Abstract: A system and method in accordance with example embodiments for comprehensive sales and service data reporting. Sales and service events that take place at a front end branch of an enterprise may be input into a front end system and transmitted to a backend system where various modules then use the front end system data to generate various data and reports to display various data, such as, for example, sales incentive metrics and key performance indicators.

Abstract: A pool or spa system includes networked pool or spa devices that can be dynamically configured with network addresses by a controller. The controller can transmit a device discovery request on a network and can receive a discovery response from pool or spa devices that require a network address. The system determines and assigns the network addresses for the pool or spa devices based on unique device identifiers associated with the responding pool or spa devices. The network addresses assigned to the pool or spa device are transmitted to the pool or spa device to be used by the pool or spa devices to communicate with the controller over the network. The system can be used to discover and assign addresses to various types of pool or spa devices, such as pumps, underwater lights, chlorinators, water feature controllers, remote controllers, and/or other types of devices.

Abstract: A pool or spa system includes networked pool or spa devices that can be dynamically configured with network addresses by a controller. The controller can transmit a device discovery request on a network and can receive a discovery response from pool or spa devices that require a network address. The system determines and assigns the network addresses for the pool or spa devices based on unique device identifiers associated with the responding pool or spa devices. The network addresses assigned to the pool or spa device are transmitted to the pool or spa device to be used by the pool or spa devices to communicate with the controller over the network. The system can be used to discover and assign addresses to various types of pool or spa devices, such as pumps, underwater lights, chlorinators, water feature controllers, remote controllers, and/or other types of devices.

Abstract: A pool or spa system includes networked pool or spa devices that can be dynamically configured with network addresses by a controller. The controller can transmit a device discovery request on a network and can receive a discovery response from pool or spa devices that require a network address. The system determines and assigns the network addresses for the pool or spa devices based on unique device identifiers associated with the responding pool or spa devices. The network addresses assigned to the pool or spa device are transmitted to the pool or spa device to be used by the pool or spa devices to communicate with the controller over the network. The system can be used to discover and assign addresses to various types of pool or spa devices, such as pumps, underwater lights, chlorinators, water feature controllers, remote controllers, and/or other types of devices.

Abstract: A pool or spa system includes networked pool or spa devices that can be dynamically configured with network address by a controller. The controller can transmit a device discovery request on a network and can receive a discovery response from pool or spa devices that require a network address. The system determines and assigns the network addresses for the pool or spa devices based on unique device identifiers associated with the responding pool or spa devices. The network addresses assigned to the pool or spa device are transmitted to the pool or spa device to be used by the pool or spa devices to communicate with the controller over the network. The system can be used to discover and assign addresses to various types of pool or spa devices, such as pumps, underwater lights, chlorinators, water feature controllers, remote controllers, and/or other types of devices.

Abstract: A pool or spa system includes networked pool or spa devices that can be dynamically configured with network address by a controller. The controller can transmit a device discovery request on a network and can receive a discovery response from pool or spa devices that require a network address. The system determines and assigns the network addresses for the pool or spa devices based on unique device identifiers associated with the responding pool or spa devices. The network addresses assigned to the pool or spa device are transmitted to the pool or spa device to be used by the pool or spa devices to communicate with the controller over the network. The system can be used to discover and assign addresses to various types of pool or spa devices, such as pumps, underwater lights, chlorinators, water feature controllers, remote controllers, and/or other types of devices.

Abstract: A pool or spa system includes networked pool or spa devices that can be dynamically configured with network address by a controller. The controller can transmit a device discovery request on a network and can receive a discovery response from pool or spa devices that require a network address. The system determines and assigns the network addresses for the pool or spa devices based on unique device identifiers associated with the responding pool or spa devices. The network addresses assigned to the pool or spa device are transmitted to the pool or spa device to be used by the pool or spa devices to communicate with the controller over the network. The system can be used to discover and assign addresses to various types of pool or spa devices, such as pumps, underwater lights, chlorinators, water feature controllers, remote controllers, and/or other types of devices.

Abstract: A pool or spa system includes networked pool or spa devices that can be dynamically configured with network address by a controller. The controller can transmit a device discovery request on a network and can receive a discovery response from pool or spa devices that require a network address. The system determines and assigns the network addresses for the pool or spa devices based on unique device identifiers associated with the responding pool or spa devices. The network addresses assigned to the pool or spa device are transmitted to the pool or spa device to be used by the pool or spa devices to communicate with the controller over the network. The system can be used to discover and assign addresses to various types of pool or spa devices, such as pumps, underwater lights, chlorinators, water feature controllers, remote controllers, and/or other types of devices.

Abstract: An oil-filled, pad-mounted tank for electrical distribution transformers, where the tank includes a front panel, a rear panel, a pair of side panels, a top panel, and a bottom panel that are joined to form an enclosed volume for receiving a transformer core and windings and a quantity of insulating oil. The side panels include a plurality of side panel sections that may include both curved and flat panel sections. Each side panel includes at least one curved panel section that is curved concavely and at least one curved panel section that is curved convexly. Each side panel section may also include one or more flat panel sections.

Abstract: An oil-filled, pad-mounted tank for electrical distribution transformers, where the tank includes a front panel, a rear panel, a pair of side panels, a top panel, and a bottom panel that are joined to form an enclosed volume for receiving a transformer core and windings and a quantity of insulating oil. The side panels include a plurality of side panel sections that may include both curved and flat panel sections. Each side panel includes at least one curved panel section that is curved concavely and at least one curved panel section that is curved convexly. Each side panel section may also include one or more flat panel sections.

