Abstract: A system and method for personalizing cards and other secure identification documents. The card personalization system and method provide improved data integrity, system reliability, and system performance. Improvements to card handling and processing within the modules, improved card transfer between modules, improvements to control of the modules, and other improvements are set forth, all of which contribute, individually and collectively, to achieving these goals.

Abstract: A very low bit rate communication system. In preferred embodiments, an off-the-shelf module is adapted to convert a speaker's voice to text. A processor is provided to separate the text into individual words. The processor is programmed with a dictionary which provides pre-assigned specific 14-bit numeric values to each word in the dictionary (words used more frequently may be assigned shorter codes). The processor creates a numeric stream from 14-bit numeric values and this numeric stream is then transmitted to a receiver. Typical speech contains 4 words/second, so bit rates as low as 50 bits/second may be achieved with this technique. At the receiving end, the stream of received 14-bit numeric values, representing the speaker's words, are looked up in a dictionary identical to that at the transmitting end and the text of the words reconstructed. Text-to-speech techniques common to the industry are then used to regenerate the speech.

Abstract: A business process where hydrogen-depleted carbon, a fuel byproduct, that is removed from pumped-ion, electrochemical engines, or a similar device derived therefrom, is used directly or indirectly to supply carbon that is used as a reactant in solar-powered, liquid-hydrocarbon-fuel synthesizers, or a similar device derived therefrom, the reuse of the recovered carbon thereby yielding a renewable supply of hydrocarbon-based fuel. The synthesized fuel produced by the solar-powered, liquid-hydrocarbon-fuel synthesizers is converted to useful work by the pumped-ion, electrochemical engines. Little to no carbon dioxide gas is exhausted into the atmosphere when solar energy is the sole source of process heat used by the synthesizer.

Abstract: A synchronous reaction cell, rotating as a unit, disassociates hydrogen from water, traps and filters hydrogen, mixes and pressurizes hydrogen and ingested carbon, hydrogenates carbon by surface catalysis, isolates and exhausts liquid hydrocarbon products above a desired density, recirculates gaseous products for further reaction, and expands steam through a turbine to produce rotation and turn an electrical generator. Solar energy focused by heliostats is one means of supplying process heat. Burning natural gas or another fossil fuel in oxygen freed by the disassociation of water provides alternative sources of heat. The reaction cell has a vertical axis-of-rotation making it conducive to mounting on a tower disposed at the center of an array of heliostats. The rotating reaction cell has a large, cylindrical heat-absorbing surface. Electrical output might be used to aim heliostats. Excess electrical generation might be added to the local electrical grid and sold for its value.

Abstract: A CMOS image sensor with a many million pixel count. Applicants have developed techniques for combining its continuous layer photodiode CMOS sensor technology with CMOS integrated circuit lithography stitching techniques to provide digital cameras with an almost unlimited number of pixels. A preferred CMOS stitching technique exploits the precise alignment accuracy of CMOS stepper processes by using specialized mask sets to repeatedly produce a single pixel array pattern many times on a single silicon wafer with no pixel array discontinuities. The single array patterns are stitched together lithographically to form a pixel array of many million pixels. A continuous multilayer photodiode layer is deposited over the top of the many million pixel array to provide a many million pixel sensor with a fill factor of 100 percent or substantially 100 percent.

Abstract: Novel gaming systems, machines, and methods are described for transmitting gaming software between a gaming server and a gaming machine. A gaming machine receives updated and new game object files and a linker directive file. From these two components, the gaming machine or other type of gaming device is able to generate an updated or new gaming module without any further data or assistance from a gaming server or any other component in a gaming network. From the gaming server, the gaming machine only receives the specific game object files and a linker directive file, often amounting to a few hundred kilobytes of data. The updated object files and the linker directive file are input to a linker program that resides permanently on the gaming machine. The linker outputs an updated gaming module that executes on the gaming machine thereby enabling a user to play the updated game or a new game in real time that the user had requested.

