Abstract: An apparatus for indicating a leak in a beverage dispensing system and sealing a leak in a beverage dispensing system includes a deactivating means including a channel, a sealing ball, a sealing element and a reset means. The sealing ball and sealing element are located within the channel. When a leak is present, the sealing ball is moved from its resting position. Once the leak reaches a predetermined level, the sealing ball is pressed against the sealing element by the force of the gas in the chamber. This seals the chamber and prevents further gas flow through the system.

Abstract: Printable compositions comprising: (a) 5 to 40 parts by weight of silver nanoparticles having a maximum effective diameter of 150 nm, as determined by laser correlation spectroscopy; (b) 50 to 99.5 parts by weight of water; (c) 0.01 to 15 parts by weight of a dispersing agent; (d) 0.5 to 5 parts by weight of a film former; and (g) 30 to 70 parts by weight of metal particles having a maximum effective diameter of 10 ?m, as determined by laser correlation spectroscopy; wherein the printable composition has a viscosity of at least 1 Pa·s; processes for producing electrically conductive coatings using such compositions and electrically conductive coatings prepared thereby.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing a thermoplastic plastic film. According to said method, the thermoplastic plastic is melted and transported in an extrusion installation comprising an extruder, an extrusion nozzle with a wide-slot delivery opening and a chill roll, which is fixed to a roll system and then leaves the delivery opening of the extrusion nozzle in the form of a flat melted web. Said melted web is then applied to the chill roll and is cooled. The invention is characterised in that it uses an extrusion installation, in which the distance between the delivery opening of the extrusion nozzle and the surface of the cooled roll does not vary by more than +/?50 ?m during the operating time. The invention also relates to a film of this type and to uses of the latter.

Abstract: Devices for the preparation of a liquid food or beverage. One device includes a housing, pump, pump support for securing the pump to the housing, a rigid duct that is connected by an elastic sealing member to the housing and to an inlet or outlet of the pump. The pump support includes an elastic support member for resiliently supporting the pump chamber in the housing. Another device includes a pre-suction chamber connected to a liquid inlet of a pump and being designed to intermittently provide liquid to said liquid inlet. A further device includes a connector of at least one elastic sealing member designed to absorb vibrations from a pump of the device and to enable a relative movement of a duct and a liquid inlet or outlet of the pump.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a beverage preparation machine by providing a group of components a) to f), with the components including a brewing unit for receiving an ingredient of the beverage and for guiding an incoming flow of liquid, through the ingredient to a beverage outlet; b) an in-line heater for heating the flow of liquid to be supplied to the brewing unit; c) a pump for pumping the liquid through the heater; d) one or more fluid connecting members for guiding the liquid from a source of liquid to the beverage outlet; e) an electric control unit for receiving instructions from a user via an interface and for controlling the heater and pump; and f) one or more electric sensors for sensing at least one operational characteristic of the brewing unit, the heater, the pump, a liquid reservoir, an ingredient collector, a flow of the liquid, a pressure of the liquid and a temperature of the liquid, and for communicating the characteristic(s) to the control unit.

Abstract: A system and method for notifying a supplier of gas when a system has changed from a first gas tank to a second gas tank. The system includes a selecting valve, an initiating apparatus, and a calling apparatus. The initiating apparatus is coupled to a selecting valve which is coupled to at least two gas tanks. When the selecting valve moves from the first tank to the second tank the initiating apparatus is activated which initiates the calling apparatus. The calling apparatus notifies a gas supplier or a third party that the user has switched from a first gas tank to a second gas tank allowing the supplier to know when to deliver a replacement gas tank or refill the existing gas tank.

Abstract: Printable compositions comprising: (a) 5 to 40 parts by weight of silver nanoparticles having a maximum effective diameter of 150 nm, as determined by laser correlation spectroscopy; (b) 50 to 99.5 parts by weight of water; (c) 0.01 to 15 parts by weight of a dispersing agent; (d) 0.5 to 5 parts by weight of a film former; and (g) 30 to 70 parts by weight of metal particles having a maximum effective diameter of 10 ?m, as determined by laser correlation spectroscopy; wherein the printable composition has a viscosity of at least 1 Pa·s; processes for producing electrically conductive coatings using such compositions and electrically conductive coatings prepared thereby.

Abstract: Disclosed are metal nanoparticle containing unimolecular micelles comprising selected star-shaped block-copolymers. These unimolecular micelles can be used as catalysts in coupling reactions forming carbon-carbon-bonds, for example as catalysts in the Heck reaction.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for producing electrically conducting nanostructures by means of electrospinning, the apparatus having at least a substrate holder (1), a spinning capillary (2), connected to a reservoir (3) for a spinning liquid (4) and to an electrical voltage supply (5), an adjustable movement unit (6, 6?) for moving the spinning capillary (2) and/or the substrate holder (1) relative to one another, an optical measuring device (7) for monitoring the spinning procedure at the outlet of the spinning capillary (2), and a computer unit (8) for controlling the drive of the spinning capillary (2) relative to the substrate holder (1) in accordance with the spinning procedure.