Abstract: An automated steel lamination stacking system for a transformer core. A computer controlled robot arm with a machine vision system locates each of a series of laminations formed by a core former. A hand with a pair of fingers disposed on the end of the robot arm sequentially grasps each of the laminations and transfers each lamination to a forming table which receives and shapes each lamination into a stack to form the desired transformer core. As the empty hand returns to retrieve the next lamination, an extended arm is activated to square the stack. If the preset number of laminations has been stacked and a desired weight has been reached, then the process is complete. Otherwise the stacking process continues. Because the laminations grow in size as the core is built, the stacking system adjusts the position of the fingers to grasp each lamination.

Abstract: A method for determining the adhesion strength of any HVOF-coating/substrate system. This method applies a spherical indentor to the coated part in a loading-unloading cycle. During the loading phase, the substrate deforms plastically. During the unloading phase, the elastic-plastic mismatch between coating and substrate material properties gives rise to a tensile stress normal to the interface. This leads to delamination for a sufficient indentation load. A hybrid numerical-experimental approach calculates the interfacial adhesion. The threshold load for delamination is found experimentally. A finite element model calculates the corresponding adhesion stress for delamination. This method enables the quantitative evaluation of the adhesion for any coating/substrate interface, regardless of bond strength.

Abstract: A composition and method of fabricating pressureless sintered 70 volume % silicon nitride—30 volume % barium aluminum silicate ceramic composites. The composites are made from 70 volume % silicon nitride, containing varying amounts and size distributions of initial &bgr;-silicon nitride, and 30 volume % barium aluminum silicate. The resulting ceramic composites contain microstructures with coarse &bgr;-silicon nitride whiskers, as well as narrow distributions of short &bgr;-silicon nitride whiskers, surrounded by fine barium aluminum silicate grains. The resulting composites exhibit improved fracture toughness and flexural strength.

Abstract: A composition and method of fabricating pressureless sintered 70 volume % silicon nitride-30 volume % barium aluminum silicate ceramic composites. The composites are made from 70 volume % silicon nitride, containing varying amounts and size distributions of initial &bgr;-silicon nitride, and 30 volume % barium aluminum silicate. The resulting ceramic composites contain microstructures with coarse &bgr;-silicon nitride whiskers, as well as narrow distributions of short &bgr;-silicon nitride whiskers, surrounded by fine barium aluminum silicate grains. The resulting composites exhibit improved fracture toughness and flexural strength.

Abstract: The body 12 of an air gun accommodates a removable magazine 16 immediately behind the breech 14, for pellets to be loaded one at a time from the magazine into the breech. The magazine comprises a drum 33 which is rotatably mounted within a housing 31 and comprises ten pellet-holding slots 38 around its axis. A torsion spring 42 urges rotation of the drum in indexing steps as controlled by an escapement mechanism comprising a rocking pawl 50. The pawl is displaced against the action of a return spring 58 by a plunger 60 which projects from a cocking arm 22 of a conventional cocking mechanism of the gun; the plunger is arranged to actuate the escapement only towards the end of a cocking stroke of the arm 22. A loading ram/air transfer tube 28 is reciprocated, in effecting the cocking action, to withdraw from one slot 38 in the drum and enter a next slot to load a fresh pellet into the breech.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for automatically loading a cargo compartment of a vehicle is disclosed that maximizes the utilization of available space within the vehicle by determining an optimum load configuration based on various parameters of the vehicle and the containers to be loaded. A self-propelled robot loader is used to load the cargo compartment based on the determined optimum load configuration. The robot loader automatically withdraws from the cargo compartment as the loading is completed.

Abstract: The invention provides package inspection systems which are capable of high speed sensing and evaluation of package integrity as packages are continuously conveyed in the manufacturing process. The systems are capable of measuring predetermined parameters of packages, e.g. cigarette packages, comparing the measured parameters with predetermined values, evaluating from the measured parameters the integrity of the packages and determining whether such packages are acceptable or, alternatively, should be rejected. The system can additionally obtain and store data on sensed package parameters for evaluating long-term and short-term manufacturing trends. In various embodiments of the invention, the system can inspect a single or plural package side(s), employing a single or plural line scan or area array camera(s) and may employ special optics to enable plural package side images to be obtained using a single camera.

Abstract: The apparatus of the invention comprises a lighting device for illuminating a component to be inspected to form a halo of light around a periphery of the component and a system for comparing the shape of the halo of light to a known acceptable shape. A camera may be used to detect the halo and a programmed computer may be used to perform image analysis of the shape of the halo to determine if it conforms to an acceptable shape.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed that detects the specular reflections from the surface of a travelling web to determine if a material is coated on the web. The web is illuminated with diffuse light and the reflected light is received by a detector which determines the presence and width of the coated material based on the specular reflections from the coated surface of the travelling web.

Abstract: An aircraft flight data recorder housing comprising a titanium alloy having a nominal composition of 15 weight percent vanadium, 3 weight percent chromium, 3 weight percent tin, and 3 weight percent aluminum with the balance being titanium and, within limitations, certain trace elements. The alloy is simultaneously hot formed and solution heat treated at temperatures on the order of 1400.degree. F. to 1500.degree. F. to fabricate the recorder housing.