Abstract: A rotary bag machine and method for making bags from a film are disclosed. They include a rotary drum, an accumulation nip, a blanket that positions the film against the drum, and a blanket tensioner located away from the accumulation nip. The drum includes at least one seal bar mounted thereon, and the accumulation nip provides the film to the drum. Various aspects include the accumulation nip being in a fixed position independent of changes of the drum diameter, and/or the path from the accumulation nip to the drum being fixed in length, independent of changes of the drum diameter. An accumulation sensor and a controller that controls the accumulation nip speed and the drum speed in response to the sensor are provided in one embodiment. The speed control is in response to the speed of the film, the rate of change of a function of the input, response history, and/or a setpoint, in various alternatives.

Abstract: An ostomy appliance is described in the form of a controlled discharge device for controlling discharge from the stoma and/or an ostomy pouch for collecting discharged waste. The appliance may include one or more of: an elastomeric stoma seal for providing a seal around or directly against the stoma; a stoma occluder for occluding the stoma without passing internally into the stoma; a peristomal foam wall; a confinement seal for confining at least solid excreta to a confinement region adjacent to the stoma; a stowable collector bag; and interchangeable controlled discharge devices and ostomy pouches. The foam wall may provide a barrier to stool, but allow escape of flatus. The foam wall and/or the stoma occluder and/or the confinement seal may apply a force in a direction to increase the sealing force on the stoma seal.

Abstract: Trp cage binding domains polypeptides are disclosed. The Trp cage binding domains have the generic formulae of SEQ ID NO: 2, 7, 10 or 11. They can be efficiently produced and screened using phage display technology.

Abstract: A machine and method for making bags is described and includes a web traveling from an input section to a rotary drum, to an output section. The rotary drum includes at least one seal bar, having a single sealing zone, and an weakening zone disposed within the single sealing zone. The single sealing zone may be a heated perforator, includes a heating wire. The heating wire may be an NiCr wire and make intermittent contact with the web and be disposed in an insert. The weakening zone may create a line of weakness that is uniform or varies in intensity. The sealing zone may include temperature zones, cartridge heaters, cooling air, or heated air, or a source of ultrasonic, microwave or radiative energy.

Abstract: A system and method of providing advertisements to vehicles is disclosed. An apparatus that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a system having at least one wireless communication access point deployed along a freeway, a database for storing one or more media files associated with one or more advertisements, the database storing information concerning the types of media files supported by a number of media systems of a corresponding number of user vehicles, and a server coupled to the database having access to the at least one wireless communication access point. The server can direct the wireless communication access point to transmit one or more advertisements to the portable communication devices according to one or more types of media files determined to be supported by the media systems, and the corresponding user vehicles being proximately located to a freeway exit. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: An ostomy appliance is described in the form of a controlled discharge device for controlling discharge from the stoma and/or an ostomy pouch for collecting discharged waste. The appliance may include one or more of: an elastomeric stoma seal for providing a seal around or directly against the stoma; a stoma occluder for occluding the stoma without passing internally into the stoma; a peristomal foam wall; a confinement seal for confining at least solid excreta to a confinement region adjacent to the stoma; a stowable collector bag; and interchangeable controlled discharge devices and ostomy pouches. The foam wall may provide a barrier to stool, but allow escape of flatus. The foam wall and/or the stoma occluder and/or the confinement seal may apply a force in a direction to increase the sealing force on the stoma seal.

Abstract: The breathing air system is made of a pressurized breathing air source, a continuous loop air conduit connected to the pressurized breathing air source for maintaining the breathing air at a defined pressure, a first isolation valve located between the pressurized breathing air source and the continuous loop air conduit, a first splitter is located between the first isolation valve and the continuous loop air conduit, a second splitter is connected to the continuous loop air conduit, a first auxiliary air conduit segment is connected to the second splitter, a second isolation valve connects to the first auxiliary air conduit segment, a reserve manifold is also used and a second auxiliary air conduit segment communicates between the second isolation valve and the reserve manifold to distribute breathing air to at least one reserve manifold from at least two directions wherein the breathing air is grade “D” or better.

