Abstract: There are disclosed methods and apparatus for expanding tubing downhole. In one embodiment, there is disclosed a method of expanding downhole tubing such as a liner (10), the method comprising the steps of locating the liner (10) in a borehole (12), expanding a part (16) of the liner (10) in the borehole (12), locating an expansion device such as an expandable cone (18) in said expanded part (16) of the liner (10), and translating the cone (18) relative to the liner (10) to expand a further part (20) of the liner (10).

Abstract: There is disclosed an expandable seal for sealing at least part of a wall of a well borehole, an expandable seal assembly comprising at least two such expandable seals, and a method of sealing at least part of a well borehole using such a seal. In one embodiment, the expandable seal (32) comprises an expandable tubular support member (34) and an inflatable seal element (36) mounted externally of the expandable tubular support member (34) for inflation radially outwardly into sealing engagement with at least part of a wall (50) of a well borehole (10). There is also disclosed a sealing apparatus for sealing at least one flow port in an expandable downhole tubular, in one embodiment, the sealing apparatus (332) comprising a sealing member (384) coupled to an expandable tubular (334), the sealing member (384) including a deformable portion (387) movable between a closed position preventing fluid flow through a flow port (356) and an open position permitting fluid flow through the flow port (356).

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for adding hinting instructions to a character in order to improve a character bitmap produced from an outline of the character at a certain size and output resolution when the character outline is scan converted. A character is retrieved to be output. A determination is made that the character belongs to a semantic character classifications, and hinting instructions that are associated with the semantic character classification are accessed. The hinting instructions preserve semantic meaning for the character while altering either stroke presence, stroke location, or both for at least one stroke of at least one feature of the character based on a reference character size and output resolution. If the actual character size and output resolution for the character is within a reference character size and output resolution for the hinting instructions, the hinting instructions are executed.

Abstract: An expandable coupling arrangement for coupling first and second tubulars includes a male thread portion on an end of the first tubular and a female thread portion on an end of the second tubular. The thread portions comprise dovetail threads having flanks, roots and crests, wherein the flanks are inclined at an angle of greater than 10°.

Abstract: The principles of the present invention relate to rendering stroke pairs. A graphical object includes at least a first stroke and a second similarly oriented second stroke collectively representing a stroke pair. A calculated distance between the first stroke and the second stroke is constrained (e.g., to a center line between the strokes) to mitigate the possibility of rounding errors causing the represented stroke pair to be inappropriately rendered. After the stroke pair is constrained, controls points of the individual strokes can be adjusted so that the individual strokes are appropriately rendered at their respective constrained locations. The adjusted stroke pair is constrained between external reference points for appropriate rendering relative to other graphical objects. The graphical object, including the adjusted constrained stroke pair, is rendered at an output device.

Abstract: There are disclosed methods and apparatus for expanding downhole tubing. In one embodiment, there is disclosed a method of expanding tubing comprising providing an assembly 40 comprising a section of expandable tubing (42) and an expansion device in the form of an expansion mandrel (44) located at least partially externally of the tubing (42), running the assembly (40) into a bore, translating the expansion mandrel (44) relative to the tubing (42) to expand an end section of the tubing (42), and further translating the expansion mandrel (44) relative to the tubing (42) to expand a further section of the tubing (42).

Abstract: Various technologies and techniques are disclosed that improve text rendering contrast. The shape of one or more characters is converted from an original format, such as a vector format received from a font, to an overscaled bitmap format. The width of the shape of the character is adjusted based on a text contrast setting. For example, the width of the shape can be adjusted by extending a right or other edge of the shape by the number of pixels corresponding to the numerical value of the text contrast setting. The shape is made wider or thinner based on the text contrast setting. A filtering procedure is used to determine density values for how the shape corresponds to a set of screen pixels. The density values are blended with color values related to the display device to form a modified shape ready for output. The modified shape is then displayed.

Abstract: The principles of the present invention relate to iteratively solving constraints in a font-hinting language. A computing system accesses a more complex constraint that can not be natively expressed based on the vocabulary of the font-hinting language, the more complex constraint constraining at least a portion of the outline. The computing system decomposes the more complex constraint into a plurality of simpler constraints that can be natively expressed based on the vocabulary of the font-hinting language. The computer system represents each of the simpler constraints in corresponding font-hinting language instructions that can be iteratively processed to at least approximate a solution to the more complex constraint. The font-hinting language instructions are iteratively processed at the computing system or another computing system to cause a graphical object to comply, within a specific tolerance, with the more complex constraint.

Abstract: Stroke contrast is preserved for a range of font sizes and display resolutions using programmatic constraints or “hints”. One implementation of a “font hinting” approach enforces a regularization of stroke weights such that stroke contrast is preserved for font sizes and display resolutions sufficient to render it. Font hinting instructions determine a stroke contrast threshold, which may be used to decide whether to preserve or omit stroke contrast when rendering the glyph. In one implementation, the stroke contrast threshold is based on one or more stroke contrast relationships associated with the typeface. In other implementations, the stroke contrast threshold is based on a minimum size threshold or lowercase/uppercase stroke contrast relationships.

