Abstract: A method of preserving land in which a large parcel of land is acquired. The land is divided into small sections referred to as tiles and these tiles are advertised for sale. Interested users purchase tiles via a website. Thereafter, the website delivers a printed deed and a preferably a satellite photo bearing indicia, such as the purchaser's name or photograph. The tile sales company can use profits from tile sales to buy more land and equipment.

Abstract: A thruster includes a mass following a trajectory confined to a preselected volume, and a brake selectively applied to decelerate the mass over a selected portion of the trajectory. In one embodiment, a plurality of such thrusters are ganged together to define a thruster device. In one embodiment, the thruster device is used to propel a vehicle such as a wheeled vehicle, an airplane, a boat, a ship, a flying car, a submarine, or a spacecraft. In one embodiment the trajectory-mass consists of a plasma of elementary charged particles. The thruster exhibits a side effect that it thrusts in the reverse direction when being charged. Accordingly, the thruster must be connected to a larger companion mass (such as the earth) during its charging cycle. It must move that mass in the reverse direction so that at a later time it can move itself in the forward direction without ejecting any of the trajectory-mass from itself. In this manner, the center of mass remains unchanged.

Abstract: A dataform reading module includes at least one photosensor providing a plurality of different zones for image capture. The reader module further includes a plurality of optics for focusing a respective image representing a portion of a dataform taken along a target line onto a respective one of the plurality of different zones. At least two of the plurality of optics are configured to focus an image of adjacent and partially overlapping portions of the dataform taken along the target line. An illuminating device included as part of the reading module is used for illuminating the dataform.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a dataform reading module. At least one photosensor provides a plurality of different zones for image capture. A lens focuses a respective image representing a portion of a dataform taken along a target line onto a respective one of the plurality of different zones. At least two mirrors are configured to focus an image of adjacent and partially overlapping portions of the dataform taken along the target line onto the lens. An illuminating device illuminates the dataform.

Abstract: An imaging system includes a scanning reflector that sweeps through a periodic scan pattern to redirect millimeter wave energy from a target object to a detector. The imaging system may include one or more millimeter wave lenses that gather and focus the millimeter wave energy from the target object onto the reflector or the detector. The detector is super-cooled to increases sensitivity, so that the imaging system does not require an illumination source. For each location on the target object, the detector monitors the intensity of the millimeter wave energy and an electronic controller builds a memory map from the detector data. Because different materials block millimeter wave energy differently, the detector data, and thus the memory map corresponds to the structure of the target object. In one embodiment, the scanning reflector is a resonant scanner. The scanner may be a microelectromechanical (MEMs) or mesomechanical scanner.

Abstract: An imaging system includes a scanning reflector that sweeps through a periodic scan pattern to redirect millimeter wave energy from a target object to a detector. The imaging system may include one or more millimeter wave lenses that gather and focus the millimeter wave energy from the target object onto the reflector or the detector. The detector is super-cooled to increases sensitivity, so that the imaging system does not require an illumination source. For each location on the target object, the detector monitors the intensity of the millimeter wave energy and an electronic controller builds a memory map from the detector data. Because different materials block millimeter wave energy differently, the detector data, and thus the memory map corresponds to the structure of the target object. In one embodiment, the scanning reflector is a resonant scanner. The scanner may be a microelectromechanical (MEMs) or mesomechanical scanner.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a dataform reading module. At least one photosensor provides a plurality of different zones for image capture. A lens focuses a respective image representing a portion of a dataform taken along a target line onto a respective one of the plurality of different zones. At least two piezoelectric reflectors are configured to focus an image of adjacent and partially overlapping portions of the dataform taken along the target line onto the lens. An illuminating device illuminates the dataform. The piezoelectric reflectors are configurable to vary the width of the overlapping portions, so that multiple samples of the same dataform can be taken. The piezoelectric reflectors can also be configured to eliminate the overlapping portions for a second reading.

Abstract: A dataform reading module includes a 2D photosensor array, a first optic for focusing a first image representing a target dataform onto a first portion of the array, and a second optic for focusing a second image representing the target dataform on a second portion of the array. Preferably, the first portion and the second portion each have a width which is substantially equal to a width of the photosensor array. The first optic has a first best focus length and the second optic has a second best focus length which is different from the first best focus length. The module further includes an illumination device, such as a laser, for illuminating the target dataform.

Abstract: An optical reader for reading optical indicia which includes an imaging element for forming an image of the optical indicia at an image plane. The optical reader further includes an aperture positioned at the image plane and having a width smaller than the width of a smallest element in the image to be discerned by the optical reader, the aperture permitting illumination from a portion of the image to impinge upon a photodetector. The optical reader further includes a displacement system which produces relative movement between the image and the aperture to produce an output of the photodetector indicative of the optical indicia.