Abstract: A pedal structure for exercise devices includes a pedal having a groove for receiving an operation rod therein and two positioning ports are defined in a side of the pedal. The positioning ports are continuous notches which are in communication with each other. Two connection ports are located on the operation rod and communicate with the positioning ports. Two positioning members respectively extend through the positioning ports and are engaged with the connection ports. The positioning members are able to slide between the continuous notches so as to adjust the effective length of the pedal relative to the operation rod.

Abstract: A hexapod machine is disclosed in which six adjustable length struts couple to a controllably moveable platform at three triangularly spaced locations at each of which a pair of struts couple together and to the platform at a bifurcated universal joint. The struts extend away from the platform and through machine nodes defined at triangularly spaced-apart locations in a machine sub-frame, and at each such node a strut extending from one platform location and the next adjacent strut from the next adjacent platform location come together and cross each other in respective hemispheres of a bifurcated sphere journalled for multidirectional pivotal movement in a socket in the sub-frame. The hemispheres each contain a motor which is frictionally engaged with the respective strut so as to enable it to be driven through the hemisphere to adjust its effective length. By control of the motors, the platform position and orientation can be adjusted in space.

Abstract: A haptic input device comprises a hexapod or pentapod parallel linkage mechanism with force feedback effected by proportional control of magneto-restrictive fluid brakes constraining the measurement of the struts of the mechanism, through their base nodes. In the pentapod version of the haptic data input device, a haptic stylus is employed which includes an annular compliant feature that can be squeezed and whose squeeze pressure can be monitored.

Abstract: A multi-axis spindle head for a machine tool has a spindle drive motor mounted in a sphere (4) with the motor axis extending radially and the sphere (4) is articulated to move about two orthogonal axes by virtue of being mounted in a gimbal ring (10) providing for pivotal movement of the sphere about one axis, and by virtue of the gimbal ring (10) being mounted in a mounting ring (1) providing for pivotal movement of the gimbal ring about an orthogonal axis. Ball screw drive motors (3, 5) provide for controlled movement of the sphere relative to the gimbal ring and of the gimbal ring relative to the mounting ring so as to provide the spindle drive motor with all five degrees of freedom of movement.

Abstract: An absorbent mat assembly including a petroleum resistant mat having a bottom panel and a raised perimeter forming a recess. An absorbent pad is placed within the recess and a fluid permeable backflow prevention member and a fluid permeable mesh are placed over the absorbent pad and secured to the mat using a plurality of mesh connectors. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the absorbent pad includes a recyclable, washable and reusable material such as a polypropylene absorbent pad. The mat may be formed of a compound including recycled tires. The backflow prevention member and the mesh may be formed of a solvent or petroleum resistant material such as a high density polyethylene. The absorbent mat assembly may also include a connector strip for connecting two mats together along a marginal edge.

Abstract: A method and system for determining location and value of dispersion compensating modules (DCMs) in an optical network is provided. The method comprises evaluating possible DCM values and locations and successively adding selected combinations to the network until the dispersion limits of the network are met. This systematic method is applicable to a variety of network topologies. In one embodiment, the method for determining the location and value of the DCMs uses the amount of compensated effective dispersion over all lightpaths that pass through the DCM to select the combinations. In another embodiment, the method is repeated a number of times with different selections of DCM value and location combinations, and the method providing the least number of DCMs and the lowest DCM values is chosen.

Abstract: A method for selecting two maximally disjoint shortest paths between a source node and destination node in a network is provided. The method comprises determining a first explicit route between the source and destination nodes by using an original link cost for each link in the network, transforming the network by introducing conditional link costs, determining a second explicit route between the source and destination nodes in the transformed network taking into account the conditional link costs, and determining the two maximally disjoint shortest paths between the source and destination nodes by coalescing the first and second explicit routes. Beneficially, the step of introducing conditional link costs comprises adding additional parameters to links in the network and determining the conditional link costs depending on the position of each link relative to the first explicit route.

Abstract: A damping assembly for an exercising device includes a shaft with a base member and a rotatable member respectively mounted thereto. The base member has a first annular surface and the rotatable member has a second annular surface which is engaged with the first annular surface with a friction member clamped therebetween. A driving member is connected to the rotatable member and is connected to a power transferring member. An adjustable member is movably mounted to the shaft and a bearing is mounted to the shaft and located between the adjustable member and the rotatable member. The friction between the rotatable member and the base member can be adjustable by moving the adjustable member to compress the rotatable member toward the base member.

Abstract: An electrodeposition apparatus for depositing material on a surface of a substrate. The electrodeposition apparatus includes at least one contact for vertically contacting the substrate and providing electrical connection to the substrate. The at least one contact does not scratch the surface of the substrate to be plated. A voltage source is connected to the at least one contact.

Abstract: A printer for printing color toner images on a receiver member of any of a variety of textures. The printer has a number of tandemly arranged electrophotographic image-forming modules respectively including a plurality of imaging subsystems to form a colored toner image transferred to a receiver member, the transfer of toner images from each of the modules forming a color print of the receiver member which is fused to form a desired color print. The image quality of the color print is produced by control of nonoperational co-optimization of fusing parameters and imaging subsystem parameters enabling printing on the variety of textures of receiver member.

