Abstract: When electronic mail is to be sent by an off-line user to a recipient who holds a digital certificate, the sender's mail program allows the sender to compose the mail, but the mail is placed in plain text in the sender's local outbox and flagged for subsequent encryption. When the sender later connects to a mail server to send the outgoing mail, the sender's mail software, in response to the flagged mail will request the recipient's certificate from the server and use the received certificate to encrypt the mail message before it leaves the sender's workstation. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, after using a digital certificate to encrypt a mail message, the certificate is discarded. In accordance with another embodiment, if the certificate is not available or located by the mail server, a message is sent to the sender informing him that the certificate cannot be located and the mail cannot be sent in encrypted form.

Abstract: A vehicle lift has an electronic control which is functional to control the raising and lowering of the lift and to enable the display of a variety of information regarding the operation of the lift. The electronic control includes control logic which generates an operation fault indication signal based on the application of predetermined criteria to operation conditions, with concomitant display of data indicative of the operation fault indication signal accompanied by inhibiting or altering raising or lowering of the lift. The electronic control also includes maintenance control logic which generates a maintenance condition indication signal to enable generation of maintenance notice data. A vehicle service system includes a network placing controls of such vehicle lifts in communication with each other or a central computer processor.

Abstract: A portable ramp assembly has many uses, but is especially designed to fit within the flat bed of a pick-up truck which, for example, has an eight foot long flat bed. The assembly comprises a housing which is sufficiently wide to accommodate two separate ramps in side-by-side separated relation. The housing is provided with special blocks for engaging the trailing ends of the ramps and lifting them to be closely aligned with the top, exposed surface of the housing, so as to at least reduce any abrupt offsets between the tops of the housing and adjacent trailing ends of the ramps. Special plastic guides are provided between the ramps and housing to facilitate movement of the ramps and keep them in proper lateral alignment as they move into and out of the housing.

Abstract: The present invention relates, in general, to a method of producing L-amino acids comprising culturing altered bacterial cells having increased amounts of NADPH as compared to unaltered bacterial cells whereby L-amino acids yields from said altered bacterial cells are greater than yields from unaltered bacterial cells. The invention also relates to a gene encoding phosphoglucoisomerase.

Abstract: The invention is in a portable ramp assembly which has many uses, but is especially designed to fit within the flat bed of a pick-up truck which, for example, has an eight foot long flat bed. The assembly comprises a housing which is sufficiently wide to accommodate two separate ramps in side-by-side separated relation. The housing is provided with special blocks for engaging the trailing ends of the ramps and lifting them to be closely aligned with the top, exposed surface of the housing, so as to at least reduce any abrupt offsets between the tops of the housing and adjacent trailing ends of the ramps. Special plastic guides are provided between the ramps and housing to facilitate movement of the ramps and keep them in proper lateral alignment as they move into and out of the housing.

Abstract: A system for automatically distributing discount coupons or certificates in a retail store, conditioned on a preselected combination of present and past shopping behavior of a customer whose order is being processed at a checkout stand. Generation of a printable discount coupon can be based on any desired combination of customer-supplied data, obtained from a customer identification data base, past shopping activity, derived from data gathered during previous customer visits to the store, and present shopping activity, as evidenced by items identified in the current customer order. Collection of data pertaining to past behavior of customers is facilitated by filtering all sales transaction data at the point of sale. If all of the preselected conditions for generation of a coupon are satisfied, the coupon is generated and printed at the checkout stand.

Abstract: A vehicle lift has an electronic control which is functional to control the raising and lowering of the lift and to enable the display of a variety of information regarding the operation of the lift. The electronic control includes control logic which generates an operation fault indication signal based on the application of predetermined criteria to operation conditions, with concomitant display of data indicative of the operation fault indication signal accompanied by inhibiting or altering raising or lowering of the lift. The electronic control also includes maintenance control logic which generates a maintenance condition indication signal to enable generation of maintenance notice data. A vehicle service system includes a network placing controls of such vehicle lifts in communication with each other or a central computer processor.

Abstract: A system for automatically distributing discount coupons or certificates in a retail store, conditioned on a preselected combination of present and past shopping behavior of a customer whose order is being processed at a checkout stand. Generation of a printable discount coupon can be based on any desired combination of customer-supplied data, obtained from a customer identification data base, past shopping activity, derived from data gathered during previous customer visits to the store, and present shopping activity, as evidenced by items identified in the current customer order. Collection of data pertaining to past behavior of customers is facilitated by filtering all sales transaction data at the point of sale. If all of the preselected conditions for generation of a coupon are satisfied, the coupon is generated and printed at the checkout stand.

Abstract: A system for automatically distributing discount coupons or certificates in a retail store, conditioned on a preselected combination of present and past shopping behavior of a customer whose order is being processed at a checkout stand. Generation of a printable discount coupon can be based on any desired combination of customer-supplied data, obtained from a customer identification data base, past shopping activity, derived from data gathered during previous customer visits to the store, and present shopping activity, as evidenced by items identified in the current customer order. If all of the preselected conditions for generation of a coupon are satisfied, the coupon is generated and printed at the checkout stand.