Abstract: A radio radio quasi-circulator-jammer system, which connects a transceiver and a jammer unit to a single antenna, for isolating the transceiver from the co-located transmitter jammer. The radio quasi-circulator-jammer system includes includes a quasi-circulator having a transformer, a matched electrical load having an electrical impedance substantially matched to the antenna electrical impedance and three radio signal splitters adapted to split incoming radio power signals into two substantially equal outgoing radio power signals.

Abstract: A disaster alert system and disaster alert devices for use in the system. Each disaster alert device includes a radio receiver, and a processor programmed to monitor radio transmissions from one or more central stations for disaster alerts directed to the location of the disaster alert device. Each alert device also includes an audio unit to alert personnel located at the site of the device to the precise nature of the disaster. The disaster alert devices are pre-programmed with information identifying the precise use location of the warning device. This use location information includes latitude and longitude of the use location and may also include other location information such as street address and zip code.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for making bags is disclosed. It includes receiving a film and imparting a plurality of successive seals to the film to form bags. The location of the imparted seals is determined by monitoring at least two sensors. A plurality of perforations are imparted to the film at locations relative to a corresponding seal in response to the determination. The position of a perforator such as rotary position, of a knife may be controlled in response to determining the location. The seals may be formed by a rotary drum, and the perforation by a rotary knife. The sensors may be at the same or different cross machine direction and/or machine direction locations. Startup may include adjusting and recording the position of a prior perforation relative to a prior corresponding seal, and using that recording as a base relative location in another embodiment.

Abstract: A computer system (1) is described for programming and testing microcontrollers (8). The computer System (1) includes an interactive design environment (20) comprising a configuration module (22), an assembler (24), a compiler (26) and a debugger (28). The compiler (26), assembler (24) and debugger (28) all enable high level program data (30) to be converted into binary code and stored within a program store to control the functioning of a CPU included within a micro-controller (8). The configuration module (22) is such to enable a user to generate a configuration program (30) for storing values in registers for controlling the settings of inbuilt peripherals in the micro-controller (8) and the routing of signals to and from the peripherals. The register values for routing signals are identified in a two stage process. Firstly utilising the configuration module (22) a user identifies which peripherals are to be enabled.

Abstract: The invention provides press brake and press brake tooling technology. Certain embodiments of the invention provide a press brake tool that has an elongated, retractable safety key. In certain embodiments, the invention provides click-in/slide-out press brake tools. In some of these embodiments, the tool has a safety key defining a flat (i.e., a planar wall section/planar surface) that is adapted for sliding along a surface of a tool holder when the tool is dismounted from the holder by moving the tool horizontally out of the holder. In certain embodiments, the flat has a longitudinal length of at least about 0.008 inch (in some cases, at least about 0.010 inch, at least about 0.015 inch, or at least about 0.020 inch), ranging up to the full longitudinal length of the tool. In certain embodiments, the invention provides a press brake tool and a tool holder in combination. Finally, the invention in some embodiments provides methods of press brake operation.

Abstract: An optical component for gain-flattening multiplexed passband signals amplified with optical pump power, comprises a launch port optical waveguide operative to communicate multiplexed passband signals in a passband wavelength range and optical pump power in a different wavelength range; a thin film demux filter oriented to receive combined multiplexed passband signals and optical pump power from the launch port optical waveguide, and operative to pass the multiplexed passband signals and to reflect the optical pump power; a bypass port optical waveguide operative and oriented to receive and carry optical pump power reflected by the demux filter; a gain-flattening filter positioned to receive from the thin film demux filter and operative to pass the multiplexed passband signals with a desired attenuation profile for gain-flattening; and an output port optical waveguide oriented to receive and operative to carry at least multiplexed passband signals passed by the gain-flattening filter.

Abstract: A disaster alert system and disaster alert devices for use in the system. Each disaster alert device includes a radio receiver, and a processor programmed to monitor radio transmissions from one or more central stations for disaster alerts directed to the location of the disaster alert device. Each alert device also includes an audio unit to alert personnel located at the site of the device to the precise nature of the disaster. The disaster alert devices are pre-programmed with information identifying the precise use location of the warning device. This use location information includes latitude and longitude of the use location and may also include other location information such as street address and zip code.