Abstract: A high-speed silicon photodiode and method of manufacture include a first layer of silicon having thickness in a range of about 125 &mgr;m to about 550 &mgr;m. A second layer of silicon has a thickness in a range of about 3 &mgr;m to about 16 &mgr;m and a resistivity of at least about 500 ohm-cm. This first layer is doped with a second type of impurity. In an alternative aspect, a high-speed silicon photodiode and method of manufacture includes a silicon wafer doped with a first type of impurity. On a first side of the wafer a doping of a second type is applied in an active area of a photodiode. On the reverse of the wafer a volume of silicon is etched away and the resulting trench is coated with a conductor. The wafer may also exhibit a high resistivity of at least about 500 ohm-cm. In each aspect, a reverse bias not exceeding about 3.3 volts permits operation with a frequency response of at least 750 MHz.

Abstract: A distributed system structure for a large-way, multi-bus, multiprocessor system using a bus-based cache-coherence protocol is provided. The distributed system structure contains an address switch, multiple memory subsystems, and multiple master devices, either processors, I/O agents, or coherent memory adapters, organized into a set of nodes supported by a node controller. The node controller receives commands from a master device, communicates with a master device as another master device or as a slave device, and queues commands received from a master device. The system allows for the implementation of a bus protocol that reports the state of a cache line to a master device along with the first beat of data delivery for a cacheable coherent Read. Since the achievement of coherency is distributed in time and space, the issue of data integrity is addressed through a variety of actions.

Abstract: A distributed system structure for a large-way, multi-bus, multiprocessor system using a bus-based cache-coherence protocol is provided. The distributed system structure contains an address switch, multiple memory subsystems, and multiple master devices, either processors, I/O agents, or coherent memory adapters, organized into a set of nodes supported by a node controller. The node controller receives commands from a master device, communicates with a master device as another master device or as a slave device, and queues commands received from a master device. The system allows for the implementation of a bus protocol that reports the state of a cache line to a master device along with the first beat of data delivery for a cacheable coherent Read. Since the achievement of coherency is distributed in time and space, the issue of data integrity is addressed through a variety of actions.

Abstract: Groups (e.g. 3) of parallel digital video input signals having a first frequency are provided, each group having a first number (e.g. 8) of binary bits. The parallel signals in each group correspond in gray scale to the signals providing one of the colors in a single color pixel. The parallel signals may have a first particular frequency. The parallel digital signals are serialized at a second frequency constituting an integral multiple (e.g. 3) of the frequency of the parallel signals. The serialized signals are converted in a look-up table to serialized signals having the second frequency. The number of bits in each group of the signals from the look-up table have an arbitrary relationship to the number of the binary bits in each group introduced to the look-up table. For example, the number of binary bits in each group from the look-up table may be ten (10). The signals from the look-up table are converted to analog signals which produce a gray scale image on a monitor face.

Abstract: A communication network is provided which includes a primary label switched path having a plurality of switching routers. The communication network includes a secondary label switched path which extends from a selected primary path switching router, bypasses a section of the primary path and rejoins the primary path at a position downstream of the selected switching router. The selected switching router is conditioned to re-route data intended for transmission on the primary path, onto the secondary communication path in response to a fault on the section of the primary path which is bypassed by the secondary path to restore data transmission.

Abstract: The invention relates to a berley dispenser which can hold large pieces of berley. Under the action of wave movement, the berley dispenser chops the berley into smaller pieces which are then dispersed through a series of apertures.

Abstract: Methods, systems, computer readable media are provided which facilitate the selection of multiple paths through a network represented by a network topology which take into account shared risk which may exist between network resources. The method involves identifying a first path through the network topology from a source node to a destination node, the first path comprising a first sequence of network resources. For at least one shared risk group, a determination is made if any of the at least one shared risk group includes any of the first sequence of network resources, a shared risk group being a group of network resources within the network topology which have a shared risk. A topology transformation is performed of the network topology into a virtual topology which discourages the use of network resources in any shared risk group determined. A second path through the virtual topology is identified from the source node to the destination.

Abstract: An angle adjustable handle assembly includes a positioning tube fixedly connected to a handle post of an exercise bike and has a toothed end. A sleeve movably extends through the positioning tube and has a head is on a first end of the sleeve and the head has a toothed shoulder which is engaged with the toothed end of the positioning tube. A second end of the sleeve is threadedly connected to a locking member. A handle extends through the sleeve and a bolt extends through the head of the sleeve and is engaged with the handle. The sleeve and the handle can be pulled to disengage from the toothed end of the tube and rotated to desired angle and then re-engage with the toothed of the tube.

Abstract: An angle adjustable handle assembly includes a positioning tube fixedly connected to a handle post of an exercise bike and has a toothed end. A sleeve movably extends through the positioning tube and has a head is on a first end of the sleeve and the head has a toothed shoulder which is engaged with the toothed end of the positioning tube. A second end of the sleeve is threadedly connected to a locking member. A handle extends through the sleeve and a bolt extends through the head of the sleeve and is engaged with the handle. The sleeve and the handle can be pulled to disengage from the toothed end of the tube and rotated to desired angle and then reengage with the toothed of the tube.

Abstract: A damping assembly for an exercising device includes a shaft with a base member and a rotatable member respectively mounted thereto. The base member has a first annular surface and the rotatable member has a second annular surface which is engaged with the first annular surface with a friction member clamped therebetween. A driving member is connected to the rotatable member and is connected to a power transferring member. An adjustable member is movably mounted to the shaft and a bearing is mounted to the shaft and located between the adjustable member and the rotatable member. The friction between the rotatable member and the base member can be adjustable by moving the adjustable member to compress the rotatable member toward the base member.