 or greater than 0, and X is a sulfate moiety; ii) an acid which has a pKa between 6 and 12; and iii) the conjugate base of the acid mentioned under ii), to at least a portion of the hydrocarbon containing formation, by combining the aqueous composition with a hydrocarbon removal fluid to produce an injectable fluid, wherein the hydrocarbon removal fluid comprises 1) water and 2) divalent cations in a concentration of 100 or more parts per million by weight (ppmw), and injecting the injectable fluid into the hydrocarbon containing formation; and b) allowing the surfactant from the injectable fluid to interact with the hydrocarbons in the hydrocarbon containing formation.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of treating a hydrocarbon containing formation, comprising: (a) providing a composition to at least a portion of the hydrocarbon containing formation, wherein the composition comprises water and an anionic surfactant which is an internal olefin sulfonate (IOS), which has a weight ratio of branched IOS molecules to linear IOS molecules N which is greater than 0 to smaller than 11:89; and (b) allowing the composition to interact with the hydrocarbons in the hydrocarbon containing formation. Further, the invention relates to a hydrocarbon recovery composition which comprises the composition used in said method, and to a hydrocarbon containing composition produced from a hydrocarbon containing formation which in addition to hydrocarbons contains the composition used in said method.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for processing a raster image comprising a plurality of pixels. The apparatus comprises a computer readable medium for storing steps of a computer program, and a computer processor connected to the computer readable medium for executing the steps of the computer program. A plurality of borders of a first blob in the raster image are identified, and a plurality of borders of a second blob in the raster image are identified. The first blob is compared to the second blob, and when the first blob substantially matches the second blob, a first cluster representing both the first blob and the second blob is generated.

Abstract: A process for the double bond isomerization of a vinylidene olefin, comprising contacting a feed comprising the vinylidene olefin with an isomerization catalyst which comprises a molecular sieve in an acidic form, which molecular sieve comprises pores which have a pore size of more than 0.6 nm; and a process for treating an olefin mixture which comprises a linear ?-olefin and a vinylidene olefin which is isomeric to the linear ?-olefin and which is of the general formula CH2?C(R1)R2, wherein R1 represents an ethyl group and R2 represents a linear 1-alkyl group, which process comprises isomerizing the vinylidene olefin to form a double bond isomer of the vinylidene olefin by contacting a feed comprising the olefin mixture with an isomerization catalyst which comprises a molecular sieve in an acidic form, which molecular sieve comprises pores which have a pore size of more than 0.6 nm, and separating the linear ?-olefin from the double bond isomer of the vinylidene olefin.

Abstract: A process for the double bond isomerization of an olefin, which process comprises contacting a feed comprising the olefin with an isomerization catalyst, wherein prior to contacting the feed with the isomerization catalyst one or more components of the feed are pretreated by contacting with a pretreating material which comprises a zeolite which has a pore size of at least 0.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for converting raster images into a vector format by identifying and converting the borders of image features into a mathematical format referred to as string sequences. To enable the string sequencing of color images, the present invention identifies and resolves contrast conflicts in the image features in order to avoid misperceiving the vectorized image when converted back into a raster format. A contrast conflict occurs when there is a “contrast tie” between overlapping features of the image. The feature that would normally be perceived as the dominant feature breaks the contrast tie so that when the vector image is reconstructed, the dominate feature appears in the foreground of the image while the recessive feature appears in the background.

Abstract: A solution to the problem of reducing the bulk and weight of detergents for delivery to users by providing in at least one embodiment an in situ, discrete, batch mixing method and system for a diluent and concentrated detergent at a point of dispense. While some systems are designed to mix diluents and detergents, those systems are typically designed for continuous flow, for example, in a manufacturing facility. The present invention provides for mixing the diluent and detergents in discrete batches sized for a user at the point of dispense, using a method and system that can be located even in remote areas without an external power supply. The system and method only needs diluent line pressure in at least one embodiment. Further, the method and system controls access to the batch quantity so that multiple batches are not unintentionally extracted. The method and system can be used with vending machines placed on site.

Abstract: A system and method of processing laundry by the determination of surface tension in a dynamic environment for surfactant concentration in industrial laundry applications. The dosage system is able to control the surfactant concentration for a recycle wash tank and preferentially the washer tank using surface tension measurements, temperature control, and correlation to the percentage of active matter based on a full dose of a commercial surfactant for the wash runs. The dosage system preferably uses a surface tensiometer able to monitor surfactant levels and to constantly dose surfactant for use in subsequent washes.

Abstract: A process for the double bond isomerization of an olefin, which process comprises contacting a feed comprising the olefin with an isomerization catalyst, wherein prior to contacting the feed with the isomerization catalyst one or more components of the feed are pretreated by contacting with a pretreating material which comprises a zeolite which has a pore size of at least 0.

Abstract: A process for the double bond isomerization of a vinylidene olefin, comprising contacting a feed comprising the vinylidene olefin with an isomerization catalyst which comprises a molecular sieve in an acidic form, which molecular sieve comprises pores which have a pore size of more than 0.6 nm; and a process for treating an olefin mixture which comprises a linear &agr;-olefin and a vinylidene olefin which is isomeric to the linear &agr;-olefin and which is of the general formula CH2═C(R1)R2, wherein R1 represents an ethyl group and R2 represents a linear 1-alkyl group, which process comprises isomerizing the vinylidene olefin to form a double bond isomer of the vinylidene olefin by contacting a feed comprising the olefin mixture with an isomerization catalyst which comprises a molecular sieve in an acidic form, which molecular sieve comprises pores which have a pore size of more than 0.6 nm, and separating the linear &agr;-olefin from the double bond isomer of the vinylidene olefin.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for converting a raster image comprising a plurality of pixels into a plurality of data tags representing at least one shape in the raster image.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for defining non-axial line surfaces in border string sequences representing a raster image.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for converting the color borders of a raster image into a more abstract mathematical representation that can be converted into a vector format without significantly fragmenting the image. The invention involves scanning a neighborhood of cells in the form of a square matrix through the raster image in order to generate a surface string (or an indicia thereof) representing the color border at each pixel, and then to sequence the surface strings into string sequences which represent the color borders. By assigning color values to the neighborhood of cells that indicate whether the perimeter cells are the same or different in color than the center cell, the present invention is capable of defining color borders in raster images comprising three or more colors (as opposed to black and white images). The string sequences are generated by sequencing together string IDs rather than simple slopes which provides optimal information for generating vectors.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for converting a raster image comprising a plurality of pixels into a plurality of data tags representing at least one shape in the raster image. The apparatus comprises a computer program, or an integrated circuit implementing the steps of the computer program, wherein the computer program comprises: (a) a border definer for generating a border string sequence representing a color border in the raster image, wherein: (b) the border string sequence comprises a plurality of surface strings; and (c) a surface string comprises a receive slope and a send slope representing a slope of the border passing through a predetermined area of the raster image; and (d) a surface string sequencer for converting the border string sequence into one or more surfaces, wherein a surface comprises one or more surface string sequences representing a section of the border string sequence.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for converting raster images into a vector format by identifying and converting the borders of image features into a mathematical format referred to as string sequences. To enable the string sequencing of color images, the present invention identifies and resolves contrast conflicts in the image features in order to avoid misperceiving the vectorized image when converted back into a raster format. A contrast conflict occurs when there is a “contrast tie” between overlapping features of the image. The feature that would normally be perceived as the dominant feature breaks the contrast tie so that when the vector image is reconstructed, the dominate feature appears in the foreground of the image while the recessive feature appears in the background.