Abstract: This invention is directed to a sofa with a flip-up deck. The sofa has a sofa frame with a back, a front, and a pair of opposed arms. The deck is rotatably coupled between the pair of opposed arms at a position intermediate the front and the back. Further, the deck is adapted to move between a closed position and an open position.

Abstract: This invention is directed to a mattress assembly for use in a sofa sleeper. The mattress assembly has an outer shell and an inner support received within the outer shell. The shell includes a lower panel, a sidewall, and a cover that fit together to form a cavity to receive the inner support. The inner support includes an air bladder and an innerspring portion. The air bladder has a valve that is adapted to allow air into and out of the bladder. The air bladder is deflated when the mattress is stored to provide a compact configuration.

Abstract: This invention is directed to a mattress assembly for use in a sofa sleeper. The mattress assembly has an outer shell and an inner support received within the outer shell. The shell includes a lower panel, a sidewall, and a cover that fit together to form a cavity to receive the inner support. The inner support includes an air bladder and an innerspring portion. The air bladder has a valve that is adapted to allow air into and out of the bladder. The air bladder is deflated when the mattress is stored to provide a compact configuration.

Abstract: A beverage dispenser to provide a plurality of different flavors with accurate mixing control comprises a housing (40, 42, 44) containing a diluent valve (46A, 46B) and at least two concentrate valves (48A, B, C, D), each valve having its own inlet (12) and outlet (14), characterized in that all the outlets (14) lead to a single dispense nozzle (50A, B, C), a flow rate sensor (16) is provided for each valve, the flow rate sensors (16) being connected to a controller (54), and a setting mechanism (52A, B, C, D, E, F) is provided to open and close each valve, the controller (54) operating the setting mechanisms whereby one concentrate valve and the diluent valve may be opened to dispense a particular beverage and, in response to the sensed flow rates through those opened valves, controlling the degree of opening of those valves to achieve a predetermined diluent to concentrate ratio for the beverage mixture in the dispense nozzle (50A, B, C).

Abstract: A gas turbine engine exhaust nozzle includes a row of laterally sinuous chevrons extending from an aft end of an exhaust duct. The chevrons have radially outer and inner surfaces bound by a laterally sinuous trailing edge extending between a base of the chevrons adjoining the duct and an axially opposite apex of the chevrons. Each chevron has a compound arcuate contour both axially and laterally, and the sinuous trailing edge of the chevrons further compounds the arcuate configuration of each chevron.

Abstract: A post-mix beverage valve provides for automatic, accurate beverage ratioing. A valve body can be assembled, and includes a water flow hard body, syrup body and common nozzle body. The water and syrup flow bodies define flow channels and include one end for connection to water and syrup respectively, and opposite ends for fluid connection to the nozzle body. The water flow channel includes a turbine flow sensor connected to a micro-controller determining the water flow rate. The syrup flow channel includes a flow sensor, two MEMS pressure sensors, monitoring the syrup. The sensors are connected to the micro-controller and positioned about an orifice and senses sense a differential pressure indicative of syrup flow rate solenoid regulates flow of syrup through the syrup body. A stepper motor on the water body controls a rod in the flow channel in conjunction with a v-groove.

Abstract: A container (10) to receive products such as an air freshener, disinfectant or deodoriser, or alternatively tape twine or dental floss. The container (10) has a hollow body (13) attached to a suction cup (25) by means of a hollow stem of the body (11) and a projection (26) of cup (25). When the cup (25) is attached to a supporting surface the skirt (18) of the body (13) terminates adjacent the supporting surface and/or cup (25) to inhibit tilting of the body (13). The body (13) cooperates with a wall (29) of the cup (25) to enclose a space within which the product is located.

Abstract: A thermoelectric module (1) has a plurality of thermoelectric devices (2) integral with heat conducting surfaces (5, 5′) of fluid chambers (3, 3′). The thermoelectric devices (2) are operable to transfer heat to or from fluids in the chambers (3, 3′). A product, eg a beverage, flowing through one of the chambers (3, 3′) can be heated or cooled to achieve a desired product temperature by selective operation of the thermoelectric devices (2). The module (1) provides an integrated unit that avoids inefficient boundaries between the heat conducting surfaces (5, 5′) and the thermoelectric devices (2).

Abstract: In the present invention an optical pulse regenerating transmission line element includes a section of disbursement managed optical fibre transmission line in optical communication with an unbalanced optical interferometer. The transmission line element may be particularly suitable for use with RZ optical pulses, and in particular optical solitons. The dispersion managed optical fibre transmission line includes a first section of optical fibre having a negative dispersion coefficient, connected to a second section of optical fibre having a positive dispersion coefficient. This first section of fibre may be dispersion compensating fibre and the second section of fibre may be standard monomode fibre. It is preferred that the first and second sections of optical fibre are arranged to form a section of dispersion managed optical fibre transmission line having a symmetric dispersion map.

Abstract: A recognition system which obtains and analyzes images of at least one object in a scene comprising a wide field of view (WFOV) imager which is used to capture an image of the scene and to locate the object and a narrow field of view (NFOV) imager which is responsive to the location information provided by the WFOV imager and which is used to capture an image of the object, the image of the object having a higher resolution than the image captured by the WFOV imager is disclosed. In one embodiment, a system that obtains and analyzes images of the irises of eyes of a human or animal in an image with little or no active involvement by the human or animal is disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for determining the sum of first and second optical binary words. The apparatus uses a first optical logic gate and a second optical logic gate to generate respective first and second combination words which represent a logical combination of the binary words applied to the respective logic gates. The first and second combination words are then offset by one bit slot with respect to each other by an offsetting device to generate first and second offset combination words. These offset combination words are repeatedly fed back to the first and second logic gates. The binary sum of the original two words is given by the first combination word when each bit slot of the second combination words has the same logical state.

Abstract: The present invention comprises a valve providing for the dispensing of two liquids at a desired ratio. The valve includes first and second liquid flow body assemblies releasably securable to a nozzle body assembly. Each liquid flow body assembly is securable to a source of liquid and includes flow sensing means and flow regulating means. A control receives inputs from the flow sensing means and regulates the operation of the flow regulating means to provide for the dispensing of the two liquids from the nozzle body assembly at a predetermined ratio.

Abstract: Substrates for bacterial signal peptidases and their use in assays to detect inhibitors of these enzymes.

Abstract: A rechargeable electric toothbrush 10 is received within a charger 11. The toothbrush 10 includes an outer body 12 that receives a toothbrush assembly 13. Within the body 12, there is located a secondary electric circuit 22 including a secondary coil 23. Upon the secondary coil 23 being energized, DC electric power is delivered to the batteries 21 for charging purposes. The socket 25 includes a primary circuit including a primary coil 31 that upon being energized causes the secondary coil 23 to produce an AC current, subsequently converted into a DC current for the purposes of charging the battery 21.

Abstract: The present invention is a valve that provides for automatic and accurate fluid dispensing of two fluids at a predetermined ratio. The valve is designed to be easily assembled and disassembled by hand without the need for hand tools, and includes a diluent flow body and a concentrate flow body releasably securable to a common nozzle body portion. The diluent and concentrate flow bodies each define a flow channel and each include a first end for connection to sources of diluent and concentrate respectively, and an opposite end for fluid connection with the nozzle body. The diluent body flow channel includes a flow sensor connected to a micro-controller for sensing the flow rate of the diluent. The concentrate body flow channel includes a further flow sensor for sensing the flow rate of the concentrate. Stepper motors are secured to both the diluent and concentrate bodies and each operates a linear rod extending there through and through a flow regulator.