Abstract: Inherently low orientation sheet is produced by extruding a thermoplastic material in its melt phase onto the surface of a chill roller and thereafter solidifying the sheet at a relatively slow chill rate. Importantly, the just extruded thermoplastic polymeric sheet (i.e., the melt) is urged into continuous surface-to-surface contact with the chill roll by a curtain of air impinging upon the sheet at a velocity sufficient to ensure such continuous surface-to-surface contact between the sheet and the chill roll, but insufficient to impart substantial stress to the sheet. In such a manner, therefore, the resulting sheet will exhibit a low inherent internal stress level as evidenced by an unusually low shrink rate (ASTM D-1204) of less than about 18%.

Abstract: A reinforced structural composite member includes a plurality of wood members with at least one recess in a first wood member facing another wood member and a generally rectangular fiber reinforcing composite member secured within the recess. The recesses are in the aggregate of lesser width than the wood members within which they are secured. In a preferred embodiment the aggregate width of the recesses is less than about 30 percent of the width of the wood member having the recesses. A suitable adhesive, which is preferably resorcinol or a phenol resorcinol-based adhesive, may be employed to secure the wood members to each other. The elongated fiber reinforcing composites may be adhesively secured within the recesses. Corresponding methods employing either preformed recesses or in situ formed recesses are provided.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods whereby flexible walled containers may be automatically pressure tested at a pressure testing station for the purpose of determining the presence of defective containers. Detected defective containers may thereafter be transported to an ejector station and ejected physically from their respective supporting tray. The pressure testing station is provided with an array of pressure testing heads which are moveable reciprocally towards and away from the containers while supported in their tray. Each of the pressure testing heads thus makes sealing contact with the rim of an individual respective one of the containers supported in the tray. The ejector station is provided with an array of ejector assemblies equal in number to the number of containers supported on a tray and oriented at an angle relative to a vertical cross-machine plane. If a container is determined to be defective (i.e.

Abstract: An angled interconnect panel assembly includes an enclosure, a plurality of support brackets mounted inside the enclosure, a plurality of interconnect panels which are each pivotally mounted to one of the support brackets and are each disposed in an angled position when at rest between adjacent support brackets, and a pair of key-operated lock mechanisms for locking or holding the interconnect panels in their angled positions. The enclosure has a pair of opposite end walls and defines wire entry ports in the end walls. One wire entry port is for passage of user wiring into the assembly while the other of the wire entry ports is for passage of technician wiring into the assembly. Each interconnect panel has opposite user and technician sides and defines a plurality of openings extending between the opposite user and technician sides for receiving one or more interconnection members. The assembly also includes a pair of front closure doors.

Abstract: A connection system for a computer network includes a computer terminal (12), wall outlet (16), a patch panel (28), an interface panel (32) and a network hub (36). A terminal jack (14) on the computer terminal and an outlet jack (18) on the wall terminal are connected by a patch cord (20). The patch panel has a plurality of patch modular jacks (40), each of which is connected to an interface modular jack (46) by a patch cord (34). An elongated receptacle (48) is mounted on the interface panel and is connected to the modular jacks of the interface panel by a wiring board (50). The wiring board has conductive paths which connect the terminals of the interface modular jacks with the terminals of the elongated receptacle and cancel crosstalk. The network hub is connected to the interface connector by a patch cord (38).

Abstract: The image composition system includes a display device coupled to a central processing device for displaying a user selected image. A camera coupled to the central processing device enables a real subject to be incorporated into the user selected image. Accessory items are stored in a memory device coupled to the central processing unit for combining with the subject in the user selected image.

Abstract: A transition adapter connects two different multi-conductor cables. The adapter includes a board holder, a printed circuit board mounted on the board holder, and input and output connectors mounted on the circuit board. The board holder has a base member and wall members extending from opposite edges of the base member. The printed circuit board has input contact areas, output contact areas and conductor traces connecting the respective contact areas. Each connector has a plurality of contacts, with each contact having a wire receiving portion and a terminal portion. The terminal portions engage and are connected to the contact areas on the circuit board. By connecting the conductors of the cables to the contact wire receiving portions, the two cables are properly connected to each other.

Abstract: A raceway system with a conduit, a device box and a transition adapter connects two different multi-conductor cables. The adapter includes a board holder, a printed circuit board mounted on the board holder, and input and output connectors mounted on the circuit board. The board holder has a base member and wall members extending from opposite edges of the base member. The printed circuit board has input contact areas, output contact areas and conductor traces connecting the respective contact areas. Each connector has a plurality of contacts, with each contact having a wire receiving portion and a terminal portion. The terminal portions engage and are connected to the contact areas on the circuit board. By connecting the conductors of the cables to the contact wire receiving portions, the two cables are properly connected to each other.

Abstract: A system for generating, in a retail store, a printable discount coupon image solely in response to a customer's action concerning the purchase of an item. The system includes at least one customer checkout terminal, a store controller, a file for storing the terms of at least one coupon deal in which a discount coupon image is generated upon the purchase of a triggering product. The system identifies the triggering product in the customer order, associates it with the coupon deal, and automatically generates data defining at least one discount coupon for a product, typically other than the triggering product, based on the details of the coupon deal, which are not communicated to the customer prior to processing the customer order.