Abstract: Method for producing small and micro conductive structures on surfaces by (hot) stamping and/or nanoscale imprinting microstructures on the surfaces, targeting conductive material into the channels thus created with the aid of capillary action, and appropriately after-treating the conductive material.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for microstructuring electronic components, which yields high resolutions (?200 nm) at a good aspect ratio while being significantly less expensive than photolithographic methods. The inventive method comprises the following steps: i) a planar unhardened sol film of a nanocomposite composition according to claim 1 is produced; ii) a target substrate consisting of a bottom coat (b) and a support (c) is produced; iii) sol film material obtained in step i) is applied to the bottom coat (b) obtained in step ii) by means of a microstructured transfer embossing stamp; iv) the applied sol film material is hardened; v) the transfer embossing stamp is separated, whereby an embossed microstructure is obtained as a top coat (a).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing a thermoplastic plastic film. According to said method, the thermoplastic plastic is melted and transported in an extrusion installation comprising an extruder, an extrusion nozzle with a wide-slot delivery opening and a chill roll, which is fixed to a roll system and then leaves the delivery opening of the extrusion nozzle in the form of a flat melted web. Said melted web is then applied to the chill roll and is cooled. The invention is characterised in that it uses an extrusion installation, in which the distance between the delivery opening of the extrusion nozzle and the surface of the cooled roll does not vary by more than +/?50 ?m during the operating time. The invention also relates to a film of this type and to uses of the latter.

Abstract: A histogram equalization technique facilitates edge detection of objects imaged by a vision-based occupant sensing system by segmenting the brightness continuum of an imaging chip into predefined regions, and adjusting pixel intensities corresponding to identified histogram clusters within a given brightness region to redistribute the clusters within that region. This enhances brightness differentiation for objects in every region of the brightness continuum (i.e., both low and high reflectivity objects), enabling reliable edge detection of all objects of interest with a single image.

Abstract: A frame-interleaving system may transmit the same data in two data streams. Frames may become fragmented switching between two data streams. The reliability of a frame-interleaving system may be improved by aligning data streams that carry the same data so that the corresponding frames in the data streams are synchronized before the data streams are switched.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for regulating the minimal value of the pressure in the first half of the metering zone in a direction of conveyance in a single-screw degassing extruder or in a cascade extruder during the conveying of a melt consisting of a thermoplastic. The single-screw degassing extruder or the cascade extruder each have a first screw section (13), a degassing zone (14), a metering zone (22), and a measuring control loop (M), which includes a pressure measuring sensor (P) in the first half of the metering zone, a regulator (R) and an actuator (S) for influencing the pressure in the metering zone. The pressure is measured by the pressure measuring sensor (P) and is set by the regulator (R) and the actuator (S) so that the minimal value at the location of measurement ranges from 0.1 to 10 bar.

Abstract: Image processing parameters of an imaging chip in a vision-based occupant sensing system are adjusted for each frame based on ambient illumination responsive information obtained in the idle period preceding that frame. The same sensing data is also used to determine if active illumination is needed to supplement existent ambient illumination during the ensuing image acquisition interval. The inter-frame ambient illumination is detected with an external light sensor or with selected pixels of the imaging chip, and the information is used to calculate and set the gain and integration time of the imaging chip. In applications where the resolution of the imaging chip significantly exceeds the resolution required for occupant sensing, intensity data from one or more otherwise inactive pixels is averaged with the intensity data from the normally active pixels to adapt the sensitivity of the imaging chip to changing ambient illumination.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for regulating the minimal value of the pressure in the first half of the metering zone in a direction of conveyance in a single-screw degassing extruder or in a cascade extruder during the conveying of a melt consisting of a thermoplastic. The single-screw degassing extruder or the cascade extruder each have a first screw section (13), a degassing zone (14), a metering zone (22), and a measuring control loop (M), which includes a pressure measuring sensor (P) in the first half of the metering zone, a regulator (R) and an actuator (S) for influencing the pressure in the metering zone. The pressure is measured by the pressure measuring sensor (P) and is set by the regulator (R) and the actuator (S) so that the minimal value at the location of measurement ranges from 0.1 to 10 bar.

Abstract: Injection-molding materials comprised of polycarbonate can be processed into optically isotropic films in a chill roll extrusion method. The optically isotropic films for protecting data carriers (CD-ROMS) from becoming scratched, or they are used as supporting materials for the information layer.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for microstructuring electronic components, which yields high resolutions (?200 nm) at a good aspect ratio while being significantly less expensive than photolithographic methods. The inventive method comprises the following steps: i) a planar unhardened sol film of a nanocomposite composition according to claim 1 is produced; ii) a target substrate consisting of a bottom coat (b) and a support (c) is produced; iii) sol film material obtained in step i) is applied to the bottom coat (b) obtained in step ii) by means of a microstructured transfer embossing stamp; iv) the applied sol film material is hardened; v) the transfer embossing stamp is separated, whereby an embossed microstructure is obtained as a top coat (a).

Abstract: A method is for controlling entry, e.g., into a motor vehicle, during which a key and a base station wirelessly exchange authentication data between one another in an active or a passive communication mode. At the beginning of the authentication process, the base station transmits a call signal to the key, and the key replies to the call signal with a reply signal. The base station verifies the received reply signal of the key in the communications mode in which the reply signal was received. If the reply signal of the key was received in the active communications mode, the base station transmits a first selection instruction to the key thus causing the key to perform the subsequent communication in the active communications mode. If the reply signal of the key was received in the passive communications mode, the base station transmits a second selection instruction to the key thus causing the electronic key to perform the subsequent communication in the passive communications mode.