Abstract: An auto hinting module defines typographically relevant control points and relative offset constraints for use in composite character generation. Control points in one or more dimensions are defined for each glyph component. The control points may be represented as control points on the outline of the component glyphs, although control points may also be represented by control points positioned relative to the outlines, control lines (e.g., vertical, horizontal, diagonal, etc.) that intersect the outlines, etc. A composite character font hinting module enforces offset constraints between the control points, effectively positioning one of the glyph components relative to the other.

Abstract: Font control value selection is automated by progressively filtering a distribution of font property values until a threshold number of font control values is identified. Font-hinting instructions may be parameterized using these algorithmically determined font control values, which may be derived from measurements of font properties of glyph outlines across the typeface. In one implementation, a distribution of the measured font properties is progressively filtered to identify a distribution characteristic satisfying a determined criterion, such as a threshold condition. The font property values corresponding to the threshold satisfying-points of the distribution are assigned as font control values.

Abstract: Methods and systems for selecting different anti-aliasing filters to be applied to objects of image data rendered with pixel sub-component precision based on the attributes of the objects of the graphics image. For example, when rendering a character traditional anti-aliasing applied in the direction parallel to the striping of the pixel sub-components is adapted to the unique requirements of different character font sizes such that a large amount of anti-aliasing is applied to large font sizes while a small amount of anti-aliasing is provided for characters at small font sizes. Displaced sampling is utilized to determine the alpha values for a plurality of vertical samples for each RGB pixel sub-component. The selected anti-aliasing filter is applied to the alpha values to determine the luminous intensity values of the RGB pixel sub-components.

Abstract: The principles of the present invention relate to appropriately rendering a graphical object when a corresponding outline has exact or inexact control points. Based on the positions of control points on an outline it is calculated, that between a first parent control point and a second parent control point, the outline passes approximately though the center of a grid location. The positions of the first and second parent control points are adjusted by a first and second fraction of the size of a grid location respectively. The position of the child control point is realigned along a second axis of the grid space based on the positions of the first and second parent control points. The child control point position is rounded by a fraction of the size of a grid location based on the positions of the first and second parent control points.

Abstract: The present invention relates to dropout control in which one or more samples are added to adjacent samples that fall within an image outline. The samples are used in sub-pixel rendering to compensate for unnaturally thin or faint object stems. Horizontal dropout control operations are provided to add samples to sets of horizontally adjacent samples such that each set of samples comprises a minimum number of samples. Vertical dropout control operations are provided to position samples such that the weighted anti-aliasing filtering will take sufficient account of the samples. In one embodiment, an associative table is utilized to calculate alternative patterns of samples. In another embodiment, the baseline of an object is used in the dropout control operations to reduce artifacts that can be created by the addition of samples in the vertical direction.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method of lining a drilled bore (10) and bore-lining tubing (12). The method comprises providing a first tubular (16); locating the first tubular (16) in the bore (10); providing an expandable, second tubular (22); locating the second tubular (22) in the bore (10) overlapping the first tubular (16); expanding a portion (24) of the second tubular (22) to create a coupling (29) including a flow passage (26) between the first tubular and the second tubular (16,22).

Abstract: The invention relates to a tubing expansion tool and to a method of expanding tubing. In one embodiment, a tubing expansion tool (10) is disclosed which comprises a body (14) and at least one expansion member (16) radially movably mounted on the body (14) for movement towards an extended configuration describing an expansion diameter for expanding tubing (12) to a predetermined diameter, the expansion member (16) being lockable in the extended configuration. In further embodiments, the expansion member (16) is biased radially inwardly; the expansion member (16) is moveable in response to both an applied mechanical force and an applied fluid pressure force; and the expansion member (16) is pivotably mounted with respect to the body (14).

Abstract: A method of isolating a section of a drilled bore containing a problem zone comprises: providing a section of tubing; locating the tubing in the section of the bore; and expanding the tubing and forming at least an outer portion of the tubing to conform to irregularities in the bore wall, to isolate the problem zone. The tubing may feature a formable outer section, and the expansion of the tubing may be achieved using a compliant rotary expander.

Abstract: A class of novel agents that are able to modify nociceptive afferent function is provided. The agents may inhibit the release of neurotransmitters from discrete populations of neurones and thereby reduce or preferably prevent the transmission of afferent pain signals from peripheral to central pain fibres. They comprise a galactose-binding lectin linked to a derivative of a clostridial neurotoxin. The derivative of the clostridial neurotoxin comprises the L-chain, or a fragment thereof, which includes the active proteolytic enzyme domain of the light (L) chain, linked to a molecule or domain with membrane translocating activity. The agents may be used in or as pharmaceuticals for the treatment of pain, particular chronic pain.

Abstract: The present invention relates to dropout control in which one or more samples are added to adjacent samples that fall within an image outline. The samples are used in sub-pixel rendering to compensate for unnaturally thin or faint object stems. Horizontal dropout control operations are provided to add samples to sets of horizontally adjacent samples such that each set of samples comprises a minimum number of samples. Vertical dropout control operations are provided to position samples such that the weighted anti-aliasing filtering will take sufficient account of the samples. In one embodiment, an associative table is utilized to calculate alternative patterns of samples. In another embodiment, the baseline of an object is used in the dropout control operations to reduce artifacts that can be created by the addition of samples in the vertical direction.